Program-Specific Updates
As our last technical assistance (TA) newsletter of 2021, and our first of 2022, the Telehealth TA Team wishes you all the best for the new year. We look forward to another year working with you in support of your local telehealth initiatives. Please see below regarding some updates for both Telehealth Network Grant Program (TNGP) and Evidence-Based Telehealth Network Program (EB TNP) grantees.  
 
December Telehealth Webinars: Recordings and Slides Available 
The slides and recordings from December webinars are posted to the grantee website.  
  • "Telehealth Network Programs: Connecting Resources and Supports to Advance Telehealth Initiatives Webinar" on Dec. 2, 2021 (both programs)
  • "Surviving and Thriving: Managing Pandemic Stress & Building Resiliency" on Dec. 8, 2021 (TNGP webinar)
  • "What’s New in Telehealth Policy & Reimbursement: Updates for EB TNP Grantees" on Dec. 15, 2021 (EB TNP webinar)

You may find the materials directly on the TNGP and EB TNP pages of our site. Feel free to share with any key staff or partners who were not able to attend.   

Community of Practice Groups 
These groups will continue in 2022. Please see the schedule for the TNGP and EB TNP groups below. Invitations have been sent out to the members of these groups. If you have any questions about the next calls and/or an interest in joining, please let your TA provider know. 
 
TNGP Schedule
  • Behavioral Health: Wednesday, January 5, 3:00 - 4:00 p.m. ET 
  • Tele-stroke: Thursday, January 20, 3:00 - 4:00 p.m. ET 
  • EMS: Thursday, January 27, 3:00 - 4:00 p.m. ET 
  • Open Sharing Forum: Wednesday, February 2, 3:00 - 4:00 p.m. ET 
  • Data & Measurement: Wednesday, March 2, 3:00 - 4:00 p.m. ET 
 
EB TNP Schedule
  • Data & Evaluation: Tuesday, February 8, 2:30 - 3:30 p.m. ET 
  • Direct-to-Consumer: Thursday, February 17, 2:00 - 3:00 p.m. ET 
  • TeleBehavioral Health: Wednesday, February 23, 3:00 – 4:00 p.m. ET 
Resources, News, and Other Updates
Prior to the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic, the usage of telehealth to treat of substance use disorder was rare due to restrictive policy on both state and federal levels. When the pandemic hit, some of these restrictions were rolled back and telehealth usage skyrocketed. A year and a half later, policymakers are now debating next steps in telehealth policy and addiction treatment. This Tradeoffs podcast episode explores how this debate is playing out in Ohio, one of the epicenters of the opioid epidemic. Click here to listen to the podcast. 
 
An ‘At-a-Glance' look at trends in state telehealth laws, regulations, and reimbursement policies across all 50 states and the District of Columbia. See the number of states reimbursing for different modalities as of September 2021. Click here to view the infographic report. 
 
This report from the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services examines telehealth services for all of 2020 and compares findings by provider characteristics and beneficiary characteristics. Medicare telehealth flexibilities mitigated declines in in-person visits during the pandemic in 2020, but there is also evidence of disparities by race/ethnicity and for rural populations. Click here to read the full report.
Upcoming Events
January 12, 2022 2:00 p.m. ET 
Please join the final installment of Validic’s free Best Practice webinar series. Many Americans discovered the convenience and quality of virtual care for the first time during the pandemic. Now that the long-promised future of virtual healthcare has made its debut to so many, consumers expect it to remain and improve. This webinar will focus on trends in digital health, consumer expectations for on-demand services, and regulations and business models needed to support continued digital health growth.
January 20, 2022 11:00 a.m. PT 
The National Consortium of Telehealth Resource Centers will host Mei Kwong, Executive Director for the Center for Connected Health Policy (CCHP), the federally designated telehealth policy resource center. Kwong will provide an update on federal and state telehealth policy, what’s been made permanent, what’s still temporary and what we may see in the coming months. The presentation will include updates on Medicare and potential 2022 legislative trends.
This digest is brought to you by the Office for the Advancement of Telehealth (OAT) 
and the Telehealth Network Programs Technical Assistance Team.