Register For The 2022 NRTRC Pre-Conference Grant Writing Workshop

Greetings Northwest Region:

Attending The Conference Allows You To Join: Innovative sessions by telehealth leaders and subject-matter experts in the industry. Keynote addresses by: Adrienne Boissy, MD, MA-Chief Medical Officer of Qualtrics Kristi Henderson, DNP, CEO MedExpress and Optum Virtual Care Tim Lovell, MBA, Operations Director at Intermountain Healthcare Hear from federal reimbursement experts from CMS, The Center for Connected Health Policy, ATA and C-Tel. Take a look at the full agenda.   A Telehealth Technology Showcase put on by the National Telehealth Technology Assessment Center highlighting the latest telehealth technologies. The event is in person, in Salt Lake City, Utah, with an option to join virtually using a platform that allows attendance to all plenary, keynote, panel and concurrent sessions all while networking with like-minded telehealth gurus. In-person welcome reception, in the vendor hall at the Salt Lake Marriott Downtown at City Creek.

News You Can Use

Advancing Telehealth Beyond COVID-19 Act of 2021 The US House of Representatives passed the Advancing Telehealth Beyond COVID-19 Act of 2021 (HR 4040) by a 416-12 vote, sending the bill on to the Senate. The bill, introduced more than a year ago by U.S. Rep. Liz Cheney (R-Wyoming), expands the definition of "originating site" to allow more locations to use telehealth, eliminates facility fees for new sites, expands the list of healthcare providers able to use telehealth, adds audio-only telehealth to the definition of "telecommunications system," and makes permanent the ability of federally-qualified health centers and rural health clinics to use telehealth under the Medicare program. HR 4040 extends several telehealth flexibilities enacted by the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services during the pandemic until the end of 2024. Telehealth advocates are lobbying both Congress and the federal government to make those flexibilities permanent. Read more here.  Highlights from the CY 2023 Proposed Physician Fee Schedule: Foley and Lardner, LLP, provide a summary of Medicare’s proposed telehealth services in the 2024 Proposed Physician Fee Schedule. The highlights from the CY 2023 Proposed Physician Fee Schedule released July 7 include: Create three new permanent telehealth codes for prolonged E/M services. Discontinue reimbursement of telephone (audio-only) E/M services. Discontinue the use of virtual direct supervision. Postpone the effective date of the telemental health six-month rule until 151 days after the PHE ends. Extend coverage of the temporary telehealth codes until 151 days after the PHE ends; and add 54 codes to the Category 3 telehealth list. Comment period is open through Sept. 6.

Guidance from the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services Office of Civil rights on Nondiscrimination in Telehealth: Federal protections to ensure accessibility to people with disabilities and limited English-proficient persons requires that providers of telehealth services do so in a nondiscriminatory manner. To read the document here.

NTEN’s Digital Inclusion Fellows Announced: Congratulations to NRTRC Program Manager Jaleen Johnson for being selected as a 2022 NTEN Fellow. NTEN’s Digital Inclusion Fellowship supports professionals working at organizations that have deep connections to communities affected by digital divides that would benefit from digital literacy programs. Fellows are supported by NTEN as they design and implement a digital inclusion program.

Upcoming Events & Webinars

NCTRC Webinar — Telehealth for Older Adults, Principles, Guidelines and Lessons Learned: Learn about West Health Institute's efforts to create a national collaborative to promote telehealth that meets the needs of older adults and to develop a framework for enhance care for older adults delivered through telehealth. August 18, noon –1 p.m.     HRSA Health Grants Session 8: The Office of Federal Assistance Management workshops help you manage your grant. In 2022, we’ll present the Healthy Grants Workshops as a web series, with presentations on our most requested topics. Aug. 24.  <<<Schedule does not show a workshop on Aug. 24. >>> HRSA Telehealth Learning Series: Telehealth and Broadband Funding/Resources: The Health Resources and Services Administration will present a special webinar on telehealth and broadband funding and resources. Aug. 30, noon, mountain time Navigating a New Normal, Annual Utah Medical Association Meeting: This two-day event, provides medical professionals opportunities to network, preview emerging issues, participate in making policy for medicine in Utah. This year's meeting is UMA's 128th Annual Meeting of the House of Delegates. Sept. 9 -10.  National Funding Foundation, Professional Grant Proposal Writing Workshop: This online workshop will provide a detailed introduction to the process, structure and skill of professional proposal writing. Sept. 12.    HRSA’s Telehealth Learning Webinar Series, Healthcare Workforce Stress and Resiliency: The Role of Technology: This webinar will feature discussions of how to use technologies to address provider stress and promote healthcare workforce resiliency. Sept. 13, 9 a.m. in Arizona. (10 a.m. MDT). HRSA Region 10 Health Equity Conference: This three-day conference will celebrate Region 10's work toward health equity. There will be opportunities to share research, learn about the latest trends. Continuing eduction credits will be offered. Sept. 14 –16, at the University of Washington, in Tacoma. 2022 NRTRC Annual Conference: Innovation in Telehealth: The NRTRC 2022 Annual Conference will highlight "Innovation in Telehealth." Presenters will concentrate on what's new in telehealth, and the conference will allow providers to network with key stakeholders across Alaska, Idaho, Montana, Oregon, Utah, Washington and Wyoming. Sept. 26 –28, in Salt Lake City, Utah.

Do you provide health care or services via telehealth?   NRTRC's telehealth services finder is available to help patients and providers find in-person and telehealth care. Please review and or complete the 2022 intake form to ensure that information on your practice and your services is up to date. Click here to update the information on your practice.

Northwest Regional State Telehealth Website Links Alaska Collaborative for Telehealth and Telemedicine Idaho Department of Health and Welfare Montana Telehealth Alliance Telehealth Alliance of Oregon Utah Telehealth Network Washington State Telehealth Collaborative Washington State Department of Health Wyoming Telehealth Network

Telehealth Resources Telehealth Tools and Resources: Find up-to-date telehealth tools & resources. Professional Development: Visit NRTRC's catalog of online telehealth training courses. The Telehealth Resource Centers have gathered resources specific to Federally Qualified Health Centers. Examples include a Critical Access Hospital Telehealth Guide and a webinar on Telehealth Essentials for FQHCs. Emergency Declarations: Utah and Washington are the only states in the Northwest Region still under emergency declarations because of the COVID pandemic.  Updated legislation and regulations: Keep up with regulations and proposed legislation for the states of the Northwest Region. Research: current research opportunities, research articles and survey results.

Grant Funding Opportunities Refer to the funding page on the NRTRC website for updated grant opportunities.

Telehealth Triumph "Thank you NRTRC. You get a GOLD STAR for answering me back, and trying to help. It seems your effort and helpfulness is not practiced much in todays business. No one answers their phones, all efforts are aimed at having prospective clients use email and actually requiring clients to do the work of the business by making us fill out the business information over the internet. NRTRC, you were a breath of fresh air. Thank you. Steve A Zollman, director and owner Alpine House Assisted Living We want to hear from you ... Share your success stories? Contact us.

Northwest Regional Telehealth Resource Center “This publication was made possible by grant number UiUTH42531-01 from the Office for the Advancement of Telehealth, Health Resources and Services Administration, DHHS”