TELEHEALTH BEAT
HTRC's monthly telehealth bulletin
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Maternal and Child Health grants awarded in HTRC region
The Health Resources & Services Administration (HRSA) is making women and children’s mental health a federal priority and has recently awarded grants in the HTRC region.
Of the approximately 4 million children and adolescents who have experienced a behavioral health issue, only 20 percent have received behavioral health services, according to the Duke Endowment. Furthermore, data from the Kaiser Family Foundation indicate 30 percent of the population lives in a county designated as a Mental Health Professional Shortage Area and only 32 percent of needed mental health care is being provided. Often, pediatricians and other pediatric primary care providers (PCP) are first to identify behavioral health disorders and provide services. Therefore, telehealth strategies that connect PCPs with specialty mental and behavioral health care providers can be an effective means of increasing access to mental and behavioral health services for children and adolescents, especially those living in rural and other underserved areas.
In September 2018, HRSA awarded grants to 18 states to integrate pediatric behavioral health services and telehealth. Missouri’s Department of Mental Health was awarded $425,000 to expand the Missouri Child Psychiatry Access Program (MO-CPAP) to improve access to treatment and referral services for children and adolescents with identified behavioral health disorders, especially those living in rural and other underserved areas. This award will enhance
MO-CPAP services
and expand the program statewide, up from 15 counties.
To learn more about the program or to enroll visit the website
.
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Treating postpartum depression
HRSA funds have also been awarded to ensure that health care providers have adequate capacity to screen, assess, treat and refer pregnant and postpartum women for maternal depression and related behavioral health disorders, such as substance use disorder.
Pregnancy is a key intervention period for substance use disorder. According to a
review
published by Women’s Health, depression is correlated with alcohol and drug use, and new mothers with postpartum depression are at risk for substance use disorder. Kansas is one of only seven states to receive a five-year grant HRSA grant, Safeguarding Two Lives: Expanding Early Identification & Access to Perinatal Mental Health and Substance Abuse Screening, Treatment and Referral, which will be administered by the Kansas Department of Health and Environment. The project will look at telehealth options to meet the range of needs for women with postpartum depression.
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Join HTRC at 12 noon CST on December 4, to learn more about the impact of telestroke on the lives of rural and underserved patients.
The HTRC Webinar Series, which will usually take place on the second Tuesday of each month, is designed to help health care organizations establish telehealth programs or take their program to the next level.
Please note that due to the holiday, the January webinar, Implementation of Kansas Telemedicine Act and Reimbursement, will be held on the second Tuesday of the month, January 8.
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TRC Webinar: Video platforms
December 6
Hosted by: Telehealth Technology Assessment Center
Presented by: Wes Valdes
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Telehealth Technology Summit
New Orleans, La.
December 12-13
When it comes to telehealth, the right equipment and connectivity can make or break a program. This one-of-a-kind event will feature experts discussing topics such as remote patient monitoring, connectivity solutions and exam equipment, to name a few! It is perfect for physicians, specialists, nurses, hospital and health care administrators and policy makers.
Experts from the National Telehealth Technology Assessment Resource Center (TTAC) will showcase various telehealth technologies in hands-on demonstrations with all attendees! These technologies include:
- Video conferencing cameras;
- Exam cams with a variety of lenses including Otoscope and Dermascope;
- Electronic stethoscopes;
- Remote monitoring systems and
- mHealth devices.
All of these technologies will be displayed throughout three separate demonstration sessions in which attendees can compare key differences in lenses (such as picture clarity, ease of use, and camera functionality), view what the presenter and specialist would see on each device, compare low-end vs. high-end technologies and discuss upcoming technology directly with members of TTAC.
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Missouri Telehealth Summit
Jefferson City, Mo.
January 31 - February 1
Join us for the fifth annual Missouri Telehealth Summit on February 1! This year's summit will focus on financial barriers and incentives for rural hospitals, successful Missouri telehealth projects and legislative updates. Key note speaker,
Sarah Hill, CEO of
StoryUP,
will
share her experience using virtual reality to tell the stories of terminally-ill veterans.
Back by popular demand are the rural hospital CEO panel and the state-level legislative panel. The summit will also feature an update on the opioid epidemic and how telehealth is uniquely positioned to play a role in the effort.
On the day before the summit, January 31, there will once again be a Telehealth 101 Workshop for those who are new to telehealth.
For additional questions, call 573-882-4349.
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DLT grants in HTRC region
The
USDA recently announced
their 2018 Distance Learning and Telehealth grants, which were awarded to a number of organizations in the HTRC region. According to U.S. Secretary of Agriculture Sonny Perdue, the grants will be a boon to the region.
“Empowering rural Americans with access to services for quality of life and economic development is critical to rural prosperity,” said Perdue in a
press release
. “Distance learning and telemedicine technology bridges the gap that often exists between rural communities and essential education, workforce training and health care resources.”
Oklahoma
St. Anthony’s Hospital in Oklahoma was awarded $457,000, which will be used to buy telemedicine equipment to expand SSM Health’s Saints 1st Telehealth Network to an estimated 6800 patients. The network will increase access to patients in rural Oklahoma counties including
Beaver, Blaine, Custer, Garvin, Harper, Kiowa, Lincoln, Major, McClain, Washita and Woods.
Missouri
Five Missouri health organizations will also
receive DLT grants
. Several of the recipients, Lake Regional Health System, Family Counseling Center, Inc. and Southeast Missouri Behavioral Health, will use all or part of the funding to improve treatment options for opioid use disorder (OUD). Great Circle, a predominantly child-focused behavioral health program, will use the funding to expand psychological services and behavioral analysis therapy. In addition to expanding services for OUD, Lake Regional Health System's funding will be used for professional development of its health care team. And finally, Lester E. Cox Medical Centers will use the DLT grant for school-based telehealth, expanding care to 17 rural schools in Southern Missouri.
Kansas
Though not a health-based organization, Washburn University of Topeka was awarded a DLT grant that it will use, in part, to recruit and retain health care workers in rural areas.
For tips on applying for a DLT grant, please contact HTRC at 877-643-HTRC.
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Guidance for FQHCs in Missouri
Recent changes to Missouri law have expanded telehealth opportunities for FQHCs. More information on the changes for telehealth use in FQHCs can be viewed on the Missouri Telehealth Network webinar, presented by Ben Harvey.
WATCH WEBINAR
Here are a few FQHC FAQs regarding the changes:
Can FQHCs serve as distant sites?
Yes. For Medicaid, new Missouri laws governing telehealth have no restrictions on FQHCs acting as distant sites. FQHCs may serve as distant sites when serving MO HealthNet beneficiaries. However, FQHCs are NOT authorized to be distant sites under Medicare.
Will a telemedicine claim be paid if the MO HealthNet patient
or
provider was in their home when health care was delivered via telemedicine?
Yes. The originating site (patient site) and distant site (provider site) can be billed by the same provider for the same date of service as long as the distant site is not located in the originating facility.
How do I get paid?
As of August 19, 2018, MO HealthNet began requiring the use of place-of-service (POS) codes for distant provider sites, in place of GT modifiers. Please note that FQHC providers must also remove charges and payments for telehealth services from their year-end cost reports.
Although Medicare does not reimburse FQHCs as distant sites, one promising development is a 2019 proposed rule for the Medicare Physician Fee Schedule. Under the rule, CMS would create a payment mechanism for RHCs and FQHCs for communication technology-based services and remote evaluation services that are provided when there is no associated billable visit. This rule could indicate openness to future expansion of coverage.
Have additional questions?
Watch the webinar
recording or contact HTRC at 877-643-HTRC.
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HHS Guidance on treatment of substance use disorder
Opioid use disorder (OUD) rose sharply in the 1990s but until recent years, the growth was slower in rural areas. Expanding treatment options through telehealth is one of an array of tools being deployed to improve the lives of people with OUD. Currently, there are few practitioners who are able to provide medication-assisted treatment (MAT), particularly in rural areas. In hopes of expanding buprenorphine-based MAT, Health and Human Services, in conjunction with the Drug Enforcement Agency, recently released guidance on providing MAT via telehealth. The resources are available below. If you have additional questions about providing MAT, please call HTRC at 877-643-HTRC.
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