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TELEHEALTH BEAT
HTRC's monthly telehealth bulletin
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Kansas Telemedicine Act signed into law
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Gov. Colyer signing Kansas Telemedicine Act. (Image from Facebook Live video posted on Gov. Colyer's page)
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Despite some potential roadblocks, the Kansas Telemedicine Act made it to the finish line and was signed into law by Kansas Governor Jeff Colyer in a signing ceremony at the University of Kansas Medical Center. Kansas now joins more than 30 states with laws that effectively mandate coverage of telehealth by private payers.
"This bill will help change the lives of Kansans in all corners of our state, especially in rural areas," said Colyer, who is also a physician, during the signing ceremony. "I know, my patients are there, and this brings more access to them. For years, one of the biggest needs of our citizens has been more access to better medical care. This bill will allow doctors from all over our great state to interact with patients face to face, ensuring that they get the help they need. ... We want to make sure [telehealth] is being used to its full potential, right here in Kansas."
Here are a few facts you should know about the new legislation:
- The act will take effect January 1, 2019.
- Like most states with parity laws, the Kansas law will not guarantee that telemedicine services are reimbursed at the same rate as in-person services.
- The bill does include coverage of store-and forward.
- Eligible providers include physicians, physician assistants, advance practice registered nurses, and behavioral health professionals who are "registered, certified or otherwise authorized to practice by the Behavioral Sciences Regulatory Board."
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Kansas Department of Health and Environment and managed care organizations will be required to cover speech-language pathology services and audiology service by telehealth, by a licensed speech-language pathologist or audiologist.
HTRC's Janine Gracy, MSE, and Eve-Lynn Nelson, Ph.D., provided advisory support as part of this effort and can provide guidance to health care administrators and providers with questions about the new legislation. Call HTRC at 877-643-HTRC.
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HRSA Webinar: Applying for a HRSA grant: A grantee and a reviewer's perspectives
June 13
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.
Don't miss this opportunity to learn about the federal grant application process, how to write better grant proposals and evaluation plans for your projects and strategies for successful grant management. Participants will also have the opportunity to connect with HRSA subject matter experts, grant reviewers, as well as peers to discuss best practices to successfully apply for and manage HRSA grants.
The webinars will be held the second Wednesday of every month. Check the
HTRC events page for upcoming webinars.
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June 21
1-2 p.m. CDT
In 2016, the Federal Office of Rural Health Policy provided funding through its Telehealth Network Grant Program to 21 community health organizations to encourage the development of telehealth-enabled, school-based health centers in rural communities. During this webinar, you will hear about the successes, challenges and lessons learned from three of the grantees.This National Consortium of Telehealth Resource Centers (TRC) webinar will be hosted by the Northwest Regional Telehealth Resource Center.
On the third Thursday of the month, the National Consortium of TRCs present informative, thought-provoking webinars on timely telehealth topics. Please be sure to check periodically for upcoming webinars at TelehealthResourceCenters.org
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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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Starts June 13 |
Kansas |
| Child Behavioral Health |
Ongoing |
Kansas |
| Impact Asthma |
Ongoing |
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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HRSA grant opportunity for telebehavioral health
 HRSA recently announced a new grant opportunity for "experienced" telebehavioral health providers that serve rural areas. The grant will "support the use of telehealth networks to increase access to behavioral health care services." HRSA expects 14 awards of up to $350,000. The grant, announced May 9, has deadline of June 25.
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Show-Me ECHO works to improve veteran health
The University of Missouri's Show-Me ECHO is hosting a webinar series on behavioral health for rural veterans. The series will cover "topics that are relevant to understanding and treating behavioral health problems among Missouri's veterans, including military culture, common mental health problems and resources available to veterans."
One in four U.S. veterans live in rural areas and veterans, particularly combat veterans, face a host of health issues. According to an article published by the Advances in Medical Education and Practice journal, post-traumatic stress disorder is nearly four times higher among veterans and over 80% of veterans who have served in recent tours in Iraq and Afghanistan experience chronic pain, which can contribute to substance use disorder.
According to a 2016 SAMHSA CBHSQ Data Review, substance use among veterans is actually lower than that of the general population; however, for younger veterans, mental health issues in the past year are higher than that of their non-veteran counterparts. Understanding the interaction of substance use with post-traumatic stress disorder, traumatic brain injury other veteran health issues is important to successful treatment of behavioral health issues in veteran populations.
The next webinar in the series, "Resources for Veterans" is June 7, 12 noon-1 p.m. and will be presented by Monica Matthieu, Ph.D., MSW, LCSW Director, Emmet J. and Mary Martha Doerr Center for Social Justice Education and Research, Saint Louis University. A veteran health ECHO is also being planned by a team convened by Show-Me ECHO and we will share details when they become available.
For more information about joining the June 7 webinar, call 573-884-7958.
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Hospital Antimicrobial Stewardship Conference
According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, up to 50 percent of antibiotics prescribed in U.S. hospitals are "unnecessary or inappropriate." Though antibiotics have saved countless lives over the past 90 years, overuse and misuse of antibiotics has contributed to the spread of antibiotic-resistant bacterial strains that result in 23,000 deaths annually.
Hospital stewardship of antimicrobials was the topic of a recent conference held by the Kansas Department of Health and Environment, the Healthcare-Associated Infections & Antimicrobial Resistance Program and the Kansas Healthcare Collaborative. HTRC's Janine Gracy presented at the conference on the role of telehealth and other virtual resources in supporting hospital antimicrobial stewardship programs.
According to Gracy, telemedicine is already being used in stewardship programs to consult with infectious disease professionals and establish protocols.
"This is an especially promising practice for small and rural hospitals where it is uncommon to have an infectious disease physician on staff," said Gracy.
Additionally, Project ECHO New Mexico has developed Antimicrobial Stewardship clinics aimed at pharmacists and other ECHO programs are interested in following suit.
For more information about the role of telemedicine in antimicrobial stewardship, call HTRC at 877-643-HTRC.
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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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4330 Shawnee Mission Parkway Fairway, KS 66205
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