Dear Colleagues;
We hope this finds you well, and that your week is off to a great start! Summer is in full swing, and we're sure you've been as active as we have in the extra sunlight! The NETRC team loves to hear from you all, and recently we've heard a lot of exciting success stories, including newly funded grant proposals from our friends and colleagues throughout the region, some of which are featured throughout this newsletter. In addition to some regional highlights, you'll find a brief recap of our Annual Conference, recent telehealth stories and publications, and some upcoming events to continue your summer of telehealth learning!
We're elated to share that 9 different entities in 5 states across the Northeast were awarded funding as part of the recently released 2nd round of HRSA Rural Communities Opioid Response Program (RCORP) planning grants, several of which include telehealth components! More information on the RCORP program, other similar funding opportunities, and the full list of grant winners can be found
here.
Last week, On June 17 and 18, NETRC hosted its 5th annual regional telehealth conference at the Westin Portland Harborview in Portland, Maine! The theme for this year’s conference was “A Practical Tour of the Telehealth Landscape”, and was designed to offer stakeholders from all levels of telehealth experience an opportunity to leverage learning and collaboration; More highlights can be found below.
NETRC Region Telehealth Leadership Forum
Back by Popular Demand!
The NETRC Team is very excited to be re-starting the Northeast Telehealth Leadership Forum to foster collaborative problem solving with stakeholders throughout the region!
When this forum was started, the goal was to:
- Promote ongoing networking among local telehealth directors/managers/coordinators, clinicians, government agencies, payers, and other stakeholders.
- Facilitate dynamic conversations to identify solutions to shared challenges.
- Collaboratively engage external partners to raise awareness of telehealth’s potential to increase access, decrease costs, and much more.
- Leverage our collective knowledge, testimonials, best practices, data, and resources to support change.
As we've heard from stakeholders, the group was a great success and has been missed by many; we're happy to announce we'll be bringing it back starting late Summer 2019! To be sure we're including all interested parties, planning pertinent topics & useful discussions, and exploring potential sub-groups, we're asking that all interested individuals fill out a quick survey monkey registration form
here.
Please share the link with any colleagues you think may be interested as well- the more the merrier!
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, MPH - Project Manager
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2019 NETRC Conference Highlights
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As mentioned above, on June 17 and 18, the 2019 NETRC Regional Telehealth Conference took place in Portland, Maine. The NETRC team extends another round of thank yous to our sponsors, speakers, and attendees who made the event possible; It was great to see all who were able to attend, and thanks for making it another memorable experience! Over 200 including 21 sponsors/exhibitors and numerous speakers attended the two-day event from all across the NETRC region and the nation, continuing the trend of great attendance and conversation!
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The event kicked off on Monday, June 17
th with a morning pre-conference workshop titled: “A Provider’s Guide to Telemental Health: Key Concepts and Use Cases”. Led off by NETRC’s own Dr. Terry Rabinowitz, the workshop included clinical, administrative and technology perspectives for planning and implementing successful telemental health programs for a variety of populations.
At Noon on 6/17, the NETRC Conference officially launched with registrations and an energizing conference welcome message from NETRC Program Director Danielle Louder.
MATRC’s Kathy Wibberly, PhD followed, delivering the first of three great plenaries throughout the conference. Kathy captivated the crowd by tying the current landscapes of healthcare and public health together and highlighting the ever growing usage of telehealth between them. Her “Call to Action” helped set the tone of the conference and led into one of three sets of breakout sessions held throughout the event. The afternoon of Day 1 wrapped up with the final first day plenary, “Stethoscope & Computers: Team-based Telehealth” presented by Dr. Tess Kryspin Lombard, CMO of Staywell Health Center, and an Evening Networking Reception with conference Exhibitors.
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Day 2 began with an invigorating Keynote Session delivered by Dr. Chris Gibbons, titled “A Vision for the Future of Medicine - The Promise of Digital Health and How We’ll Get There”. Recognizing the need for discussions regarding the evolving telehealth reimbursement and policy landscape, NETRC welcomed
CCHP’s own Mei Kwong, JD., Jeremey Sherer, Esq. of
Hooper, Lundy and Bookman Legal, and Rene Quashie, Esq. of the
Consumer Technology Association (CTA) for an expert panel discussion on telehealth policies and key considerations.
The remainder of the conference featured 10 unique and informative breakout sessions, including: two telehealth technology showcases from our wonderful colleagues at
TTAC, use cases and lessons learned from
USDA’s Distance Learning and Telemedicine Grant program, Emergency use cases including paramedicine, tele-ICU, and tele-NICU, store-and-forward use cases, program perspectives from small and large healthcare organizations and systems, and Project ECHO implementation.
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The NETRC Team sends many thanks to our TRC colleagues, speakers, sponsors and exhibitors for sharing your time and expertise for this year’s event, and to our attendees for your continued commitment to improving health access and outcomes through telehealth – stay in touch and we’ll see you soon! Keep an eye on the events page on the NETRC website for future information on our 2020 conference date and location.
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Don't Miss CCHP's 2019 Updated Telehealth Laws and Reimbursement Policies Report!
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The long awaited and much anticipated updated Spring 2019 version of CCHP’s
State Telehealth Laws and Reimbursement Policies Report
is now available! The new Spring 2019 edition offers policymakers, health advocates and other interested health care professionals a compendium of state telehealth laws, regulations and Medicaid policies
.
Key Findings include:
-Reimbursement policies available for Live-Video methods Nationwide for the first time!
-Store and Forward Methods and Remote-Patient Monitoring Methods are gaining traction in State Medicaid Programs.
- Licensure Compacts have become increasingly common, to highlight a few examples:
- Interstate Medical Licensure: 29 States and D.C.Compact
- Nurse Licensure Compact: 33 States
- Physical Therapy Compact: 5 States
- Psychology Interjurisdictional Comp act (PSYPACT): 9 States:
Click the cover photo of the report to the right to download
CCHP's
full 2019 Report, or click
here
to access a summary level infographic!
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Upcoming & Archived Webinars
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June 28th - 2:00pm Eastern
National TRC Webinar Series
FQHC Part 2- Using Telehealth to Treat Substance Use Disorder in a CHC Setting
Hosted and Moderated by:Mei Kwong, JD, Executive Director - Center for Connected Health Policy
Speakers:
Marwan Haddad, MD, MPH, AAHIVS, Medical Director of the Center for Key Populations - Community Health Center, Inc.
David Kan, MD, DFASAM, Chief Medical Officer - Bright Heart Health
There is increased interest in how telehealth can be used to address substance use disorders (SUD) as well as funding by governmental agencies to provide such services. However, what type of SUD services can a community health center offer via telehealth? This webinar will discuss potential ways in which clinics can integrate these services into their organization and the potential issues they may encounter.
Click on the image above, or
here
to register today!
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Coming up Soon!
July 18 - 2:00pm Eastern
National TRC Webinar Series
An Overview of Cyber Security
Hosted by:National Telehealth Technology Assessment Resource Center (TTAC)
Presented by: Jordan Berg
And in case you missed it...
May 1
NCTRC Webinar Series for Federally Qualified Health Centers (FQHCs)
Part 1: Telehealth and Chronic Care Management
June 5
RHIhub Webinar
–
Introducing the Rural Telehealth Toolkit
(featuring NETRC's own Danielle Louder as one of 4 Speakers discussing the new tool!)
June 20
National TRC Webinar Series-
School-Based Telehealth Center of Excellence
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Upcoming Conferences/Events
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Regional Conference Season is just beginning for the TRC's!
Visit the link below to view the upcoming events hosted by other Regional Telehealth Resource Centers, such as the
1st ever Upper Midwest TRC conference on July 23/24 in South Bend, IN.
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Upcoming National Conferences
Boston, MA
APHA 2019
| November 2-6, 2019 | Philadelphia, PA
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MaineHealth Looks to Create a Blueprint for Telehealth Success-
mHealth Intelligence, June 17, 2019
Link
Speaking at this week's Northeast Regional Telehealth Conference in Portland, Jasmine Bishop, the Maine-based network's telehealth program manager, laid out a framework for success that relies heavily on planning, practice and data.
UMass Memorial Ready to Launch Telehealth Program for NICU Care-
mHealth Intelligence, June 18, 2019
Link
The Massachusetts health system will soon be rolling out a telehealth program aimed at connecting rural hospitals and clinics with NICU specialists to help improve care and outcomes for its most fragile patients.
Maine Approves Telehealth Coverage Parity, Embraces RPM Programs-
mHealth Intelligence, June 18, 2019
Link
Maine Gov. Janet Mills has signed into law new telehealth guidelines that require payers to cover any services that they would cover in person. The new law also opens the door to remote patient monitoring and allows doctors to use phone-based telehealth in certain situations.
TTAC Director Doris Barta Talks About Telehealth Resources, Trends-
mHealth Intelligence, June 14, 2019
Link
Ahead of the Northeast Telehealth Resource Center's annual conference in Portland, ME, Doris Barta of the National Telehealth Technology Assessment Center talks about the TTAC's role in telehealth adoption and support.
ATA’s CEO Ann Mond Johnson looks to dispel the 7 myths of telehealth adoption-
mHealth Intelligence, June 10, 2019
Link
At Xtelligent Healthcare Media's Value-Based Summit on Telehealth last week in Atlanta, American Telemedicine Association’s CEO Ann Mond Johnson challenged providers to look beyond even inaccurate descriptions of telehealth and embrace connected care: Telehealth is only for rural areas; Telehealth is more expensive; Telehealth is not high quality; Telehealth is impersonal; Telehealth providers prescribe more drugs than those treating patients in person; Telehealth is a threat to providers; Telehealth is only synchronous communication.
Telemedicine brings access to specialty health care to North Country-
WMUR (Colbrook, NH), June 10, 2019
Link
North Country Healthcare, a group of for hospitals serving northern New Hampshire is accelerating its access to specialty care via a telemedicine network, including seven specialties offered via video linkages with Dartmouth-Hitchcock Medical Center in Lebanon.
How the workers’ compensation industry is embracing telemedicine-
Insurance Journal, June 10, 2019
Link
Though slow to emerge, more workers’ compensation systems,have recently been adopting telehealth to provide remote medical care and rehabilitation services to injured employees, including use of video technology embedded in smart phones, tablets and computers.
New study: Rural telehealth capabilities are lagging-
MultiBriefs,
, June 4, 2019
Link
A research report recently published in Annals of Internal Medicine found as association between rural counties with inadequate broadband infrastructure and low rates of telemedicine use among Medicare enrollee. The broadband penetration rate in the most rural counties was 62% if primary care physician access was adequate, compared with 38% if it was inadequate, according to the study.
Telemedicine on the rise in Upstate New York-
Observer-Dispatch (Utica, NY), May 31, 2019
Link
Excellus BlueCross BlueShield is reporting a 188% higher usage rate of telemedicine services in Upstate New York over a three-year period. They estimate that New Yorkers made more than 180,000 telemedicine visits last year.
CCHP report finds video-based telemedicine coverage is nationwide-
mHealth Intelligence, May 30, 2019
Link
The latest report on state Medicaid coverage of telehealth by the Center for Connected Health Policy finds that video-based telemedicine is now covered in some form in all 50 states and the District of Columbia. The updated report also highlights progress in state adoptiong of the Interstate Licensure Compact, reimbursement coverage of Rmote Patient Monitoring, and store-and-forward forms of telemedicine.
IDSA issues updated statement on use of telemedicine and telehealth technologies-
Infectious Disease Advisor, May 29, 2019
Link
The Infectious Disease Society of America (IDSA) issued an updated statement supporting the appropriate use of telemedicine and telehealth technologies in clinical care, research, and education. Details of the position statement were published in
Clinical Infectious Diseases
.
Telehealth can help us combat the opioid crisis-
AHIP Blog, May 2019
Link
Development of programs to use telemedicine for enhancing access to Medication Assisted Treatment (MAT) face a barrier from the Ryan Haight Online Pharmacy Consumer Protection Act of 2008, which requires that a telehealth provider must conduct at least an in-person medical evaluation of a patient before remotely prescribing any controlled substances. The American Telemedicine Association recently
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Recommended Telehealth Research/Resources
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Chongmelaxme B, Huey Lee SW, Dhippayom T, et al.
J. Allergy Clin. Immunol. Pract.
7(1):1
99-216.e11, 2019
Davis LE, Harnar J, LaChey-Barbee LA, et al..
Telemed. e-Health 25(4):
274-278
, 2019
Dearing JW, Cruz S, Kee K, Larson RS, Rahm AK. Diffusion Associates, Inc., 2019
Langabeer J, Champagne-Langabeer T, Gleisberg GR, et al.
J. Emerg. Med. Serv
., April 9, 2019
Majumder S, Deen MJ.
Sensors 19(9).
pii: E2164, 2019
MobilDrTech, Inc. MobilDrTech, January 2019
Rademacher NJ, Cole G, Psoter KJ, et al. JMIR Med. Inform. 7(2):e11233, 2019
Rural Health Information Hub. RHIH Web, May 2019
Tarver WL, Haggstrrm DA.
J. Med. Internet Res. 21(4):
e10256, 2019
Task Force on Research and Development for Technology to Support Aging Adults. Committee on Technology of the National Science & Technology Council, March 2019
Totten AM, Hansen RN, Wagner J, et al. Comparative Effectiveness Review No. 216, Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality; April 2019
Waseh S, Dicker AP.
JMIR Med. Educ. 5(1):
e12515, 2019
Whaley CM, Bollyky JB, Lu W, et al.
J. Med. Econ. 23:
1-9, 2019
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The Northeast Telehealth Resource Center (a proud member of the
National Consortium of Telehealth Resource Centers) aims to increase access to quality 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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