A Spring Like We've Never Seen:
Telehealth and COVID-19
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Dear Colleagues,
We hope this
finds you
and your loved ones safe and well
amidst these
challenging times.
While Spring has indeed arrived, this one looks infinitely different than most of us have, or ever will likely see again in our lifetime. T
he telehealth landscape has been rapidly changing
alongside the
COVID-19
pandemic
, and
we want you to know that the
NETRC
team
is here to help
,
as you
focus on continuing to deliver care
to your patients and communities.
With that, our first and most important message is this: THANK YOU, to each and every person who is working on the front lines, whether it be in healthcare and pharmacy, personal care, public health, manufacturing of supplies, utilities, food and grocery, farming, shipping, transportation, and many others who are part of the essential workforce – you are truly our heroes!
This
newsletter issue
is packed with
regional and national policy updates and training resources
relating to COVID-19,
relevant
Federal Grant Program Funding Announcements
, upcoming
Virtual
Telehealth Events
(
i
ncluding updates regarding NETRC's 2020 conference plans),
and
the most recent publications
and
headlines
.
As you might imagine, the NETRC team has seen a massive jump in requests for technical assistance and resources over the past few weeks (around 835% increase across the region!) - we are amazed at the work colleagues are doing to quickly stand up telehealth services, and are expanding our team capacity to keep up with stakeholder needs. We’ve also been receiving a number of questions around potential funding to support provider and patient access to devices and internet services for telehealth, and while they have not yet released the application materials yet, we wanted to be sure that folks were aware of the
FCC COVID-19 Telehealth Program
,
which is funded by appropriations from the
CARES Act
, and will allocate funds for connected care services, including direct funding for devices and services to eligible providers and organizations. We anticipate the application will be available soon, and will keep you posted.
As always, please feel free to reach out with any questions, for more information on the
information
below, to share
challenges and
successes
, or just to connect!
On Behalf of the NETRC Team
–
All our Best
,
Danielle Louder, Director and
Reid Plimpton, MPH - Project Manager
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Over the past few weeks, telehealth has seen numerous changes in the policy and reimbursement worlds due to COVID-19. These changes have been made in an attempt to best assist providers in their efforts to continue treating their current patients and serve their communities during these unique times, but we know there's a lot to to digest!
The TRCs have been hard at work compiling information as soon it becomes available, and NETRC has recently completed a dedicated section of our website to highlight these materials and more. Be sure to check our
COVID-19 webpage
for the newest information and materials!
TRC Developed COVID-19 Resources & Other Useful Tools
Northeast TRC's
Roadmap and Toolkit Webliography for Implementing Primary Care and Behavioral Telehealth Servicesduring the COVID-19 Pandemic -
Click here
Center for Connected Health Policy (CCHP)
. COVID-10 Telehealth Policies Webpage (includes Federal & State Policy Fact Sheets, Videos and More, Updated Daily!);
Click Here
National Consortium of Telehealth Resource Centers (NCTRC)
. COVID-19 telehealth toolkit- March 18, 2020
Click here
Southwest TRC's
Service Provider Directory for Telemedicine and Telehealth
Click here
.
Adirondack Health Institute's (AHI) Telehealth Vendor Resource Guide-
Click Here
American Medical Association- A Physician's Guide to COVID-19:
Click here
Federal Updates and Guidance Documents
Office for Civil Rights (OCR)
Guidance on HIPAA privacy and Novel Coronavirus
.
Click Here
Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA)
Telemedicine—COVID-19 information page-
Click Here
Federation of State Medical Boards (FSMB)
States waiving licensure requirements/renewals in response to COVID-19. As of April 3, 2020
Click Here
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NETRC's Annual Conference: Important Update
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Given the progression of the novel COVID-19 virus and the importance of the healthcare workers who attend our event in mitigating further spread, The NETRC team has decided we cannot move forward with this event as planned, and as many of you may have been expecting, we're confirming that
we will not be hosting this event in-person in June of 2020.
While this change of plans is certainly disappointing, we are in the process of preparing some exciting alternatives that we're looking forward to hosting over the coming months, and we will certainly plan to return to our in person event in the future. See below for a few early details!
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With Your Health in Mind, We're Shifting Mediums for 2020!
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We are currently working with other TRCs around the country to put on a virtual conference in some capacity later this Spring or Summer, and all presentation formats, registration options and potential sponsorships are being explored.
More information will be sent out about the virtual conference as we confirm the timing and agenda, please stay tuned!
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USDA Rural Development Announcement:
Distance Learning and Telemedicine Grant (DLT) Second Application Window Announced!
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Minimum Grant Amount
$50,000,
Maximum Grant Amount
$1,000,000
Match Requirement:
15% of total project cost
Eligible Applicants
:
Most entities that provide education or healthcare through telecommunications in rural settings, including: Most State and Local Government Entities; Federally Recognized Tribes, Nonprofits; and For Profit Businesses. Rurality score requirements and calculation methods can be foun
d
here
Eligible Grant Purposes include
:
The Acquisition of eligible capital assets; The Acquisition of instructional programming that is a capital asset; Technical assistance and instruction for using eligible equipment.
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T
he Rural Utilities Service (RUS), an agency of the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA), hereinafter referred to as RUS or the Agency, announced
Window 1
for its Distance Learning and Telemedicine (DLT) Grant Program application period for Fiscal Year (FY) 2020 on February 10, 2020.
Due to the impacts of the Coronavirus (COVID-19) virus, the agency has received several requests to extend the deadline.
However, the agency believes that extending the window would be counterproductive to getting funds out as quickly as possible to aid in this crisis.
As a result, the agency is providing an additional window for those that cannot complete applications prior to the
Window 1
deadline.
Grant Objective:
The Distance Learning and Telemedicine program helps rural residents tap into the enormous potential of modern telecommunications and the Internet for education and health care, two of the keys to economic and community development.
Application Dealdlines:
Window 1:
February 10 - April 10, 2020
Window 2
: April 14 - July 13, 2020
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USDA Distance Learning and Telemedicine Grant Program Overview Webinar
the Rural Utilities Service (RUS) will host webinars focused on the Distance Learning and Telemedicine (DLT) Grant Program. These webinars will inform participants about the major eligibility and regulatory requirements of the program and will provide detailed guidance on how to submit a successful grant application.
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HRSA Funding Opportunity Announcement:
Telehealth Network Grant Program (TNGP)
Application Deadline EXTENDED!
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Funding Opportunity Number: HRSA-20-036
Award Ceiling
: $300,000 oer year (4 years)
Estimated Number of Awards:
29
Grant Objective:
The primary objective of the Telehealth Network Grant Program is to demonstrate how telehealth programs and networks can improve access to quality healthcare services in rural, frontier, and underserved communities. New to this years' funding, applicants are able to focus their efforts within the Emergency Department (ED) setting as well.
Eligible Applicants: R
ural or urban nonprofit entities that will provide services through a telehealth network.
Eligible Grant Purposes include:
Expanding access to, coordinating, and improving the quality of healthcare services; Improving and expanding the training of healthcare providers; & Expanding and improving the quality of health information available to healthcare providers, and patients and their families, for healthcare decision-making
NOW DUE: 6/15/20
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NRTRC TAO Virtual Conference! Telehealth 20/20: New Perspectives, Innovation Insights & Expanded Vision of Care Delivery
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This Virtual Event is FREE!
Due to the level of interest in telehealth and the challenges faced by so many, registration is all that is required to participate in as many live sessions as you'd like to and to ask questions of presenters via chat.
COVID-19 has led to incredible change. This conference will help new providers get started and will help all of us understand the new world of telehealth.
Revised Conference Program Agenda -
Just a sampling of the offers provided:
Telehealth101
– get started in telehealth
Telehealth Policy Panel
– four nationally renowned telehealth attorneys will share the latest updates in federal and state policies, including reimbursement, HIPAA, broadband options and more
Telehealth Technology Showcase
and
Telehealth Technology during COVID-19
led by national experts from TTAC
Also: Treating SNF patients via telehealth, converting a practice to telehealth in a week, telebehavioral health, caring for special populations, COVID-19 transmission prevention via telehealth, grant writing,and much more!
Don't miss this event; Register
Now!
!
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Upcoming & Archived Webinars
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April 7th, 5:00PM- 6:00PM
(Eastern)
Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) Office Hours
The first in a series of opportunities for hospitals, health systems, and providers to ask questions of agency officials regarding CMS’s temporary actions
.
Dial-in details below. Conference lines are limited, so it's highly encouraged to join via audio webcast
Dial In: 833-614-0820 Passcode: 6793622
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May 20th, 10:00 AM- 11:00AM
(Eastern)
HRSA-NETRC Telehealth Webinar Series
Part 3: Telehealth to Expand Opioid/HIV Treatment in the Northeast
CAPT Christopher Bersani, Deputy Regional Administrator | HRSA Office of Regional Operations | Region 1
Nancy Rios, Deputy Regional Administrator | HRSA Office of Regional Operations | Region 7
Marwan Haddad, MD, MPH | Medical Director, Center for Key Populations | Community Health Center, Inc..
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And in case you missed it:
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March 19th, 2:00pm- 3:00PM
(Eastern)
National TRC Webinar Series:
Telehealth and COVID-19
Host TRC; Great Plains Technical Resource and Assistance Center (gpTRAC)
Guest Speaker: Kerry Palakanis, DNP, APRN Executive Director Connect Care Operations
Intermountain Healthcare
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March 31st
NCTRC Webinar:
COVID-19: The Use of Telehealth in Long Term Care Settings During This National Emergency
Join CALTCM and the California Telehealth Policy Coalition for a one-hour webinar focused on key considerations for bringing telehealth to PALTC settings, including use cases, lessons learned from implementations and reimbursement
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March 11th, 2:00pm- 3:00PM
(Eastern)
New England Mental Health Technology Transfer Center Webinar Series
Part 2:
Telehealth 101 & an Introduction into TelePsychiatry from the Clinical Perspective
Reid Plimpton, MPH, Project Manager, NETRC, Medical Care Development
Terry Rabinowitz, MD, DDS, NETRC Principle Investigator; Medical Director, Telemedicine, UVMMC
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COVID-19 makes telemedicine more valuable; hub at Dartmouth-Hitchcock is ramping up
Concord Monitor, March 21, 2020
Link
The state’s hub of telemedicine, Dartmouth-Hitchcock Medical Center, is ramping up as the COVID outbreak spreads and its leader says that there’s no almost no limit to how much it should expand.
DEA okays telehealth to prescribe opioids amid COVID-19 emergency
mHealth Intelligence, March 18, 2020
Link
The move to telehealth will make it easier for providers to prescribe an opioid or other controlled substance during the COVID-19 public health emergency.
States move quickly to address coronavirus pandemic with telehealth
mHealth Intelligence, March 20, 2020
Link
Eighteen states and the District of Columbia have so far amended existing laws or issued new declarations to expand the use of telehealth and mHealth tool during the Coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic.
Feds OK interstate licensing, paving way for telehealth expansion
mHealth Intelligence, March 19, 2020
Link
Vice President Mike Pence's announcement on Wednesday paves the way for providers to treat patients in other states, opening the door for expanded telehealth and mHealth programs.
Telehealth key to payer COVID-19 prevention, diagnosis, testing
mHealth Intelligence, March 18, 2020
Link
Payers are partnering are exploring ways to use telehealth in preventing, diagnosing, and testing for COVID-19. Examples are highlighted from the state of New York
.
Surge in patients overwhelms telehealth services amid coronavirus pandemic
STAT, March 17, 2020
Link
Telehealth services are sagging under the weight of an unprecedented surge in patients as hospitals scramble to shift routine care online in response to the coronavirus pandemic. The crisis is stressing major telehealth providers’ technical infrastructure and the supply of physicians prepared to deliver care virtually.
Telehealth during COVID-19: How hospitals, healthcare providers are optimizing virtual care
American Journal of Managed Care In-Focus Blog, March 13, 2020
Link
While several barriers to care have inhibited telehealth in the past, recent actions by CMS, HHS, and other governing bodies have sought to expand its availability nationwide. Highlighted here is NYU Langone Health's telehealth service Virtual Urgent Care, which connects members with clinicians via phone or tablet to provide care without potential coronavirus exposure.
What happens when the doctors get sick with coronavirus?
Press release, Jefferson University Hospitals, March 12, 2020
htm
Telehealth is vital not just as a means of triaging patients, but also as safe way for quarantined doctors to continue to help with relief efforts
.
Massachusetts expands telehealth coverage for COVID-19
mHealth Intelligence, March 16, 2020
Link
Governor Baker orders payers to cover in-network telehealth services for the treatment of COVID-19.
Opportunities to expand telehealth use amid the coronavirus pandemic
Health Affairs Blog, March 16, 2020
Link
This article highlights usage of telehealth for screening, triage, and treatment of coronavirus infection cases in China, New York, and Washington State and efforts by the U.S. government to expand Medicare and Medicaid coverage of telehealth services.
Analysis: the hope and hype of telehealth and COVID-19
Daily Yonder, March 13, 2020
Link
President Trump has mentioned telehealth as part of the response to COVID-19. That approach raises serious questions about the digital divide and rural residents’ lack of broadband access.
Governor Lamont working with health insurers to assure preparedness for coronavirus outbreak including coverage for testing costs
Press release, Connecticut Office of Governor, March 10, 2020
Link
Governor Ned Lamont has announced that in order to prepare for coronavirus disease (COVID-19), his administration is working with health insurance carriers in Connecticut to cover the costs for COVID-19 testing and to assure, in accordance with the provisions of a new statute.
Industry leans on telehealth to tackle COVID-19 outbreak
mHealth Intelligence, March 10, 2020
Link
As the COVID-19 outbreak encroaches into communities across the US, payers, providers, and vendors are using telehealth to expand access to care. Policies from
Blue Cross Blue Shield Association and other health insurance providers are highlighted.
CMS launches new Medicare payment model for 911 triage by telehealth
mHealth Intelligence, February 28, 2020
Link
CMS has selected more than 200 ambulance providers around the country to participate in the Emergency Triage, Treat and Transport (ET3) Model, which favors telehealth programs that assess 911 calls prior to transport.
Feds target telehealth for emergency services in new grant program
mHealth Intelligence, February 27, 2020
Link
Some $8.7 million is being made available through the HRSA's Telehealth Network Grant Program for rural providers looking to use telemedicine to extend emergency services like stroke, behavioral health and EMS care.
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Recommended Telehealth Research/Resources
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Aboujaoude E, Gega L, Parish MB, Hilty DM.
Frontiers Psychiatry 11:
111, 2020
Almathami HKY, Win KT, Vlahu-Gjorgievska E.
J. Med. Internet Res. 22(2):
e16407, 2020
AMA Digital Health Research, February 2020
American Academy of Family Physicians, 2020
American Medical Association,
2020
(requires a free registration)
Aungst TD, Patel R.
J. Med. Educ. Curric. Dev. 7:
2382120519901275, 2020
Bradshaw N. Arizona Telemedicine Program, February 2020
Greenhalgh T, Wherton J, Shaw S, Morrison C.
BMJ 368:
m998, 2020
Guille C, Simpson AN, Douglas E, et al.
JAMA Netw. Open 3(1):
e1920177, 2020
Hilty D, Chan S, Torous J, Luo J, Boland R.
JMIR mHealth uHealth 8(2):
e12229, 2020
Knox M, Murphy EJ, Leslie T, Wick R, Tuot DS.
Amer. J. Managed Care 26(1):
e21-e27, 2020
Kruse CS, Lee K, Watson JB, et al.
J. Med. Internet Res. 22(1):
e13252, 2020
Kvedar JC.
NPJ Digit. Med. 3:
34, 2020
Lai JT, Chapman BP, Carreiro SP, et al.
Proc. Ann. Hawaii Int. Conf. Syst. Sci. 2020
:3488-3496, 2020
Lerman AF, Ozinal FR. Epstein Becker Greene LLC, 2019
Maryland Health Care Commission, 2019
Noel K, Messina C, Hou W, Schoenfeld E, Kelly G.
BMC Fam. Pract.21(1):
27, 2020
Shannon HH, Joseph R, Puro N, Darrell E.
Perspect. Health Inf. Manag. 16(Fall):
1c, 2019
Smith AC, Thomas E, Snoswell CL, et al.
J. Telemed. Telecare
[epub ahead of print], March 2020
Young HM, Miyamoto S, Dharmar M, Tang-Feldman Y.
JMIR mHealth uHealth 8(3):
e16665, 2020
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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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