The ATA Clinician Council designed the principles to help address barriers affecting the broad adoption of telehealth and virtual care delivery. It believes in educating the public, patients, clinicians, policymakers, and payers regarding the benefits of adopting telehealth. The ATA also aims to provide evidence-based guidelines for appropriately utilizing telehealth across any clinical discipline.
Each principle emphasizes telehealth as an essential technology that addresses healthcare system gaps and uses telehealth to transform healthcare delivery. In addition, the standards of patient care improve when clinicians adopt and administer telehealth care in an appropriate, ethical, and legal manner.
According to Ann Mond Johnson, the CEO of ATA, the principles help reinforce ATA's mandate in driving policy, managing the expectations of current and prospective members, and collaborating with other organizations.