ATA puts focus on AI use in telehealth and virtual care

In August 2026, as artificial intelligence evolves, the American Telemedicine Association and its advocacy arm have recently convened health IT leaders in order to help shape policy goals for AI's role in virtual care delivery. The American Telemedicine Association and its affiliated ATA Action arm announced their plans for a new AI in Virtual Care Policy Initiative.

The new effort is billed as a member-driven project and is designed to shape the policies and frameworks that will govern the use of artificial intelligence in telehealth and in virtual care. It's meant to help set the direction for ATA Action's advocacy by the year 2027. The AI in Virtual Care Policy Initiative will be built around three working groups focused on different areas: state AI policy, federal legislation, and public policy via federal agencies.

The state AI policy workgroup also developed policy goals and recommendations for AI use in virtual care, "including clinician oversight, transparency, liability, patient consent, validation standards, and regulatory approaches that support innovation without creating a patchwork of state requirements. The federal legislative group has also put together recommendations for Congress on AI-enabled virtual care and other topics, such as reimbursement, access, infrastructure, clinical validation, and national standards. The federal agency and public policy workgroup will be focusing on nationwide guidance for AI in virtual care.

The goal is to develop practical, technology-informed policy recommendations that are able to support innovation while also avoiding a fragmented patchwork of federal and state requirements that could hinder the adoption and innovation of effective AI tools. Earlier this year, the company also put forth a framework of updated policy principles outlining how artificial intelligence should be deployed across healthcare settings, with new guidance on topics such as validation, monitoring, and data security.

Impact on the Healthcare Market

Telemedicine has emerged as a transformative approach in modern healthcare, addressing critical challenges related to accessibility, efficiency, and personalized care. The role of artificial intelligence (AI) in telemedicine is enhancing its scope through preliminary diagnostics, personalized health recommendations, and specialist referrals.

AI tools have also made significant strides in the wellness sector, with numerous wellness apps emerging as a rapidly growing part of the broader AI industry. Their growing popularity is further being driven by advanced features like personalized recommendations, real-time tracking, and predictive analysis. Taking a patient’s history could also prove to be a cost-effective and valuable part of telehealth, but this aspect is often underused due to its time-consuming nature. AI here has the potential to improve this by offering suggestions, diagnostic clues, and follow-up questions based on patient responses, making the process more efficient and thorough.

AI has also significantly advanced remote patient monitoring (RPM), enabling continuous monitoring of patients’ health conditions without the need for frequent hospital visits. AI-powered devices and sensors are able to collect data on vital signs such as heart rate, blood pressure, and glucose levels, and transmit this data to healthcare providers in real time. Machine learning algorithms also help to analyze this data to detect anomalies and predict potential health issues before they become critical.

Impact on the Telehealth Market

The global telehealth market size accounted for USD 196.81 billion in 2025 and is predicted to increase from USD 244.30 billion in 2026 to approximately USD 1367.36 billion by 2035, expanding at a CAGR of 23.19% from 2026 to 2035.

According to Precedence Research, the global telehealth market is driven by the growing demand for digital and convenient healthcare products and services among hospitals and consumers across the globe. Telehealth platforms are gaining rapid traction among consumers owing to the availability of healthcare professional services like consultations at the press of a button. The rising investments in the development of IT infrastructure and the rising adoption of smartphones and the internet among the global population are fostering the growth of the telehealth market.

The telehealth market is also supporting the expansion of healthcare access for people living in rural and remote areas, where services are not easily available. These platforms also allow patients to consult with healthcare professionals remotely using smartphones and computers. 

Ongoing technological advancement in the digital health platforms supports remote patient monitoring. The growing use of technology has made it easier to collect and understand health data in real time, helping doctors make better decisions faster. AI reinforces telehealth based on automated triage, predictive remote monitoring, and intelligent diagnostics. It facilitates the real-time transcription, EHR population, and personalized chronic care plans. Part of AI-driven analytics will enhance the quality of the decisions made, minimize the efforts of clinicians, and simplify models of virtual healthcare delivery.

Impact on the Virtual Care Market

The global virtual care market size was estimated at USD 15.19 billion in 2024 and is predicted to increase from USD 20.08 billion in 2025 to approximately USD 247.67 billion by 2034, expanding at a CAGR of 32.20% from 2025 to 2034.

According to Precedence Research, the market is expected to grow significantly with the increase in government initiatives to develop the healthcare sector in different parts of the world. This industry mainly consists of several components, including software, hardware, and services. Virtual care comprises several modes of communication that mainly include real-time virtual health, remote patient monitoring, and store-and-forward.

The virtual care industry has also developed rapidly due to the advancements in modern sciences and technologies. The ongoing development of modern technologies, such as AI, has also contributed significantly to the development of the telemedicine sector. The integration of AI in virtual care helps to enhance the overall quality of remote medical consulting. Thus, the integration of AI technologies in the virtual world is expected to create ample growth opportunities for market players in the future.

Expert Opinion

"The specific outcomes developed by these work groups will help establish the advocacy priorities for ATA Action in 2027 so that we can hit the ground running," Zebley said in a statement. "ATA Action has developed excellent relationships with federal and state policymakers, and we look forward to working in sync with these decision-makers to advance appropriate legislative frameworks for AI in virtual care delivery."