Dear Colleagues,
We hope you're doing well and are preparing for a fun filled summer! We're here with another edition of Northeast Connections to help you prepare for a summer filled with telehealth opportunities and events!
To no one's surprise, spring 2022 has continued the theme of healthcare transformation and telehealth implementation that we're all growing accustomed to; as you've come to expect, the NETRC team has a plethora of telehealth updates to share with you this month. T his edition aims to help you digest the multitudes of things happening across the telehealth landscape; including: NETRC22 Conference Updates, Multiple NCTRC member Resources, Upcoming Webinars & Events for 2022, & so much more!
As always, please don't hesitate to reach out with your telehealth questions, success stories, or just to say hello; we hope to hear from you!
On behalf of the entire NETRC Team – Be Well,
Reid Plimpton, MPH - Project Manager
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Upcoming Webinars & Events |
Open Funding Opportunities |
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Explore the Telehealth Universe with us at NETRC 2022! |
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The Northeast Telehealth Resource Center (NETRC) is pleased to invite you to participate in the 8th annual Northeast Regional Telehealth Conference to be held on September 29-30, 2022 in Southbridge Massachusetts!
This year's conference will be held at the Southbridge Hotel and Conference Center in Southbridge MA. With both in-person and virtual attendance options, the event will be available to meet your needs in any format, and will have the same fun & content packed agenda you've come to expect at a NETRC conference; 2 days packed full of information and use cases across the telehealth spectrum! The NETRC 2022 Conference Materials will be continually released as available, including:
- Industry Partner Sponsorship Opportunities,
- Full Event Agenda,
- and More!
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EARLY BIRD REGISTRATION DEADLINE EXTENDED!
NEW in 2022: in addition to the virtual attendance options, All in-person registrations include a second, complimentary virtual ticket for a colleague!
In person pricing
Both September 29 & 30 $200
CME Accredited Pre-Conference Workshop:(September 29 Only) $40
Half-Day Conference (September 29 Only) $100
Full-Day Conference (September 30 Only) $150
Networking Reception (September 29) Included with conference registrations
Virtual Pricing
Both September 29 & 30 $100
CME Accredited Pre-Conference Workshop:(September 29 Only) Included in registration
Half-Day Conference (September 29 Only) $50
Full-Day Conference (September 30 Only) $75
Networking Reception (September 29) Included with conference registrations
Who should attend: Clinicians (CME available), C-Suite and Administrators, Telehealth Directors/Managers/Coordinators, Payers, Government Agencies, Policy Makers, Students, and anyone interested in learning, networking, and collaborating!
Questions about the conference? Email our conference coordinator Phonse Allen-Laney at aralaney@mcdph.org
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Call for Abstracts!
DEADLINE FOR SUBMISSION: Friday, 6/17
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We invite you to submit a proposal to present a breakout session (one hour, scheduled on September 29th or 30th).
The proposal deadline is Friday, June 17th and Notifications will be made by Friday, July 1st.
Please note, this call is open to clinicians, faculty, and students from all disciplines; however, NETRC cannot accept applications from for-profit vendors. We encourage vendors to share this opportunity with customers and end-users, and are happy to discuss this.
Conference registration fees will be waived for one presenter. Travel and accommodations are not provided.
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Industry Partner and Exhibitor Opportunities |
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The Annual NETRC Conference would not be the same without our valued Industry Partners & Sponsors, and we're beyond grateful for their continued support over the years! As the conference planning gets into full swing, the NETRC Team is excited to see who will join us this year, and can't wait to see you all in September!
Don't miss out on your chance to join our event, there's still plenty of space available in the Event Exhibit Hall, and we'd love to see you there! Additionally, the NETRC team is excited to be expanding and improving upon a new feature we started at our 2021 event, the "Industry Partner Pre-Conference Technology Showcase" is back, featuring participating Sponsors and Telehealth Industry Partners on a stage in the main dining room!
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Resources from around the NCTRC |
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ICYMI: State Telehealth Laws and Medicaid Program Policies Spring 2022
View all of CCHP's updated Spring 2022 findings through:
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Latest Policy Developments in CCHP’s Telehealth Policy Finder and Policy Trends Map
CCHP’s Policy Finder look-up tool and Policy Trend Maps were again updated in April based on the latest information from our ongoing state telehealth policy tracking. The latest states to be updated included Delaware, Iowa, Indiana, New York, North Dakota, Tennessee, Texas, New Jersey, Pennsylvania, Oklahoma, Virginia, Washington, and West Virginia.
For more information click here
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TelehealthLocator Data Collection Now Live!
We are excited to share that the development of a new public facing tool, TelehealthLocator, is underway! TelehealthLocator will provide a single point of access to view and overlay gaps in access to care, broadband, and telehealth availability by service type. WIM Tracking, in collaboration with the TelehealthLocator TRCs, is working to determine what telehealth services are offered across a 24-state and 6 territory region, including the NETRC region.
We'd appreciate your assistance! Follow this link to complete an online form to identify the services your facility offers in-person and via telehealth. You will be updated when the information you provide is available in the tool.
Please contact a NETRC staffer or WIM Tracking directly with questions at the contact information below
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Tell the NYS DOH about your thoughts and experiences with telehealth!
In order to better understand patient perspectives on telehealth, the New York State (NYS) Department of Health (DOH) Office of Health Insurance Programs (OHIP) has partnered with the Office of Addiction Services and Support (OASAS), Office of Mental Health (OMH), Office of Children and Family Services (OCFS), and the Office for People with Developmental Disabilities (OPWDD) to conduct the Telehealth Consumer Survey. All NYS residents, whether they have used telehealth services or not, are encouraged to complete the survey. Survey results will be used to inform future telehealth policy development within NYS.
To access the survey, visit the NYS DOH “Telehealth Consumer Survey” web page, located here. The survey is available in Arabic, Bengali, Chinese, English, Haitian-Creole, Italian, Korean, Polish, Russian, Spanish and Yiddish, and takes approximately five minutes to complete. Providers are encouraged to share the survey with their patients, consumers, and networks. The survey will close on July 1, 2022.
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Upcoming Webinars and Events |
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UNH Project ECHO® & MCD’s Collaborative
for Advancing Rural Excellence & Equity
(CARE2) SUBSTANCE USE DISORDER ECHO®:
STIGMA, BIAS, AND THE PRINCIPLES OF HARM REDUCTION
EVERY TUESDAY IN JUNE 12:00pm-1:00pm EST
Are you interested in learning more about harm reduction strategies for persons with Substance Use Disorder (SUD) living in rural areas during COVID-19? Join a learning community of medical, social, and community support providers during our new Substance Use Disorder ECHO®: Stigma, Bias, and the Principles of Harm Reduction, brought to you by UNH Project ECHO® and MCD's Collaborative for Advancing Rural Excellence & Equity (CARE2).
Participants will attend weekly meetings via Zoom every Tuesday in June (June 7, 14, 21, & 28) to discuss interdisciplinary topics including syringe harm reduction, deaths of despair and overdose, and the roles of trauma, stigma, and bias. Priority will be given to rural sites in Maine, New Hampshire, Vermont, and North Country New York. To sign up: Click here
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HRSA-NETRC 2022 Telehealth Tuesday Webinar Series:
Enhancing Access to Pediatric Behavioral Health Amidst Shortages
June 7th, 2022- 12pm EST
This session will highlight leading New England programs enhancing the mental health and well-being of pregnant and postpartum women and, thereby, their infant’s social and emotional development, through culturally appropriate treatment and recovery support services. The session will also describe strategies to enhance access to pediatric behavioral health by building frontline provider competency and provider training supports.
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CCHP Webinar: State Licensure and Telehealth
June 10th, 2022- 2pm EST
Licensure has often been cited as a barrier to the use of telehealth. With the possibility of COVID waivers expiring, the exemptions given to licensing requirements are beginning to disappear. This webinar will focus in on what the post-PHE landscape will look like and what are some of the methods that are being utilized to address the licensure issue.
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NCTRC Webinar - The Classic Tale of the Haves and the Have-Nots: Disparities in Telehealth Availability in Rural Hospitals
June 16th, 2pm EST
Hosted by: South Central Telehealth Resource Center
Telehealth is an option to improve access to rural hospitals by rural residents, however, not all rural hospitals have telehealth available to them. This study compares rural hospitals financial performance with and without telehealth from 2009 to 2019.
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Featured Telehealth News
A larger news compilation can be found on the NETRC site here.
MD Anderson, Business School Develop Design Framework for Virtual Care
mHealthIntelligence May 18, 2022 Link
University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center and Texas A&M University’s Mays Business School created a framework to help healthcare organizations design and implement virtual care services.
Telehealth Remains Popular Among Adults Over 50
mHealthIntelligence May 18, 2022 Link
A 2022 study revealed that one-third of adults 50 years or older are interested in using telehealth themselves or for a loved one, which is similar to interest levels among older adults in 2020.
Use of Virtual Care Tools in Some Underserved Populations is Rising
mHealthIntelligence May 19, 2022 Link
Though various underserved populations, like those living in rural areas, are still lagging in digital health adoption, some groups are using these tools at higher rates.
Post-Covid Telehealth Rules: What Providers Need to Know
Bloomberg Law May 19, 2022 Link
Holland & Knight’s Suzanne Joy looks at some of the Covid-19 public health emergency flexibilities that helped broaden access to telehealth services for Medicare patients during the pandemic. She says those provisions have been extended through July 15, but providers need to prepare for changes to come afterward regarding access, payment, and new regulations.
Antidote Health debuts telemedicine-based mental health clinic
HealthcareITNews May 19, 2022 Link
The new virtual care program will provide medication management, patient education and treatment for a variety of mental illnesses.
AMA, Brigham and Women's, Joint Commission target equity, quality & safety
HealthcareITNews May 20, 2022 Link
Their new peer network of major health systems is designed to boost health outcomes for marginalized patient populations, helping hospitals "apply an equity lens to all aspects of quality and safety."
Digital Health Literacy Screening Tool Can Help Close Care Gaps
mHealthIntelligence May 23, 2022 Link
Researchers developed a scaled approach to assess digital health literacy across various populations, helping identify those who cannot reap the benefits of telehealth.
Study: Teletherapy program reduces OCD symptoms
HealthcareITNews May 23, 2022 Link
Researchers found a 43.4% mean reduction in patient-rated obsessive-compulsive symptoms.
New mHealth App Aims to Support Patients with Opioid Use Disorder
mHealthIntelligence May 23, 2022 Link
A new smartphone application developed by the University of Virginia Health provides access to remote care for patients struggling with opioid use disorder.
Telehealth Widely Used by Allergy, Immunology Providers
mHealthIntelligence May 24, 2022 Link
An AMA survey shows that 92 percent of allergy and immunology providers used a telehealth modality for care delivery in 2021.
Is telemedicine an answer to physician burnout and staffing shortages?
HealthcareITNews May 24, 2022 Link
A physician who works full time via telehealth – and in brick-and-mortar ERs on the side – discusses the benefits to herself and the industry.
Telehealth’s Newest Frontier: Emergency Medicine
Telehealth has been a prominent buzzword for the last few years. With the emergence of Covid-19 and a newfound respect for remote healthcare services, telehealth/telemedicine have been a large focus of healthcare organizations and physicians alike.
HEALTH SYSTEMS ARE MOVING BEYOND THE VIDEO VISIT
healthleaders May 24, 2022 Link
Propelled by more engaged consumers and available digital health devices, healthcare providers are taking that next step and replicating the physical exam at home.
Howard University, Teva Pharmaceuticals launch coalition to advocate for equity through digital health
FIERCE Healthcare May 24, 2022 Link
A cross-industry coalition called the Digital Health for Equitable Health (DHEH) Alliance launched last week with the goal of reducing disparities through digital health.
Studies Show How Telehealth Can increase Equitable Access to Care
Focus on the relationship between telehealth and disparities in access to care continues to result in new research examining pandemic era data and the use of telehealth among disadvantaged populations. While policymakers and studies often try to put findings into two groups, whether telehealth increases or decreases inequities, recent research shows that the study framework used and considerations made may impact outcomes more so than telehealth itself.
Organizations Collaborate to Eliminate Virtual Healthcare Disparities
mHealthIntelligence May 25, 2022 Link
Various organizations across healthcare and academia have created an alliance to eliminate virtual healthcare disparities by increasing care access and building on digital health innovations.
Teladoc Health: Partnership with Tech Giants to Expand Telehealth Services
Telehealth.org May 25, 2022 Link
Teladoc Health, a leader in whole-person virtual care has been in the news since the start of 2022. The digital healthcare provider announced a major new collaboration with Amazon Alexa to expand Teladoc telehealth services. Here’s a brief look at what efforts Teledoc Health is making to make telehealth services more accessible.
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Recommended Telehealth Research/Resources
Check out the complete Telehealth Library Database on the NETRC site here.
USDA Rural Placemaking Digital Toolkit
USDA, University of Kentucky, 2022. Link
Billing for Telehealth Encounters: An Introductory Guide on Medicare Fee-For-Service
Center for Connected Health Policy, 2022. Link
Addressing Virtual Care Disparities for Patients with Limited English Proficiency Digital Inclusion as Health Care- Supporting Health Care Equity with Digital Infrastructure Initiatives
Rodriguez, J.A., Shachar, C., Bates, D.W., 2022. Link
AMA 2021 Telehealth Survey Report
American Medical Association, 2022. Link
Consumer Experience Trends in Healthcare 2021
Addressing Virtual Care Disparities for Patients with Limited English Proficiency
Tan-McGrory, A. Schwamm, L., et. al. 2022. Link
Remote Monitoring of Patient- and Family-Generated Health Data in Pediatrics
Foster, C., Schinasi, D, et. al. 2022. Link
Strategic Investments in Telehealth and Digital Tools for Health Centers, National Association of Community Health Centers & Mid-Atlantic Telehealth Resource Center. 2021. Link
State Medicaid & CHIP Telehealth Toolkit: Policy Considerations for States Expanding Use of Telehealth Center for Medicare and Medicaid Services. 2021. Link
Telehealth for opioid use disorder treatment in low-barrier clinic settings: an exploration of clinician and staff perspectives Shoshana V. Aronowitz, Eden Engel-Rebitzer, Abby Dolan,Kehinde Okeykanmi, et. al, 2021.
Harm Reduction Journal Link
Consumer Engagement in Health Care 2021 Survey Results Employee Benefit Research Institute. 2021. Link
Telephone vs. Video Visits During COVID-19: Safety-Net Provider Perspectives
,Ji Eun Chang, Zoe Lindenfeld, Stephanie L. Albert, Rachel Massar, Donna Shelley, Lorraine Kwok, Kayla Fennelly and Carolyn A. Berry 2021. JABFM Link
Changes in Virtual an In-Person Health Care Utilization in a Large Health System During the COVID-19 Pandemic
Telemedicine: Ensuring Safe, Equitable, Person-Centered Virtual Care- Institute for Healthcare Improvement (IHI), 2021 Link
NETRC Regional Telehealth Legislation and Regulation Tracker- Center for Connected Health Policy, 2021 Link
University of New Hampshire TelePractice Center (TPC) TelePractice Training Videos- UNH TPC 2021 Link
FQHC Telehealth Playbook- MA FQHC Telehealth Consortium; 2021 Link
Rapid Transition to Telehealth and the Digital Divide: Implications for Primary Care Access and Equity in a Post-COVID Era .Ji E. Chang PhD, MS, Alden Y. Lai, Avni Gupta, Ann Nguyen, Arolyn Berry, Donna Shelley 2021 Link
Addressing Inequities in Older Adults’ Health: A Role for Emerging Technologies
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The Northeast Telehealth Resource Center has been made possible by grant numbers G22RH30352 and 1 U1UTH42523‐01‐00 from the Office for the Advancement of Telehealth: HRSA / DHHS. |
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