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TELEHEALTH BEAT
HTRC's monthly telehealth bulletin
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Project ECHO making a difference for Hep C patients
This year, World Hepatitis Day is July 28, and thanks to the innovation of
Project ECHO, effective treatment of Hepatitis C is on the rise. Indeed, the devastating delays in treatment for hepatitis C (HCV) patients was what first motivated Dr. Sanjeev Aurora, the founder and director of Project ECHO, to find a creative, technology-based solution to the problem. Thus was born Project ECHO, the model for telementoring primary care providers in specialty skills so they can provide specialized services for their patients.
The Department of Veterans Affairs, the number one provider of HCV treatment in the U.S., found evidence that the plan to expand treatment for HCV is working. According to an article published in the American Journal of Medicine,
data collected
from the VA's ECHO program indicated that patients of primary care providers who had participated in a hepatitis C ECHO were eight times more likely to have received antiviral treatment.
Not only does evidence indicate that Project ECHO is increasing access to treatment for HCV patients, but that the treatment is effective. A study of New Mexico HCV patients found that those who received treatment from a primary care provider participating in ECHO had approximately the same "
cure
" rate (58.2% compared to 57.5%) as patients who had been treated in a HCV specialty clinic.
Hepatitis C ECHOs in HTRC region
HTRC's partners Missouri Telehealth Network and Oklahoma State University Center for Health Sciences (OSU-CHS) both host hepatitis C ECHOs.
In rural areas, where injection of opioids is increasing, doctors are seeing
an increase in cases of hepatitis C. Dr. Joseph Johnson, chief medical officer for Project ECHO at OSU-CHS said Hepatitis C is their fastest growing ECHO and that it is particularly beneficial in the rural areas, where it can take 4-6 months to get a patient in to see a hematologist.
"Most [providers] in rural areas already do the lab testing for Hep C," said Johnson, "but then they are stuck with a positive patient who they can't get in to a specialist for medication."
Fortunately, according to Johnson, providers are coming to the ECHOs, bringing their tough questions and feeling more confidence and support in treating their rural cases.
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HRSA Webinar: Preparing a budget for your grant proposal
August 8
12 noon-1:30 p.m. CDT
The Health Resources and Services Administration (HRSA) invites you to a free Grants Education and Technical Assistance Webinar Series for Tribes, Tribal Organizations, Indian Health, Tribal and Urban Indian Health Programs.
The webinars are held the second Wednesday of every month. Check the
HTRC events page
for upcoming webinars.
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TRC Webinar:
Mapping and designing telehealth clinic workflows
August 16
1-2 p.m. CDT
Workflow mapping can allow a team to visualize a process and identify gaps or areas for improvement, a key step for efficient, sustainable telehealth programs. This presentation will provide an overview of how to develop workflow diagrams and provide examples of successful telehealth workflows. This month's webinar is hosted by the California Telehealth Resource Center and Fay MacDonnell, workflow engineer, will present.
On the third Thursday of the month, the National Consortium of TRCs presents informative, thought-provoking webinars on timely telehealth topics. Please be sure to check periodically for upcoming webinars at TelehealthResourceCenters.org
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NOSORH Meeting, Region C
Bloomington, Minn.
August 13-15
Join HTRC and other TRCs for the National Organization of State Offices of Rural Health's Region C Partnership Meeting in Bloomington, Minn. A pre-event meeting on August 13 will focus on telehealth and includes presentations on legislative and policy updates and best practices by
Jonathan Neufeld, Ph.D., GPTRAC Executive Director, in collaboration with Janine Gracy, HTRC Project Director, and Becky Sanders, UMTRC Director. An August 14 presentation will highlight "Exemplary Telehealth Programs Across the Upper Midwest
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SEARCH Telehealth Research Symposium
La Jolla, Ca.
October 24-25
This year's SEARCH symposium will highlight connected health efforts, strategies and partnerships, focusing on the research of telehealth, mHealth and other health care technologies. The goal of the conference is to inspire new research, encourage partnerships and help other researchers build on one another's successes.
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Technology Technology Summit
New Orleans, La.
December 12-13
Join us for the Telehealth Technology Summit in New Orleans on December 12-13! Hear from experts, including HTRC and other telehealth resource centers, on remote patient monitoring, connectivity solutions and more.
This summit, tailored for health care providers, health care administrators and policy makers, will feature
hands-on demonstrations of the latest in telemedicine equipment.
In addition to HTRC, organizers include:
- Learn Telehealth
- Southeastern Telehealth Resource Center
- TexLa Telehealth Resource Center
- Telehealth Technology Assessment Center
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Resources for rural veterans
 Missouri Telehealth Network (MTN) has taken a multi-pronged approach to improving mental health care for veterans in rural Missouri. In May, HTRC reported on a series of webinars on military culture and on August 15 the Rural Veterans Behavioral Health ECHO will launch. The ECHO series, facilitated by Show-Me ECHO, will explore the unique needs of rural veterans, who generally live further from providers. Not only is there less access to behavioral health in rural Missouri, but rural veterans can experience severe stress from traveling into metropolitan areas, particularly when they suffer from post-traumatic stress disorder.
The ECHO will be led by Jon Sabala, Veterans Services Director with the Missouri Department of Mental Health and will convene at 7 a.m. every first and third Wednesday of the month.
In addition to the ECHO and webinar series, a free consultation service will be available to rural primary care providers with one or more patients who are veterans. University of Missouri psychologist Tiffany Sandford-Martens Ph.D., will be available for four hours per week for short provider consults of 15 minutes or less. In order to protect patient information, providers will email Sanford-Martens with a request bereft of patient information, then she will call the provider to discuss patient information by phone. For more information about this service, contact MTN at mtn@health.missouri.edu.
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Missouri Medicaid changes explained
Missouri's Medicaid provider, MO HealthNet recently announced substantial changes to telehealth reimbursement, making it easier for providers to be reimbursed. Check out this webinar from Missouri Telehealth Network to learn more.
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Remote patient monitoring may receive boost from CMS
Remote patient monitoring (RPM) has been heralded as a cost saving, value-based practice that can reduce hospital readmissions and improve the quality of lives for chronically ill patients by helping them remain in their homes; however, the growth of RPM has been stymied by reimbursement challenges. Fortunately, a recently proposed CMS rule could unleash the true potential of RPM, according to an
mHealth Intelligence interview with Nathaniel Lacktman, a health care lawyer with Foley & Latimer who frequently contributes to the dialogue on regulatory changes related to telehealth.
During the interview, Lacktman identified three changes in the proposed rule that would make it easier for providers to use RPM:
- Start-up costs, such as setting up equipment and training patients to use it would be covered.
- The data could be monitored by health care professionals such as RNs and medical assistants, whereas current coverage for this task is primarily limited to physicians.
- The required monthly treatment time would be reduced from 30 to 20 minutes.
For more information about starting a remote patient monitoring program in Oklahoma, Kansas or Missouri, please call HTRC at 877-643-HTRC.
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ECHO schedule
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ECHO
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WHEN
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STATE
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Ongoing |
Kansas |
| Child Behavioral Health |
Ongoing |
Kansas |
| Pain Management |
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Kansas |
| Opioid Use Disorder |
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Kansas |
| Impact Asthma |
Ongoing |
Missouri |
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Rural Veterans Behavioral Health
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August 15 |
Missouri |
Autism
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Ongoing |
Missouri
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| Chronic Pain Management |
Ongoing |
Missouri
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| Dermatology |
Ongoing |
Missouri
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| Hep C |
Ongoing |
Missouri
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Community Health Worker
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Ongoing |
Missouri
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| Opioid Use Disorder |
Ongoing |
Missouri |
| Addiction Medicine |
Ongoing |
Oklahoma |
| Obesity Medicine |
Ongoing |
Oklahoma |
| Hepatitis C |
Ongoing |
Oklahoma |
| HIV/Viral Disorders |
Ongoing |
Oklahoma |
| Pediatric Psychiatry |
Ongoing |
Oklahoma |
| Psychiatry |
Ongoing |
Oklahoma |
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Project ECHO
Project ECHO is a program using telehealth to revolutionize medical
 education
and improve access to specialty care. Project ECHO, which was developed by the University of New Mexico School of Medicine, works by connecting primary care clinicians with specialist teams via videoconference.
Each specialty area has its own ECHO, such as autism or chronic pain. ECHO teams meet regularly to collaborate with primary care providers.
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Heartland Telehealth Resource Center | questions@HeartlandTRC.org |
4330 Shawnee Mission Parkway Fairway, KS 66205
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