It was clear from this year's record breaking ATA Meeting and Trade Show that interest in telehealth is growing at incredible rates! We joined the Consortium of Telehealth Resource Centers in Los Angeles to meet thousands of providers, administrators, vendors, and others currently developing and expanding programs. We were excited to make many new connections from the northeast and enjoyed meeting with everyone who attended our regional networking event.
Policy and regulations continue to develop nationally and regionally in support of telehealth. As you may know, 27 states and Washington D.C. have now passed parity laws (requiring reimbursement at the same rate as in-person services with various stipulations) for private insurers (including Maine, New Hampshire, New York effective 2016, and Vermont). We were excited to hear that the Vermont legislature recently passed
SB139 that directs the Department of Vermont Health Access to reimburse for Medicaid-covered primary care consultations delivered through telemedicine to Medicaid beneficiaries outside a health care facility. The Connecticut legislature also just passed
SB 467 that establishes minimum standards of practice and health insurance coverage for telemedicine.
This is also a busy time for grant applications! As we hope you read in our
funding alert, the USDA Distance Learning and Telemedicine Grant Program application is open until July 6, 2015! This is a popular grant opportunity to acquire equipment and software, but it is a short application window this year.
As always, please let us know if you have any questions!
Sincerely,
The NETRC Team
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NETRC Regional Conference Update
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Register Today!
NETRC invites you to register for our second annual conference, "
Integrating Telehealth in an Evolving Landscape
" on
September 23 and 24
, 2015 in Burlington, Vermont. This fall, stakeholders from across the eight-state NETRC region (New England, New York, and New Jersey), will gather to learn about telehealth best practice and innovation, network with colleagues, and identify opportunities to advance their telehealth programs. Registration is open for our pre-conference workshops on September 23 ($50), the full-day conference on September 24 ($100), or both ($125).
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Featured Keynote Speaker Announced
We are thrilled to announce that Charles Doarn, MBA, will be the keynote speaker for the 2015 Regional Conference!
Mr. Doarn is the Director of the Telemedicine and e-Health Program and a Research Professor in Family and Community Medicine at the University of Cincinnati. He is also one of two Editors-in-Chief of the Telemedicine and e-Health Journal. Mr. Doarn's distinguished career includes serving as the Program Executive for Aerospace Medicine and Telemedicine at NASA and the principle author of NASA's Integrated Strategic Plan for Telemedicine.
Please
click here
to see Mr. Doarn's complete biography.
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Exhibit Opportunities Still Available
Four sponsor/exhibit levels are still available to showcase your organization! This includes a special rate for non-profits and government agencies.
Please
click here
to read our invitation letter.
Thank you to our current sponsors: Iron Bow Technologies, SnapMD, Avizia, Honeywell Life Care Solutions, and MediSprout!
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American Telemedicine Association
Presenters: Jonathan Linkous, Chief Executive Officer and Gary Capistrant, Chief Policy Officer
TODAY, Tuesday, June 2, 2015, 2:00 - 3:00 PM EST
National Telehealth Webinar Series
Presented by the South Central Telehealth Resource Center
Presenter: Jeff Pinto, BSN, CRRN, Clinical Services Manager, Center for Distance Health/TRIUMPH, University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences
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RECENT TELEHEALTH NEWS
Content compiled by Michael Edwards, NETRC Consultant
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Telehealth Policy News
Nevada, Minnesota, Indiana enact telehealth parity laws
FierceHealthIT, May 29, 2015
Telemedicine parity laws now are in play in 27 states and the District of Columbia after Indiana, Minnesota and Nevada enacted their own laws this week. Reimbursement for telemedicine services has long been a barrier to use of the technology, however that is changing as more states realize the benefits of the services.
Telehealth bill goes to governor
The CT Mirror, May 27, 2015
A Connecticut bill passed the house and senate and was sent to the governor to set standards for telehealth and requires insurance plans to cover services.
ATA releases new state toolkit to promote good practice standards by medical boards
ATA News, May 20, 2015
ATA recently released an updated version of its toolkit, "Working with Medical Boards: Ensuring Comparable Standards for the Practice of Medicine via Telemedicine," which is designed to help stakeholders develop or influence telemedicine professional practice and licensure policies at the state level.
Will new state health-care mandates stifle telemedicine progress?
Government Technology News, May 20, 2015
Texas has joined Arkansas as the only two states that require patients to meet in-person with doctors before assuming a telemedicine relationship. Experts believe the new requirements may have a chilling effect on telemedicine use, but differ on whether the development signals the start of a policy trend.
What makes a state good at telemedicine? What makes a state bad at telemedicine?
MedCity News, May 15, 2015
The American Telemedicine Association updated two reports at its annual conference earlier this month in Los Angeles, a state-by state analysis of coverage and reimbursement policies for telemedicine services and another on physician practice standards and licensure in each state.
Interstate telehealth licensing compact set to become reality
mHealth News, May 15, 2015
The Federation of State Medical Boards' Interstate Licensure Compact, which facilitates the practice of telemedicine across state lines, has achieved the threshold for implementation in recruitment of seven states signed up to comply with its provisions.
Connecticut telehealth legislation to set use, coverage requirements
mHealth Intelligence, May 13, 2015
The Connecticut General Assembly is close to passing a bill which sets standards for telemedicine and mandates private insurance reimbursement for services. Since this story appeared, the substitute bill SB 467 passed unanimously in the Senate and is on the calendar for the House.
CMS Medicare reimburses nearly $14 million for telemedicine in 2014
Center for Telehealth and eHealth Law News, May 8, 2015
The Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services shared data with CTeL that showed only $13.9 million was paid in telehealth reimbursements nationwide, including $1.4 million in facility fees at the patient site. This is but a tiny fraction of CMS medical reimbursements ($614 billion).
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News on the Practice of Telemedicine
Federal Telemedicine News, May 20, 2015
In order to address challenges of rural primary care providers in treating patients with chronic pain, the Colorado Medicaid's Accountable Care Collaborative is launching an adaptation of the Project ECHO telehealth model. A team of expert specialists will implement a knowledge sharing videoconferencing network with 33 primary care clinics that will include regular training and multidisciplinary case review sessions with community providers.
The doctor is online, and lawmakers are prescribing some rules
The CT Mirror, May 20, 2015
The story profiles a patient in Connecticut seeing an internist via videoconference from a home computer. While Anthem Blue Cross/Blue Shield's LiveHealth Online makes use of doctors outside the state, services by another company, Teladoc, largely makes use of Connecticut doctors who supplement their "brick-and-mortar" practices with online care services.
How Mount Sinai uses mHealth to pave the way for more robust patient care
Fierce Mobile Healthcare, May 19, 2015
Two examples at Mount Sinai Medical Center in New York illustrate how mobile health apps are being used now to expand the scope and quality of care for existing patients: An app for patients with inflammatory bowel disease support symptom tracking and medical decision making and another app is in use by family practice providers to provide consultations using a secure digital connection via smartphones.
Telepsychiatry consultation service in nursing homes
Rural Assistance Center Update, May 13, 2015
The University of Vermont Medical Center provides telepsychiatry care and education to nursing homes that face shortages of mental health professionals on site.
Teleburn aids in burn diagnosis, treatment
iHealthBeat, May 4, 2015
Teleburn, an emerging telemedicine specialty that links hospitals and clinics to specialty burn centers, is filling a gap in diagnosis and treatment of burns as burn centers have become more consolidated into regional centers of excellence over the past 15 years. The programs of the Lehigh Valley Health Network in Pennsylvania and the Arizona Burn Center are profiled.
Patients, doctors see mobile health app benefits, but privacy concerns remain
iHealthBeat, April 22, 2015
An audio recording and transcript are provided in which experts discuss the benefits and privacy concerns related to the growing use of mobile health apps. They include a cardiologist, a psychiatrist, a computer scientist, and a consumer/advocate.
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Telemedicine Technology News
Fierce Mobile Healthcare, May 25, 2015
The MD Anderson Cancer Center at Cooper in New Jersey is deploying Apple Watch devices featuring a custom app to breast cancer patients in a pilot program to track behavioral information for ensuring treatment programs remain on target. Other pilot telehealth programs are also mentioned in the story.
Mobile health increases patient engagement, but ability to leverage tools falters
Fierce Mobile Healthcare, May 18, 2015
A recent report from the Commonwealth Fund summarizes trends in use of digital technology and mHealth for managing care and patient engagement, based on surveys of community health centers and clinics. Key factors that facilitate or impede progress in adoption are discussed.
2015 ATA highlights- New telehealth product
Federal Telemedicine News, May 10, 2015
This article highlights new products on display by eight of the vendor sponsors of the recent annual conference of the American Telemedicine Association in Los Angeles.
Skype steps into HIPAA compliance & partners with MDLive
TeleMental Health Institute News, May 1, 2015
In April, Microsoft announced a revised version of its video chat software Skype for use with telehealth sessions in partnership with MDLIVE.Until Skype makes its newer version available to the health care community at large, the lack of Business Associate Agreements related to HIPAA compliance warrants caution in its use of telehealth applications.
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Recent Telehealth Resources
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American Hospital Association. Realizing the promise of telehealth: understanding the legal and regulatory challenges.
TrendWatch
, May, 2015
Link
Calouro C, Kwong MW, Gutierrez M. An analysis of state telehealth laws and regulations for occupational therapy and physical therapy. Int. J. Telerehabil. 6(1):17-23, 2014
Link
Carallo C, Scavelli FB, Cipolla M, et al. Management of type 2 diabetes mellitus through telemedicine.
PLoS One 10(5):e0126858, 2015
Link
Cason J. Telehealth: a rapidly developing service delivery model for occupational therapy. Int. J. Telerehabil. 6(1):29-35, 2014
Link
Galligioni E, Piras EM, Galvagni M, et al. Integrating mHealth in oncology: experience in the province of Trento. J. Med. Internet Res. 17(5):e114, 2015
Link
Greenhalgh T, Procter R, Wherton J, et al. What is quality in assisted living technology? The ARCHIE framework for effective telehealth and telecare services. BMC Med. 13:91, 2015
Link
Leehan G, Sossong S, Lacktman N. Telemedicine in Massachusetts: What providers need to know. Boston Bar Association Health Law Reporter, March 5, 2015
Link
Meins AR, Doorenbos AZ, Eaton L, et al. TelePain: A community of practice for pain management. J. Pain Relief 4(2): 177, 2015
Link
Newman SP, Bardsley M, Barlow J, et al. The Whole Systems Demonstrator Evaluation of Telehealth and Telecare. U.K. Department of Health Policy Research Programme, 2014
Link
Peterson C, Watzlaf V. Telerehabilitation store and forward applications: a review of applications and privacy considerations in physical and occupational therapy practice. Int. J. Telerehabil. 6(2):75-84, 2015
Link
Thomas L, Capistrant G. State Telemedicine Gaps Analysis: Coverage & Reimbursement. American Telemedicine Association, May, 2015
Link
Thomas L, Capistrant G. State Telemedicine Gaps Analysis: Physician Practice Standards & Licensure. American Telemedicine Association, May, 2015
Link
van Gurp J, van Selm M, Vissers K, van Leeuwen E, Hasselaar J. How outpatient palliative care teleconsultation facilitates empathic patient-professional relationships: a qualitative study. PLoS One 10(4):e0124387, 2015
Link
Vassilev I, Rowsell A, Pope C, et al. Assessing the implementability of telehealth interventions for self-management support: a realist review. Implement. Sci. 10(1):59, 2015
Link
Walker JP. University of Maine Speech Therapy Telepractice and Technology Program Manual. University of Maine Faculty Monographs, Jan. 2015
Link
Wildevuur SE, Simonse LW. Information and communication technology-enabled person-centered care for the "big five" chronic conditions: scoping review. J. Med. Internet Res. 17(3):e77, 2015
Link
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