Thank you for the opportunity to discuss the benefits of S. 1016, the CONNECT for Health Act of 2017 (CONNECT), and virtual care/telemedicine in general. We greatly appreciate Senator Wicker’s support for this important piece of legislation. Virtual care technologies that encompass digital, as well as broadband, tools are quickly becoming recognized as a necessary component in providing more efficient, more convenient, quality healthcare at a time of increasing healthcare resource constraints. Inconsistencies, however, in nomenclature, reimbursement, and geographic restrictions, still create barriers to the full utilization and potential of virtual care.…