Dear Colleagues,
We hope your week is off to a great start! The leaves are changing and fall is upon us; we're only one week in and it's shaping up to be an active season for telehealth!
Recently, telehealth has seen an explosion of inclusion within grant opportunities across various care-specific and public health based topics: including opportunities from HRSA, USDA, and various State & Regional Entities! The NETRC team is thrilled to see this landscape of new adoption continue, and even more excited to see so many great new projects funded within the region:
Starting with the health center funding announcements,
HRSA awarded over
$50 million to 77 locations across 23 states
to establish new Health Center Program sites or expand existing sites to new locations, and
$85 million to 298 health centers
to expand their oral health service capacity through new infrastructure enhancements, marking the first time HRSA funds were solely focused on oral health infrastructure. Congratulations to all the newly awarded grantees, we're excited to see how you move forward with this important and innovative work, and let us know how we can help!
Policy and Procedural Changes
As mentioned in the August newsletter, the Center for Medicare and Medicaid Services released their
Proposed PFS Codes for Calendar Year 2020
in late July, which included proposed
new codes for providers and clinicians to manage their care transitions and coordination through digital health methods, along with proposing 3 new bundled care codes regarding the use of telehealth services in the case of Medication Assisted Treatment. Comments on the proposal closed just last week, on Sept. 27, 2019, and all can be reviewed
here
.
At the beginning of this month, the
American Medical Association
(AMA) released their 2020
Current Procedural Terminology (CPT) code set
; including major changes to the code set with regards to telehealth! The 394 proposed code changes include: 248 new codes, 71 deletions and 75 revisions. Of the new codes developed,
six codes
are focused on online digital evaluation services (e-visits), and new codes were also created to better support home blood pressure monitoring as well as codes for long term electroencephalographic (EEG) monitoring services. Click the links above to read the press releases, and click
here
to request the AMA 2020 data file for yourself.
Keep reading to find
:
-Currently open funding opportunities
-Highlights from the return of the Leadership Forum
-The location of NETRC 2020 Regional Telehealth Conference
-Upcoming Webinars and ones you may have missed
-Recent telehealth headlines and research; and more!
Look for us on the road!
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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Telehealth Funding Opportunities to Consider
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Health Resources and Services Administration (HRSA)
HRSA-20-026:
Rural Health Network Development Planning Program
HRSA-20-056
: Maternal and Child Health Field-Initiated Innovative Research Study (FIRST)
United States Department of Agriculture (USDA)
REAP:
Rural Energy for America Program- Fiscal Year 2020
Regional F.O.A
We're excited to share a regional funding opportunity from our colleagues at the New England Regional Genetics Network (
NERGN)
,
focused on enhancing underserved patient access to genetic services via funding support for innovation in telehealth services
. Funding is available for up to $20,000 for 2 awardees, and applications are due October 14th; for additional information, and to find out how to apply, see
here.
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NETRC Telehealth Leadership Forum Updates
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The Telehealth Leadership Forum returned this past month, with over 35 telehealth professionals convening on Wednesday September 4th!
The group discussed communication methods, future presentation topics and more before listening to forum member Rich Albrecht of Health Network Holdings, Inc. share his organizations experience with implementing telehealth services strategically with case examples.
The forum will plan to operate on a bi-monthly basis, with the potential for a meeting in the off months as subgroups or when pressing topics arise.
The Next Forum Meeting is scheduled for
Wednesday November 6th, at 10am Eastern, we'll see you there!
Missed the first meeting? That's okay, Register Today!
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Save The Date for NETRC 2020!
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The NETRC team is beyond excited to announce the date and location of our 2020 regional conference event; Mark your calendars, and plan to join us and over 200 telehealth professionals for two days of learning and collaboration in
Manchester New Hampshire on June 8-9, 2020!
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Upcoming Regional and National Events
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APHA 2019
| November 2-6, 2019 | Philadelphia, PA
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Upcoming & Archived Webinars
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Coming up Soon!
October 3rd
- 3:00pm Eastern
National Rural Health Association Webinar:
2019 Mid-Year Rural Health Policy Roundup
Join CEO of the NRHA Alan Morgan, the SWTRC, and the Arizona Telemedicine Program to discuss the current congressional intiatives surrounding telehealth and rural health services, along with any recent policy changes.
Click
here
to register today!
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October 17th - 2:00pm Eastern
National TRC Webinar Series:
Capacity Building Through Telemedicine: Georgia Department of Public Health
This webinar aims to address recent developments of telehealth and telemedicine in the state of Georgia, Department of Public Health (DPH). Audiences will learn how DPH built its infrastructure, discuss implementation strategies, hear lessons learned, and gain strategies on how to partner with various programs to increase access to care across rural and urban settings.
Click on the image below, or
here
to register today!
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And in case you missed it:
May 1
-August 27
National TRC Webinar Series for Federally Qualified Health Centers (FQHCs):
3 Part Series
Throughout the summer of 2019, the NCTRC hosted webinars aimed at Federally Qualified Health Centers, including: Telehealth 101, Using Telehealth to treat S.U.D., and Telebehavioral health.
September 19
National TRC Webinar Series
ETHAN: Emergency Telehealth and Navigation
This community-based mobile integrated healthcare system provides individuals who call 911 with low-acuity complaints to be triaged by telehealth emergency physicians for non-ambulance (taxi-cab, self-transport) and/or non-ED destinations (primary care clinic, home care) based on individual depositions. ETHAN has successfully increased efficiency and reduced the cost of emergency care by minimizing the use of EMS and ED’s.
September 24, 2019
National Healthcare for the Homeless Council:
Telebehavioral Health in Homeless HealthCare: Why is it hard? and What Can We Do About it?
This highly interactive webinar aimed to hold space for the difficult questions surrounding tele-behavioral health in the Health Care for the Homeless (HCH) setting. The discussion was guided with the distinct perspectives of four HCH health centers with varying experiences of using telehealth.
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Maine’s TeleWOW program uses telehealth to take on childhood obesity-
mHealth Intelligence, September 13, 2019
Link
A Bangor-based telehealth program is helping more than 50 children and young adults scattered across northern Maine connect with care providers and specialists to talk about health, wellness and weight management.
Risk management strategies to reduce risk associated with telehealth-
JD Supra, September 11, 2019
Link
Because of the surge in the use of telehealth, healthcare providers need to be aware of the risks associated with the use of this technology and implement mitigation strategies to reduce these risks. This brief overview highlights a range of legal issues surrounding telehealth implementation with a focus on privacy and security considerations.
School-based telehealth programs shown to benefit children with asthma in medically underserved communities-
American Journal of Managed Care News, September 9, 2019
Link
School-based telemedicine was shown to potentially enhance healthcare benefits for children with chronic diseases, such as asthma, in rural and medically underserved communities, according to a recent study published in JAMA Pediatrics.
Kaiser, Samsung tout success of telehealth in cardiac rehab program-
mHealth Intelligence, August 30, 2019
Link
Kaiser Permanente and Samsung partnered on a cardiac rehab program using mHealth tools and a telehealth platform that saw an 87 percent completion rate and a less than 2 percent rehospitalization rate.
Telehealth genetic counseling offers support during uncertainty-
VC Daily, August 19, 2019
Link
The role of genetic counseling is to help patients understand the ramifications of genetic testing and to guide them through the potentially life-altering decisions ahead of them. Embracing modern digital communications such as video conferencing is one way to ease the burden and accessibility of such care.
Direct-to-consumer telehealth requires careful planning, preparation-
mHealth Intelligence, August 22, 2019
Link
Many hospitals and health systems are looking to jump into the virtual care arena by launching a direct-to-consumer telehealth service. This overview highlights the important features such platforms must handle well to be accepted and adpted by both providers and patients.
The role of telehealth in disaster recovery-
HealthTech Digital Workforce, August 16, 2019
Link
When Hurricane Harvey hit Houston in 2017, some hospitals were effectively turned into islands, cut off from the rest of the city by floodwaters. Telehealth solutions helped providers deliver high-quality care even when physicians or patients couldn’t make it to the hospital.
Using telemedicine to treat Opioid Use Disorder in rural areas-
JAMA Medical News & Perspectives, August 28, 2019
Link
The benefits of using telehealth to enhance access to treatment for opioid use disorder in rural areas is highlighted and promising programs for behavioral treatment in West Virginia and Maryland are profiled.
New Hampshire expands Medicaid coverage for telehealth, RPM services-
mHealth Intelligence, August 13, 2019
Link
Beginning in 2020, the state's Medicaid program will cover remote patient monitoring and store-and-forward services and give primary care providers, pediatricians and other care providers more leeway to use telehealth.
Care coordination tech to drive social determinants of health care-
mHealth Intelligence, August 13, 201
9
Link
The Connecticut Hospital Association (CHA) is partnering with Unite Us, a community care coordination platform, to build a statewide network of social and clinical services providers to address the social determinants of health.
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Recommended Telehealth Research/Resources
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Chaffin HM, Nakagawa K, Koenig MA.
Hawaii J. Health Soc. Welf. 78(9):
280-286, 2019
Cordova D, Mendoza Lua F, Muñoz-Velázquez J, et al.
PLoS One 14(8):
e0221508, 2019
Cross TP, Walsh WA, Cross EM. Massachusetts Dept. of Public Health, June 2019
Dinh-Le C, Chuang R, Chokshi S, Mann D.
JMIR mHealth uHealth 7(9):
e12861, 2019
Federal Communications Commission. FCC Broadband Progress Reports, May 2019
Gillespie SM, Wasserman EB, Wood NE, et al.
J. Amer. Med. Dir. Assoc. 20(8):
942-946, 2019
Hah H, Goldin D, Ha S.
J. Med. Internet Res. 21(8):
e15087, 2019
Interstate Commission for EMS Personnel Practice. The EMS Compact, 2019
Kozikowski A, Shotwell J, Wool E, et al.
JMIR Aging 2(1):
e12415, 2019
Kryger MA, Crytzer TM, Fairman A, et al.
J. Med. Internet Res. 21(8):
e14305, 2019
Lazur B, Bennett A, King V.
Milbank Memorial Fund Issue Brief
, August 2019
Orlando JF, Beard M, Kumar S.
PLoS One 14(8):
e0221848, 2019
Palfai TP, Taylor JL, Saitz R, et al.
Addict. Sci. Clin. Pract. 14(1):
35, 2019
Patel PS, Jiang B, Marcelli M, Mediwala SN, Vasudevan MM.
J. Diabetes Sci. Technol. 13(1):
152-153, 2019
Rubin R.
JAMA
[epub ahead of print], August 2019
Tabi K, Randhawa AS, Choi F, et al.
JMIR mHealth uHealth
7(9):13608, 2019
Winchester DE, Wokhlu A, Vilaro J, et al.
Amer. J. Managed Care 25(5):
250-253, 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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