ATA Action Acquires Digital Therapeutics Alliance, Expanding Digital Health Advocacy

The American Telemedicine Association's lobbying arm, ATA Action, has acquired the Digital Therapeutics Alliance (DTA) in a strategic move to strengthen its digital health presence and broaden its advocacy efforts. This merger, finalized in late 2024, aims to create a more comprehensive approach to health technology policy at state, federal, and international levels.

Unified Advocacy for Digital Health

The acquisition brings together two organizations with complementary focuses. ATA Action, known for its work on telehealth policy, will now incorporate DTA's expertise in digital therapeutics and upstream regulatory processes. This union is expected to create a more robust platform for advocating health technology solutions across the care continuum.

Andy Molnar, former CEO of DTA and now director of digital health at ATA Action, explained the rationale behind the merger: "Digital therapeutics companies have started to include telehealth and virtual care, while ATA Action members have become more interested in connected devices and software as a medical device."

Expanding Policy Priorities

The newly formed Advancing Digital Health Coalition, led by Molnar, will serve as ATA Action's hub for digital health advocacy. Key policy priorities include:

• Reintroducing the Prescription Digital Therapeutics Act
• Advancing Prescription Drug Use-Related Software (PDURS) policy
• Advocating for digital diagnostics, a new area for the organization

Kyle Zebley, ATA Action Executive Director, highlighted the strategic advantage of this acquisition: "What's great about DTA is they're more upstream at the absolute cutting edge of regulatory approval for dynamic, new health tech solutions."

Global Reach and State-Level Impact

The merger combines DTA's international regulatory influence, particularly in European and Asian digital therapeutics policy, with ATA Action's robust state-level lobbying force. This collaboration is expected to enhance advocacy efforts at all levels of government and expand the organization's global footprint.

Molnar expressed hope that ATA Action will now be able to represent digital therapeutics interests at the state level, while Zebley anticipates leveraging DTA's international contacts to broaden ATA's global influence.

The expanded focus on digital health will be showcased at ATA's upcoming Nexus Conference in New Orleans, Louisiana, scheduled for May 3-6, 2025.