đź“Ť The Health Resources and Services Administration (HRSA) funded Southwest Telehealth Resource Center (SWTRC) and the Arizona Telemedicine Program (ATP) are excited to announce that the Find Telehealth Map now includes Colorado and New Mexico, joining Arizona and Nevada for full SWTRC region coverage!
The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) has launched its 13th Scope of Work (SoW) under the Quality Innovation Network-Quality Improvement Organization (QIN-QIO) Program, a nationwide initiative designed to improve healthcare quality, patient safety, and outcomes for Medicare beneficiaries. This program, which CMS delivers regionally via QIN-QIOs, emphasizes collaboration with healthcare providers to implement evidence-based practices, advance health equity, and prepare for evolving value-based care requirements.
Child Psychiatry Access Programs (CPAPs) serve as a vital force multiplier in addressing the pediatric mental health crisis by strategically building the capacity of frontline providers, including pediatricians, family physicians, and school-based health professionals, to deliver evidence-based mental health care directly within their existing practices. These programs operate through a consultation model (often using telehealth infrastructure and tools) that provides primary care clinicians with rapid access to child psychiatry expertise, offering real-time guidance on diagnosis, treatment planning, and medication management, while also facilitating hand-offs to specialty care when needed. By equipping frontline providers with knowledge, confidence, and ongoing support to manage common mental health conditions like anxiety, depression, and ADHD, CPAPs expand the mental health workforce without requiring families to navigate lengthy specialty waitlists or travel long distances to see a psychiatrist.
A selection of resources thoughtfully curated to meet the diverse telehealth needs across our region.
To celebrate the release of our newly updated regional billing guides, this month’s newsletter is dedicated to helping you navigate billing for telehealth-enabled services. Not only will we show you how to access the updated guides, but we’ll also share a variety of additional billing resources tailored to your needs. Keep reading to find the tools and information that matter most to you!
Below is a selection of resources thoughtfully curated to meet the diverse telehealth needs across our region.
PROPOSED RULEMAKING – OPEN COMMENT PERIODS
Currently, there are open comment periods for two Notices of Proposed Rulemaking (NPRM), one issued by the Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) and the other by the US Department of Health and Human Services Office for Civil Rights (HHS OCR).
A selection of resources thoughtfully curated to meet the diverse telehealth needs across our region.
CMS Approves Section 1115 Waivers in AZ & NM
On October 16, 2024, the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) approved Section 1115 waivers in Arizona, California, New Mexico, and Oregon. Arizona and New Mexico, both part of the SWTRC’s region.
Telehealth continues to revolutionize healthcare delivery, but its availability is not yet ubiquitous. Regulations that require healthcare and allied health providers to obtain separate licenses (each requiring investment of significant time, effort, and money) in each state in which they choose to provide services can be a barrier to patients receiving healthcare via telehealth from specialists and/or their established providers located in a different state. Interstate licensure compacts are offering a streamlined approach to state licensure for providers, enabling them to deliver care via telehealth to patients in those states that have adopted the respective compact.
The February 2024 Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) State Medicaid & CHIP Telehealth Toolkit provides guidance and best practices that states can reference as they work to “…improve access to telehealth for services covered under Medicaid and CHIP [Children's Health Insurance Program], as required by the Bipartisan Safer Communities Act (BSCA), 2022, Division A, Title I, Section 11002(a).
In partnership with ruralMED Revenue Cycle Resources, the Southwest Telehealth Resource Center recently published the 2024 editions of the Virtual Visit & Reimbursement Guides for Arizona, Colorado, Nevada, and New Mexico on its Billing Guides Resources webpage. These guides assist medical professionals in staying abreast of telehealth billing and coding changes for Medicare, Medicaid, and private payors.
Health equity is the concept that everyone, regardless of their background, income, or zip code, should have the opportunity to live a healthy life. Telehealth can make healthcare more accessible where people have the necessary resources (compatible devices and internet connectivity) and capabilities (digital literacy and health literacy) needed to successfully utilize it. Providers can improve the equity of clinical telehealth services by intentionally including resources and accessibility features that support and enable their patients’ use of telehealth technologies.
In September 2023, the Center for Telehealth and e-Health Law (CTel), released an analysis of medication prescribing and telehealth, reviewing the prescribing laws for non-controlled substances in all 50 states and Puerto Rico.
In November, the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) published “Advancing Health Equity in Rural, Tribal, and Geographically Isolated Communities: FY 2023 Year in Review”. The report’s executive summary states, “These communities, which represent approximately 67 million Americans, contribute to the cultural diversity of our entire nation and play a vital role in the health and wellbeing of all Americans … Despite this, many communities continue to face structural barriers to achieving equitable health outcomes, such as recruitment and retention of health workforces, access to specialty care or home and community-based services, and long distances to travel for care.” The report states that “telehealth is an essential tool for expanding access to care in rural, tribal, and geographically isolated areas,” ...
Thursday, Nov. 16, 2023, is National Rural Health Day. Since 2011, the National Organization of State Offices of Rural Health has set aside the third Thursday each November to Celebrate the Power of Rural “by honoring the selfless, community-minded spirit that prevails in rural America.” Webinars and other events planned around National Rural Health Day will showcase the efforts of rural healthcare providers, State Offices of Rural Health, and other rural stakeholders to address the unique healthcare challenges that those living in rural areas face.
Remote patient monitoring (RPM) utilizes technology to inform clinical care decisions, enabling healthcare providers to monitor key metrics about their patients’ health conditions remotely. RPM devices typically include wireless network communications capabilities that enable the automatic transfer of health metrics data to an RPM clinical service provider (CSP). The RPM CSP monitors each patient’s data for trends or patterns that may indicate important changes in a patient’s health status and acts on this information to provide timely interventions to assist patients and their respective care teams to better manage each patient’s health conditions...
The federal Bipartisan Infrastructure Law allocated $65 billion to support infrastructure planning, digital inclusion initiatives, and deployment projects that connect individuals and communities to the technologies, skills, and resources demanded by today's economy. This initiative aims to make high-speed internet affordable for all. The Bipartisan Infrastructure Law encompasses various initiatives designed to allocate funding towards specific communities.
2-1-1 services in the United States respond to more than twenty-one million requests from families and individuals for help with accessing essential community services every year. 2-1-1 can help people with needs such as accessing and obtaining healthcare services, recovering from a disaster, obtaining food, finding shelter, or paying bills can talk confidentially for free at any time of day or night with trained community resource specialists. These specialists, often volunteers, listen to callers’ concerns, and assist them with accessing information, resources, and services. At a community level, 2-1-1 services play a significant role in addressing social determinants of health by assisting community members with many needs...
The National Telecommunications and Information Administration (NTIA) recently announced $930 million in funding for middle-mile broadband. The 35 projects encompass 350 counties distributed across 35 states, including Puerto Rico. The allocation of $930 million in federal funds accounts for approximately fifty percent of the total project costs, estimated at $1,778,482 billion...
Compared to last year’s licensure and compacts updates, there are only a few changes. However, with telehealth’s growing recognition during and post-Covid, two states have pending legislation (*) reflected in the updates below. Many states continue to require providers to be licensed in the state where the physician is practicing, and some require providers using telehealth across state lines to have a valid state license where the patient is located. Other states have laws that don’t specifically address telehealth or telemedicine licensing but make allowances for practicing in other states...
While telehealth use surged during the COVID-19 pandemic with loosened payment restrictions for Medicare and private payers, the end of the public health emergency is making changes in different areas for billing and coding. We continue to stay up-to-date on these changes, and this quarter, we’re providing billing & reimbursement resources for 2023...
The Federal Communications Commission (FCC) recently announced targeted funding allocations of $66 million for 2 sub-programs of the Affordable Connectivity Outreach Grant Program, $60 million for the National Competitive Outreach Program (NCOP) and $6.02 million for the Tribal Competitive Outreach Program (TCOP), These programs aim to drive awareness and enrollment in the FCC’s newest and largest ever broadband affordability program that provides monthly discounts on Internet bills. The FCC reviewed 350 grant applications and competitively awarded funding allocations to 197 partner organizations to serve as community messengers to implement innovative strategies to reach historically underserved and unserved communities...
State legislatures across the country are introducing bills that include some areas of telemedicine, or licensing that can assist with patients in their care via telehealth. This legislative update looks at the Southwest region of Arizona, Colorado, Nevada, and New Mexico. To read all regional legislative and regulatory updates, visit the Center for Connected Health Policy (CCHP) Southwest Telehealth Resource Center Legislation & Regulation (govhawk.com)...
The Federation of State Medical Boards (FSMB) recently updated its list of U.S. State and Territories modifying requirements for telehealth in response to COVID-19, such as out-of-state physicians; preexisting provider-patient relationships; audio-only requirements, and more. FSMB's listing of modified requirements for telehealth for Arizona, Colorado, Nevada, and New Mexico are repeated in the full newsletter...
Across the country, conversations on equity issues and the future of telehealth and telemedicine often puts broadband infrastructure at the top of the list. Internet access and computer literacy, especially in rural communities, is a needed component in growing telehealth access in homes and public community spaces...
Since 2010 the National Organization of State Offices of Rural Health has designated the 3rd Thursday in November as National Rural Health Day to celebrate the rural leaders and champions in rural communities. This year the Arizona Telemedicine Program and the SWTRC joined with the Arizona Rural Health Association to present “The Rural Health Landscape” webinar with Alan Morgan, CEO of the National Rural Health Association...
National Rural Health Day is Thursday, Nov. 17, 2022, an opportunity to “Celebrate the Power of Rural” by honoring the selfless, community-minded spirit that prevails in rural America. NRHD showcases the efforts of rural healthcare providers, State Offices of Rural Health, and other rural stakeholders to address the unique healthcare challenges that rural citizens face today and in the future. The National Organization of State Offices of Rural Health (NOSORH) has tools, events, and additional information on how to celebrate National Rural Health Day on their website.
There are many funding and grant opportunities for community and health-related organizations wanting to increase broadband capabilities and bring in needed funds for unique community health programming. View the full newseltter to see the list of funding sources in the Southwest focused on broadband and health...
View the full newsletter to see many options for improving healthcare for women including some telehealth!
The Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration’s new 988 Suicide & Crisis Lifeline (formerly known as The National Suicide Prevention Lifeline) launched on July 16th, 2022 and is now available throughout the United States by phone via the three-digit dialing code 988, as well as via the phone number 1-800-273-8255. The service is also accessible via live online chat at https://988lifeline.org/chat/ . The 988 Suicide & Crisis Lifeline is a national network of local crisis centers that provides free and confidential emotional support to people in suicidal crisis or emotional distress 24 hours a day, 7 days a week in the United States. The Lifeline is available to everyone.