With just 26 days before Medicare telehealth flexibilities expire, the American Medical Association (AMA) asked lawmakers to work with the Congressional Budget Office on new forward-looking scoring it says would justify permanent telehealth reforms. The powerful physician lobby floated an issue brief that dovetails with the Trump administration’s Make America Healthy Again agenda, arguing empirical analysis not currently considered by CBO suggest telehealth offers long-term savings from early intervention, improved chronic disease management and reduced use of costly emergency and inpatient services. The brief says these elements affect key drivers of health care costs: clinician retention, care quality, patient engagement and the avoidance of costly emergency or inpatient care. A more comprehensive approach is needed to evaluate the economic impact of telehealth, including effects on the sustainability and efficiency of federal health programs and the broader health care system, the lobby says.