Program-Specific Updates
The Telehealth Network Programs Technical Assistance (TA) Team is excited to welcome our new cohort of Evidence-Based Telehealth Network Program (EB TNP) grantees as of Sept. 1, 2021! Monthly e-Blasts and quarterly TA newsletters will include any joint program updates as well as program specific updates for both Evidence-Based Telehealth Network Program and Telehealth Network Grant Program (TNGP) grantees.  

Evidence-Based Telehealth Network Program (EB TNP) Updates 

Evidence-Based Telehealth Network Program Kickoff Webinar - Recording Available! 
Thank you for joining us on Monday, Sept. 20 as we formally kicked off the EB TNP grant program and the technical assistance process. All webinar materials including a full recording are on the grantee website, www.ruralhealthlink.org. You can find the materials directly on the Evidence-Based Telehealth Network Grant Program page. Feel free to share with any key staff or partners that were not able to attend. We look forward to working with you as you begin implementation of your new telehealth initiatives!  

Kickoff of Technical Assistance Activities 
A few friendly reminders of what to expect in the coming days and weeks as we begin working with you. 

  • Introductory TA Intake Calls: These will be scheduled for October. Be on the lookout for an email from your TA consultant to schedule this. These calls are used to kick off the work together, learn more about your efforts, identify early challenges or barriers, and support needs as you get started. An initial TA action plan will be drafted after this call. 
  • Monthly TA Calls: At the end of the intake call your TA consultant will establish a monthly TA call schedule with you and your Office for the Advancement of Telehealth (OAT) project officer. 
  • TNGP Grantee Directory: In October, we will distribute a template for you to complete for the directory. This document will provide a brief snapshot of each of the EB TNP grantees in the cohort along with other OAT-funded initiatives and is a useful resource for connecting and learning about other programs. 
  • EB TNP Communities of Practice groups: Starting in November, you will have an opportunity to participate in peer groups aligned around topics of interest to the cohort. These groups offer an opportunity to participate in a facilitated learning exchange with peers based around relevant and timely telehealth topics of interest. Stay tuned for more information in October on the groups and how to join one. 


Telehealth Network Grant Program (TNGP) Updates 

Year 1 Performance Improvement Measurement System Reporting  
Year 1 Performance Improvement Measurement System (PIMS) reporting opened for all TNGP grantees on Sept. 1, 2021, and will remain open until Oct. 15, 2021. This end of year PIMS reporting will cover the full Year 1 of the project period (Sept. 1, 2020, to Aug. 31, 2021). If you have any questions about PIMS reporting, please reach out to your OAT project officer.  
 
TNGP Communities of Practice groups  
Thank you to all for your participation and engagement this past year in our five community of practice groups. We hope that you found the opportunities to engage, connect with, and learn from one another valuable as you implemented your telehealth initiatives.  
 
We will be kicking off the next year of these peer groups in November. More information to follow in the coming weeks on the peer groups and how to participate in them. Stay tuned! 
Resources, News, and Other Updates
This article provides an example of using remote patient monitoring to improve diabetes care management. Specifically, the University of Mississippi Medical Center partnered with North Mississippi Primary Health Care, a Federally Qualified Health Center, and implemented remote patient monitoring to increase patient access to diabetes care management and improve health outcomes. Click here to learn more about their program.  

The American Medical Association published a Telehealth Implementation Playbook. Part one defines telehealth and explains how to use the resources included in this document. Part two assists users with planning their telehealth program. Part three describes details to consider when implementing a telehealth program including developing or modifying a workflow, preparing care teams and patients, and how to measure success and expand the program. Part four provides users with resources. Click here to access the playbook.

The National Telehealth Technology Assessment Resource Center recently published a new resource, a Pandemic Response Technology Response Plan, that examines 11 critical areas of need for health care delivery when operating in, and responding to, a pandemic. The plan outlines the critical needs for health care providers and provides solution ideas using telemedicine and related technologies for each critical areas. Click here to access the plan. 

Solution Reach recently published a guide to assist health facilities with implementing telehealth and virtual services into their practice. Specifically, the guide assists users with: 

  • Determining how to use telehealth and virtual visits 
  • How to select the right telehealth tools 
  • Implementation and training 
  • How to get paid for telehealth visits 
  • How to get patients to utilize the services 
  • How to make the best experience for patients 
  • How to track telehealth success 
 
Click here to access the guide 
Upcoming Events
Oct. 1, 2021, at 11:00 a.m. PT 
Please join the Center for Connected Policy as they host a webinar on what Medicaid and other state agencies have done to help ensure people with disabilities can utilize telehealth services.  
Please join the Island Peer Review Organization Quality Improvement Network-Quality Improvement Organization as they host the last three sessions in their Telehealth Practice Innovations During the COVID-19 Pandemic educational series 

Session 6: The Impact on Care Transitions | Oct. 6, 2021, from 1-2 p.m. ET 

Session 7: Telehealth for Physical Therapy | Oct.20, 2021, from 1-2 p.m. ET
 
Session 8: Preparing for a New Normal | Nov. 3, 2021, from 1-2 p.m. ET 
Oct. 8, 2021, at 11:00 a.m. PT 
Please join the Center for Connected Policy as they host a webinar on the permanent telehealth policy changes Medicaid programs have made and what went into those decisions. 
Oct. 12-14, 2021, 11:00 a.m. - 4:00 p.m. ET 
Please join the National Institutes of Health for their Pathways to Prevention Workshop Program centered on improving rural health through telehealth guided provider-to-provider communication. This three-day event will focus on topics including the uptake of different types of provider-to-provider telehealth in rural areas, strategies that are effective for implementation and sustainability of provider-to-provider telehealth in rural areas, and more. Registration is required for each day you plan to attend. 
This digest is brought to you by the Federal Office of Rural Health Policy (FORHP) and the TNGP Technical Assistance Team.