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December 2016    
 TELEHEALTH BEAT 
HTRC's monthly telehealth bulletin
 

From all of us at Heartland Telehealth Resource Center, we wish you and your family a happy, safe and warm holiday! For questions now, or in the new year, email us at questions@HeartlandTRC.org or call us at 877-643-HTRC.
Indian Health Workshop
HTRC Project Director Janine Gracy addresses the Indian Health Workshop

Connectivity continues to be a key factor in the delayed implementation of telehealth, particularly for those of rural and isolated Indian American and American Native communities, where Indian Health Services are essential in treating the underserved. In order to address connectivity, reimbursement and other barriers to telehealth implementation, the Health Resources and Services Administration and the national Telehealth Resource Centers recently convened a conference in Kansas City, Mo. 

Heartland, Southwest, and Great Plains Telehealth Resource Centers (TRC) all presented resources to support  best practices for using telehealth in Indian Health, Tribal, and Urban Indian Health programs.  Topics included an introduction to telehealth, challenges and barriers, telehealth program sustainability and business models.

Following the presentations, tribal leaders met with Telehealth Resource Centers for customized technical assistance.  TRCs plan to follow up with tribes and continue providing technical assistance to achieve implementation over the next year. 

EVENTS
Webinar
December 20, 2016

To register contact Wendy Hough at 573.884.7958 or houghw@health.missouri.edu.

Webinar
January 19, 2017

Don't miss the January Telehealth Resource Center webinar on tips for acquiring telehealth funding. Hosted by Heartland Telehealth Resource Center, presenters will share their years of experience funding telehealth projects and what they have learned - sometimes the hard way!

Jefferson City, Mo.
January 26, 2017

The Missouri Telehealth Summit brings together leaders, policymakers, providers and payers for in-depth conversations about where we stand now and where we are going in this critical component of the health care industry. The agenda will include sessions on the latest Medicaid telehealth regulations, lessons from a successful school-based telehealth program, a legislative panel, Show-Me ECHO and direct-to-consumer telemedicine. 

Columbia, Mo.
February 28-March 1, 2017

Ready to implement your own ECHO program? In February, the Missouri Telehealth Network will host a two day, in- person ECHO Immersion Training which  will offer a general overview of Project ECHO and dive deeper into the ECHO model . The training will focus on next steps for implementation  including participati on in an ECHO clinic.  If your organization is ready to replicate ECHO, please contact Lindsey Beckmann at beckmannli@health.missouri.com or by phone at (573) 884-3753. 

REGIONAL NEWS
Telehealth Technology Assessment Centers  survey

Telehealth Technology Assessment Center (TTAC) invites you to share your opinion to help direct their focus in 2017. TTAC reviews telehealth technology and your input will help them determine how they can provide the most valuable information for your needs. Please take two minutes to respond to the survey before January 15, 2017! 


HTRC director publishes telemental health guide 

HTRC Director, Eve-Lynn Nelson, PhD, a professor of pediatrics and telemedicine at the University of Kansas Medical Center (KUMC) and licensed psychologist, recently co-authored a new book,  A Practitioner's Guide to Telemental Health: How to Conduct Legal, Ethical, and Evidence-Based Telepractice  b David D. Luxton, PhD Eve-Lynn Nelson, PhD , and  Marlene M. Maheu, PhD. 

Realizing  that physical distance, as well as technology itself, can create unique challenges to safe and ethical care, Nelson outlines the best practices for clinicians utilizing telecommunication. The guide particularly focuses on those conducting psychological services via videoconferencing. Whether offering telepractice as an add-on or as the primary mode of care delivery, mental health professionals will find this book an essential resource for getting started.
 
NATIONAL NEWS
National ECHO bill heads to House

On November 29, the U.S. Senate unanimously passed SB 2773, the Expanding Capacity for Health Outcomes (ECHO) Act. Though it does not appropriate any funding, the act would authorize the U.S. Department of Health and Senior Services to study the ECHO model developed by the University of New Mexico to evaluate its effectiveness on a national scale. The ECHO collaborative learning model has been used across the country, including in Missouri, Kansas and Oklahoma, to help increase capacity in rural areas by arming primary care providers with specialty care skills. 

The bill now heads to the U.S. House of Representatives for consideration. 

Project ECHO

Project ECHO is a program using telemedicine 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 hear cases from providers and make recommendations.


Heartland Telehealth Resource Center | questions@HeartlandTRC.org | 
 4330 Shawnee Mission Parkway   Fairway, KS 66205