Greetings Northwest Region:

The NRTRC TeleBehavioral Health 201 series is now live in our catalog of free online courses. This 12-part series was created by the University of Washington, Harborview Medical Center and the Behavioral Health Institute and is hosted by the NRTRC. This series focuses on developing a broad knowledge base and fundamental telebehavioral health skills necessary to help clinicians provide high-quality, professional care. 

This series is accredited for continuing education units from the National Association of Social Workers, and for Category 1 Continuing Medical Education units.

Please note: We encourage providers to complete the Telebehavioral Health 101 series before beginning this course, however, that series is not a prerequisite for the TeleBehavioral Health 201 series.
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News You Can Use
 

Save the Date - National Rural Health Day 2022 
Join the National Organization of State Offices of Rural Health in celebrating the 12th annual National Rural Health Day on November 17. This year’s theme is Driving Change: Going the Extra Mile. It’s time to start thinking of the people and organizations in your state who are going the extra mile for rural health and nominate them for the 2022 book of Community Stars.

The Community Star nomination period is open through August 1. Please help us find a shining star in each of the 50 states! For more information, visit the National Rural Health Day headquarters, powerofrural.org! More resources will be added as they become available.  
Upcoming Events & Webinars

  • HRSA Health Grants Session 4: The Office of Federal Assistance Management workshops help you manage your grant. In 2022, HRSA will present the Healthy Grants Workshops as a web series, with presentations on our most requested topics. The first three session recordings are available online, and Session 4 is set for June 15 at 11 a.m. Mountain Time.


  • Healthcare Workforce Stress, Burnout, and Resiliency: In this webinar, speakers will discuss perspectives on healthcare worker stress and resiliency, and moral injury among the healthcare workforce. Examples and resources will be provided. June 16 11 a.m. to noon, Mountain Time.


  • Frontier Healthcare Conference: The Montana Health Network sponsors the Frontier Healthcare Conference, which will offer policy and strategy options for rural hospitals, and discussions about finance and the role of information technology in rural settings. Breakout sessions will also discuss integrated behavioral health programs and technology resources for telehealth programs. June 22-23 in Billings, Mont.
Telehealth Resources



  • The Telehealth Resource Centers have gathered resources specific to Federally Qualified Health Centers. Examples include a Critical Access Hospital Telehealth Guide and a webinar on Telehealth Essentials for FQHCs.

  • Emergency Declarations: Oregon is the only state in the Northwest Region still under an emergency declaration because of the COVID pandemic.


  • Research: current research opportunities, research articles and survey results.
Grant Funding Opportunities

  • Refer to the funding page on the NRTRC website for updated grant opportunities.

A message from a Montana Federally Qualified Health Center’s (FQHC) coding department: 

"The Northwest Regional Telehealth Resource Center has been helpful in understanding the newest Medicare information regarding Mental Health visits. The new Medicare information that FQ is for audio only visits is a bit frustrating given that there is no real definition provided by CMS on what "telecommunications" means.

As an individual who grew up having the definition of telecommunications mean all kinds of different things, including email, fax, telephone, using internet application to communicate with others, and using web cams and microphones to also communicate using an application over the internet, it was difficult to know what "audio only telecommunications" means.

Many other things I have read state the FQ modifier is for telehealth visits without a visual component. Which to me doesn't sound like a telephone is acceptable for. But with the NRTRC's help, now I understand that telephone is considered audio-only."

We want to hear from you... Share your success stories? Contact us
Northwest Regional Telehealth Resource Center
“This publication was made possible by grant number UiUTH42531-01 from the Office for the Advancement of Telehealth, Health Resources and Services Administration, DHHS”