NETRC continues to hear from many new providers regionally and nationally who are interested in getting involved in telehealth - momentum continues to build! Last week, we traveled to Connecticut to host a telehealth workshop and we were thrilled to have an opportunity to visit Athol Hospital on our way home (a Critical Access Hospital in the North Quabbin region of MA). NETRC has partnered with the hospital, Heywood Healthcare, the Athol-Royalston Regional School District, and Clinical & Support Options (a local behavioral health provider) to start an exciting school-based telepsychiatry program launching this fall!
Fall conference season is quickly approaching and we would love to have you attend our regional conference in Burlington, VT! We are also preparing to host over 35 colleagues from the 14 Telehealth Resource Centers across the country in Portland, ME for our fall planning meeting. Among our many agenda items is a workshop session to discuss telehealth performance measures. We'll be sure to share more details after the meeting! Please see below for a calendar of some regional and national telehealth conferences happening this fall.
Sincerely,
The NETRC Team
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NETRC Regional Conference
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NETRC invites you to register for our second annual conference, "
Integrating Telehealth in an Evolving Landscape
" on
September 23 and 24
, 2015 in Burlington, Vermont! We are thrilled to offer two pre-conference workshops on September 23 (Telehealth 101 and Publish & Flourish) and a full-day conference on September 24. We have an exciting agenda planned with a Keynote Address from Charles Doarn, MBA and plenary speakers that include Nina Antoniotti, PhD, MBA, RN, Terry Rabinowitz, MD, DDS, programs from Project ECHO® , and a case study panel moderated by Sarah Pletcher, MD. We will also offer two breakout sessions with presentations on regional programs, federal grant opportunities, and an overview of telehealth at the VA.
Registration is open for our pre-conference workshops on September 23 ($50), the full-day conference on September 24 ($100), or both ($125).
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Sponsorship opportunities at several levels are still available to showcase your organization! Included in your sponsorship are exhibit opportunities, marketing, and conference registrations. Read our
invitation letter
or
complete our registration
today.
The deadline to become a sponsor is August 15.
Thank you to our current sponsors: University of Vermont Medical Center, Iron Bow Technologies, SnapMD, Avizia, Honeywell Life Care Solutions, MediSprout, InSight, and USAC!
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| Mapping Telehealth Providers in the Northeast |
In order to better understand and connect health related services being provided in our region through telehealth, the NETRC launched
"Find Telehealth Providers" on our website! We are now collecting and mapping demographic and health service information from providers and organizations currently utilizing telehealth in the northeast. Please complete this survey to add your sites in New England, New York, or New Jersey to "Find Telehealth Providers".
We encourage you to explore the sites already mapped on the tool. Interested in visualizing eligible areas for
Medicare
reimbursement in your state? Use the buttons on top of the map to add special layers!
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National Telehealth Webinar Series
Presented by the Pacific Basin Telehealth Resource Center
Presenter: Dwayne Lopes, Pacific Island Emergency Medical Services for Children (PIER)
Thursday, August 20, 2015, 2:00 - 3:00 PM EST
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2015 Fall Schedule: Regional and National Conferences
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November 5-6, 2015
Southbridge, MA
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November 8-11, 2015
Washington, DC
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November 12-13, 2015
Arlington, VA
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RECENT TELEHEALTH NEWS
Content compiled by Michael Edwards, NETRC Consultant
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Telehealth Policy News
Telehealth roundup: Federal bill seeks to expand Medicare use of telehealth; Delaware and Connecticut update telemedicine laws
National Law Review, July 13, 2015
The MedicareTelehealth Parity Act of 2015 is currently under review by the U.S. House of Representatives. The bipartisan-sponsored bill calls for phasing in over a four-year period an expansion of Medicare coverage for telehealth services by easing current limitations on coverage.
Can my hospital bill Medicare for telehealth Chronic Care Management?
Health Care Law Today, July 15 2015
CMS recently released proposed rules to clarify the requirements and payment opportunities when hospitals want to bill Medicare for Chronic Care Management ("CCM") services, including use of remote telehealth monitoring for eligible patients. NETRC has learned that the reimbursement option is not available to Federally-Qualified Health Centers.
New Proposed Additions to FY 2016 Medicare Physician Fee Schedule
Center for Connected Health Policy, July 9, 2016
The Center for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) recently released their proposed Medicare Physician Fee Schedule for FY 2016, including additions of reimbursable services provided via telehealth. New codes are proposed for prolonged inpatient hospital services and home dialysis monitoring for end-stage renal disease, and certified RN anesthetists are added as eligible telehealth providers.
Licensure compact moving forward
Federal Telemedicine News, July 7, 2015
Progress on implementing the Interstate Medical Licensure Compact, relevant for easing the burden for provision of telehealth services across state lines, was reviewed by policy stakeholders at a National Press Club event in June. Since completion of language for the compact in Fall 2014, it has been adopted by nine states, is under review in ten other state legislatures, and a governing commission established with representation from each participating state.
Health Plans in Connecticut Must Cover Telehealth Services
National Law Review, July 6, 2015
Connecticut marks the 28th state to enact a telemedicine commercial reimbursement statute. The legislation (SB-467) was sponsored by Senators Looney, Duff, Crisco and Gerratana with twenty co-sponsor senators, and was signed into law by Connecticut Governor Dannel Malloy on June 22, 2015, representing the culmination of a hard-fought effort to facilitate patient access to telemedicine services through private sector growth and development.
Pediatricians support telemedicine use in PCMH
Fierce Health IT, June 29, 2015
A recent policy statement from the American Academy of Pediatrics endorses telemedicine use for delivery of health care to children and provides recommendations for its integration into the patient-centered medical home model and steps to avoid its contribution to fragmented care.
States expanding telehealth in Medicaid programs
ATA News, June 24, 2015
A new Medicaid policy from the State of Vermont specifies that beginning in October reimbursement for medical services delivered by interactive telemedicine linkage will extend to patient settings outside of a healthcare facility, such home, work or school. Michigan and Texas Medicaid programs also have recently eased patient setting restrictions for the delivery of some telehealth services.
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News on the Practice of Telemedicine
$14 Million Awarded to Project ECHO
Federal Telemedicine News, July 22, 2015
The GE Foundation recently announced a three-year $14 million grant to support Project ECHO implementations at Federally Qualified Health Centers. Project ECHO was developed as a videoconfernce-based knowledge network through which primary care providers from multiple sites present patient cases and work with a multi-disciplinary team of experts to guide treatment that might otherwise be accessible by patient travel to distant specialists
URMC's global health projects
Federal Telemedicine News, July, 19, 2015
Researchers at the University of Rochester Medical Center are working on two training projects that will run from 2015 to 2018 to help improve maternal and mental health in low and middle income countries by harnessing information technology and social media. One project focuses on training public health researchers in Southeast Asia and Mongolia on use of mobile technology, social media, and big data to assess populations under mental stress, and the other project focuses on advancing capacity of Latin American counties capacity to address maternal health problems.
Looking for HIPAA compliant alternatives to Skype? Conducting your own video conferencing reviews in 3 easy steps
TeleMental Health Institute, July 18, 2015
Marlene Maheu of the TeleMental Health Institute addresses the challenge that clinicians face in trying to choose appropriate technology for videoconfernced treatment sessions with their patients. She recommends selecting among 30 model questions she provides to pose for each vendor and set up a grid to lay out the sets to responses to guide product selection.
More and More Veterans Visit Their Doctors Via Telemedicine
Vermont Public Radio, July 8, 2015
More and more members of the military are coming back from deployments needing medical attention, and Vietnam-era veterans are aging.
All that's been putting strains on the Veterans Affairs medical system. One way the VA is improving access to care is by using telemedicine, so patients can consult doctors from a distance, via video.
Tuning in to telemedicine
Managed Care, July 7, 2015
This story discusses in some depth a groundswell of adoption and acceptance of telehealth solutions by health care systems and insurance plans. Profiles are provided of telehealth options covered by Cigna, United Healthcare, Anthem, and Highmark and delivery models employed by MDLIVE, American Well, Teladoc, Doctor on Demand, NowClinic, and DermatologistOnCall
Dental care in rural areas of New York
Federal Telemedicine News, June 28, 2015
State funding of the Rural Dentistry Pilot Program supports work of the University at Buffalo School of Dental Medicine to help children receive dental screening and care through telemedicine at school and Head Start locations. Recent telehealth legislation signed into law in New York allows teledental care to be included and is classified as a reimbursable form of medical coverage under Medicaid.
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Telemedicine Technology News
Mobile apps helping reduce readmissions
Healthcare IT News, July 15, 2015
This story highlights a growing trend of healthcare systems to harness mobile health applications for steps toward the IHI's Triple Aim of improving the patient experience and population health and reducing per-capita costs. Initiatives by the Cleveland Clinic, the Mayo Clinic, and Boston-based Care at Hand are profiled.
A fundus camera in your pocket
Ophthalmology Business, July 3, 2015
An ophthalmologist at the University of Brescia in Italy has designed an attachment for smartphones allowing for retinal fundus imaging, a device called D-Eye recently garnering approval from the FDA. (See resource study by Russo below).
Google develops mHealth wristband
Fierce Mobile Healthcare, June 24, 2015
Google is developing a mHealth wristband for pharma clinical trials and drug tests to provide research teams with real-time data on patient vital signs, from pulse and heart rates to light exposure and noise level monitoring. While the device will be used by patients and lab research participants, it will not be sold directly to consumers.
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Health Information Technology News
Study: HIEs can help significantly reduce unnecessary ED Tests
iHealthBeat, July 23, 2015
A study recently published by the Brookings Institution on data from operations of the Buffalo-based Health Information Exchange, HEALTHeLINK, revealed use of the system by emergency departments generated savings from reductions in unnecessary tests performed on ED patient. This included a 52% reduction in lab tests and a 36% reduction in radiology exams.
Making device data more meaningful
mHealth News , July 14, 2015
Diagnostic device vendor Welch Allyn has developed software interface systems to provide data linkages to EMRs. With the Connex Spot Monitor vital signs such as pulse rate, blood pressure, pulse oximetry and temperature can get automatically entered into an EMR, and with the RetinaVue Network platform retinal images get transferred to a cloud-based portal for access by specialist consultants.
Groups support interoperability provisions in 21st Century Cures Act
iHealthBeat, June 26, 2015
A coalition of 31 health organizations sent a letter to the House Energy and Commerce Committee, voicing its support for the interoperability language included in the 21st Century Cures Act. Revised provisions include funding to develop metrics to evaluate and report on the state of interoperability within the U.S. health care system and EHR vendor products.
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Recent Telehealth Resources
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Alvarado-Martel D, Cañas F, Velasco R, et al. Design, construction, and implementation of an online platform for patients with type 1 diabetes: EncoDiab. Patient Prefer Adherence 9:767-775, 2015 Link Atiyeh B, Dibo SA, Janom HH. Telemedicine and burns: an overview. Ann. Burns Fire Disasters 27(2):87-93, 2014 Link Burke BL Jr. Telemedicine: Pediatric applications. Pediatrics 136(1): e293-308, 2015 Link Canadian Agency for Drugs and Technologies in Health. Telehealth for the assessment and follow-up of patients requiring cardiac care: a review of the clinical effectiveness, cost-effectiveness, and guidelines. CADTH Rapid Response Reports, June 2015 Link Canadian Agency for Drugs and Technologies in Health. Telehealth for speech and language pathology: a review of clinical effectiveness, cost-effectiveness, and guidelines. CADTH Rapid Response Reports, April, 2015 Link Cottrell E, Cox T, O'Connell P, Chambers R. Implementation of simple telehealth to manage hypertension in general practice: a service evaluation. BMC Fam. Pract. 16:83, 2015 Link Ferreira JJ, Godinho C, Santos AT, et al. Quantitative home-based assessment of Parkinson's symptoms: the SENSE-PARK feasibility and usability study. BMC Neurol. 15:89, 2015 Link Jones AM, Shealy KM, Reid-Quiñones K, et al. Guidelines for establishing a telemental health program to provide evidence-based therapy for trauma-exposed children and families. Psychol Serv. 11(4):398-409, 2014 Link Lux L, Boehlecke B, Lohr KN. Effectiveness of portable monitoring devices for diagnosing obstructive sleep apnea: update of a systematic review. Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality Technology Assessments, 2015 Link Marcin JP, Rimsza, ME, Moskowitz WB, AAP Committee on Pediatric Workforce. The use of telemedicine to address access and physician workforce shortages: American Academy of Pediatrics Policy Statement. Pedicatrics 136(1): 202-209, 2015 Link Miralles F, Vargiu E, Dauwalder S, et al. Brain computer interface on track to home. Scientific World J. 2015:623896, 2015 Link Parvizi D, Giretzlehner M, Dirnberger J, et al. The use of telemedicine in burn care: development of a mobile system for TBSA documentation and remote assessment. Ann. Burns Fire Disasters 27(2):94-100, 2014 Link Russo A, Morescalchi F, Costagliola C, et al. A novel device to exploit the smartphone camera for fundus photography. J. Ophthalmol. 2015:823139, 2015 Link Theodore BR, Whittington J, Towle C, et al. Transaction cost analysis of in-clinic versus telehealth consultations for chronic pain: preliminary evidence for rapid and affordable access to interdisciplinary collaborative consultation. Pain Med. 16(6):1045-1056, 2015 Link |
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