Dear Colleagues;
Happy Monday! We hope this finds you well. The spring and summer months are already packed with numerous exciting opportunities; filled with conferences, legislative sessions, research paper publications and much more. As such, we have a number of exciting updates to share:
NETRC Team Recent Events
- NETRC's Program Director Danielle Louder presented alongside multiple great speakers at the second annual Telehealth Symposium co-hosted by Community Health Care Association of New York State and Finger Lakes Community Health on April 8th to over 120 attendees across healthcare disciplines as part of a two-day Telehealth Bootcamp focused on Expanding Access to Community-Based Healthcare
- Danielle and Reid joined our fellow TRC's for two days of National Consortium of Telehealth Resource Centers Strategic Planning in March; graciously hosted in Little Rock, Arkansas by our friends at the SCTRC
There's also been some exciting activity from our partners and collaborators throughout the region and the US:
- Congratulations are in order to Mia Millefoglie and Maine Healthcare at Home (MHCAH) who recently had their Rural Utilities Services-USDA grant related work published as part of Health Recovery Solutions' Homecare 100 Thought Leadership Series Dec. 2018 issue! The case study on MHCAH can be found here.
- Remington Report subscribers can also read about their awesome work in the most recent issue!
- There is certainly plenty of telehealth related legislative activity occurring regionally and nationally, with over 50 bills currently proposed in the NETRC Region. Our friends at CCHP have a Legislation and Regulation Tracking Tool that helps us stay up to date - try it for yourself!
NETRC Team Upcoming Activities
The NETRC Team is hitting the road again - will we see you at any upcoming events?
- ATA 2019: April 14-17 Come find us at the NCTRC Exhibit Booth #619: see below for a link to the map!
- Reid will be discussing Telehealth 101 with a group of Northeast Physician Hospital Organizations at the 2019 NECoMG Annual Meeting on June 20.
- Danielle will be presenting among a group of esteemed colleagues in the Telehealth field at the 11th Annual mHealth and Telehealth World Summit on July 31.
- Last but certainly not least, we were thrilled to recently share the news of our keynote speaker, Dr. Chris Gibbons for the 5th Annual NETRC Conference, and today we're excited to announce our Telehealth Policy Panel experts! See the conference update section below for more information and a link to register!
As always, please feel free to reach out with any questions, for more information on the news below, to share your successes, or just to say hello!
On Behalf of the NETRC Team - Be Well,
Reid Plimpton - Project Manager
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2019 NETRC Conference updates
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Meet Our Panel of Telehealth Policy Experts!
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Mei Wa Kwong
has over two decades of experience in state and federal policy work. She is the Executive Director for the Center for Connected Health Policy (CCHP), the federally designated National Telehealth Policy Resource Center. She has written numerous policy briefs, crafted state legislation and led several coalition efforts on a variety of issues. Ms. Kwong has published articles on telehealth policy, is recognized as an expert in her field and has been consulted by state and federal lawmakers on telehealth legislation and policy. Ms. Kwong is a graduate of the George Washington University Law School.
René Quashie
is the first-ever Vice President of Policy & Regulatory Affairs of Digital Health at the Consumer Technology Association. Quashie provides guidance on key technical and regulatory issues relating to consumer digital health and wellness technology products, services, software and apps. Quashie works on behalf of CTA's Health and Fitness Technology Division, which supports the consumer health technology industry through education, advocacy, research, standards work, policy initiatives and more. CTA works closely with the Food and Drug Administration, the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services, the Office of the National Coordinator, the Federal Communications Commission, and other related government agencies. Quashie previously was in private law practice at several national firms, and earned his law degree from George Washington University.
Jeremy Sherer
is a health care attorney specializing in digital health matters at Hooper, Lundy and Bookman in Boston. Jeremy counsels health care providers and technology vendors on matters involving regulatory compliance, transactions and business arrangements, with particular emphasis on telehealth and health care technology. His clients include hospital systems, provider organizations, telehealth platforms and digital health startups throughout New England and across the United States. Jeremy received the American Bar Association Health Law Section’s “Emerging Young Lawyer in Healthcare” award” in 2019, and was named one of “12 Health IT Attorneys You Should Know” by Health Data Management in 2017. Jeremy holds a B.A. from Brandeis University, a J.D. from Boston College Law School, and LL.M. in Health Law from the George Washington University Law School.
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Join Mei, Rene and Jeremy for a discussion on:
"National & Regional Telehealth Policy Perspectives,Trends and Considerations"
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Our 5th Annual Regional Telehealth Conference will be one you don't want to miss with over 15 breakout sessions, designated networking & exhibit hall times, and so much more!
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Early Bird Rates for Registration and Lodging still available until
Tuesday April 30!
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The Exhibit Hall will serve as a focal point for sponsors and the agenda will include dedicated time on both days of the conference for attendees to visit with sponsors and exhibitors.
All sponsorships include an exhibit booth and 1-3 conference registrations for the full conference
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To learn more and see what is still available download our
Sponsor & Exhibitor Prospectus
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Upcoming & Archived Webinars
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April 18 - 2:00pm Eastern
National TRC Webinar Series
Telemedicine: How to do it right!
Hosted by: Pacific Basin Telehealth Resource Center
Presented by: David E. Roth MD, FAAP, FAPA
This telehealth training teaches participants how to do telehealth well and avoid common mistakes. Participants learn how to engage patients and colleagues better, build stronger provider-patient relationships, create more private and comfortable treatment settings, demonstrate compassion and good “web-side” manners, and communicate more clearly.
Click on the image above to register!
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Coming up Soon!
May 7
NETRC & AdCare Maine
:
An Intro to Telehealth & Technology for Maine's Behavioral Health Workforce
led by GPTRAC's Jonathan Neufeld, PhD
May 1
NCTRC Webinar Series for Federally Qualified Health Centers (FQHCs)
Part 1: Telehealth and Chronic Care Management
And in case you missed it...
February 21
NCTRC Webinar
–
Federal and State Policy Updates for CY 2019, including CMS Changes & State Level Trends
March 14th
Adirondack Health Institute Webinar-
2019 NYS Telehealth Regulatory & Reimbursement Update
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Upcoming Conferences/Events
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Will we see you at ATA 2019?
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If you're attending ATA in New Orleans during April 14-17, come visit NETRC and the other TRC's at our
exhibit booth (#619)
For exact booth location, see
here
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Visit the link below to view the upcoming events hosted by other Regional Telehealth Resource Centers
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Upcoming National Conferences
Boston, MA
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Now HIPAA-compatible, Amazon’s Alexa opens up to mHealth uses
mHealth Intelligence, April 04, 2019
Link
Amazon has announced that Alexa can now support HIPAA-compliant services, and the company has invited six healthcare entities into an exclusive program aimed at developing mHealth platforms for the smart speaker.
CMS expands Medicare Advantage coverage of telehealth services
MedCity News, April 7, 2019
Link
CMS recently released a new rule which will allow Medicare Advantage to offer telehealth services as part of their basic benefits, providing patients more options to receive healthcare services from locations like their home.
New Hampshire lawmakers mull Medicaid coverage for telehealth
mHealth Intelligence, March 29, 2019
Link
The New Hampshire legislature is reviewing a bill that would expand Medicaid coverage for telehealth, including store-and-forward and remote patient monitoring. In most cases the bill calls for an in-person checkup first.
Complex Medicaid rules limit FQHC, safety-net telehealth use
mHealth Intelligence, March 14, 2019
Link
A recent study from RAND Corporation identified key barriers and facilitators for telehealth use and adoption in safety-net clinics or FQHCs for Medicaid patients, including reimbursement policies and restrictive rules.
New Massachusetts bills propose telehealth insurance coverage, practice standards
Health Care Law Today, March 20, 2019
Link
The Massachusetts legislature is currently reviewing several bills that would expand telehealth reimbursement coverage or modify current rules for telehealth implementation.
At Mount Sinai, telehealth reduces ER visits and hospitalizations
Healthcare IT News, March 11, 2019
Link
At the hospital's inflammatory bowel disease center, providers are using videoconferencing tele-visits to address patient needs, including behavioral health, medication management, and advice on nutrition and diet. Over 700 virtual visits hold promise for reducing ED visits and hospitalizations.
UMass prize will fund telemedicine initiative
Worcester Business Journal, April 9, 2019
Link
A plan to evaluate opioid overdose patients in the emergency department using telemedicine has received an annual prize and funding from the UMass Memorial Medical Group.
Stony Brook Medicine unveils mobile stroke unit, telemedicine program
Becker’s Hospital Review, April 8, 2019
Link
Stony Brook Medicine in New York recently launched a mobile stoke unit program, which incorporates telemedicine to allow emergency medical technicians to communicate with the health system's neurologists through video.
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Recommended Telehealth Research/Resources
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The Northeast Telehealth Resource Center (a proud member of the
National Consortium of Telehealth Resource Centers) aims to increase access toquality health care services for rural and medically underserved populations through Telehealth. Our service area includes New England, Northern New Jersey, and New York. Learn more at
www.netrc.org
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This newsletter was made possible by grant number G22RH30352 from the Office for the Advancement of Telehealth, Health Resources and Services Administration, DHHS
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