Hello Northwest Regional, Northwest Region:
Graphic indicating that the Telehealth Survey is now open.

Take part in the 2024 Fifth Annual Northwest Regional Telehealth Survey! By participating in this survey, you help the NRTRC understand the current state of telehealth, and you help us support those implementing and sustaining telehealth services. This survey should take no more than 5 minutes to complete and is intended for those individuals or organizations that deliver healthcare services via telehealth. 


Participants who complete the survey can opt into a drawing for an Amazon gift card! 

Take the Survey Here
See Previous Years' Survey Results

TeleBehavioral Health 501 Webinar Series

Don't Miss Our Eighth CME/CEU-Accredited TeleBehavioral Health 501 Series Presentation!


This training series is a free monthly webinar open to anyone providing services to individuals who live with mental health and substance use issues. CME/CEU are available.


Friday, August 16, at 11 a.m.12 p.m. PT

Image of Carol Yarbrough


The Nitty Gritty of Billing for Telehealth


Overview:

Learn about telehealth from an expert who has seen it all. A telehealth billing and reimbursement specialist, Carol Yarbrough, MBA, will confirm, clarify, and consider the behavioral health CPT codes applicable to virtual care visits. While the past four years have exposed many providers to how to conduct virtual care visits, maintaining compliance with current billing regulations and getting paid can be tricky to navigate. Bring your questions and prepare to be amazed!


Attendees will learn:


  • Where to locate the Medicare telehealth services list


  • Why CPT modifiers should match the modality of the service


  • What's coming next for continued reimbursement and anything new for BH introduced in the 2025 Medicare Physician Fee Schedule



Carol Yarbrough, MBA:

Carol Yarbrough, MBA, is a healthcare compliance and reimbursement specialist. With a unique background in legal, technology, revenue management, and clinic management, and knowledge of both federal and state healthcare regulations, she provides insight into virtual services’ billing, reimbursement, and compliance. She works hands-on with professional and hospital-based professionals to review and implement these services. She also offers Current Procedural Terminology (CPT) webinars nationally to both coding and medical professionals and is said to make the mundane manageable and even fun.




Click here to begin learning! 

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TeleBehavioral Health 401 Series Available

The NRTRC, in collaboration with the University of Washington Behavioral Health Institute, is excited to announce that TeleBehavioral Health 401 is now live! Discover innovative methods to enhance telebehavioral healthcare delivery while expanding your reach to individuals who are geographically dispersed or mobility challenged. Increase your knowledge of the latest technologies and best practices in telebehavioral health while gaining confidence in addressing ethical considerations specific to teletherapy. 

Link to Enroll
Regional News

Photo credit: Microsoft

Cybersecurity for Rural Hospitals

Microsoft is offering a Cybersecurity Program for Rural Hospitals to keep the communities they serve safe and secure. The program includes affordable access to Microsoft Security solutions with nonprofit grants and discounts to independent Critical Access Hospitals and Rural Emergency Hospitals. Learn more here.

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News from the Center for Connected Health Policy (CCHP)


Act Now: Comments to the Proposed CY 2025 Physician Fee Schedule Due September 9, 2025!

The Calendar Year 2025 Proposed Physician Fee Schedule (CY25PFS) was released in early July. If you would like to provide comments, you need to do so by September 9, 2024 (click the "Submit a Formal Comment" button on this page). The Center for Connected Health Policy (CCHP) has created a fact sheet of the significant telehealth policy proposals and a video that digs in a bit deeper. 


CCHP released three new licensure resources:

For CCHP's full newsletter, go here

Policy Trend Map from CCHP

HRSA’s National Telehealth Conference Recordings Now Available

The Health Resources and Services Administration (HRSA) National Telehealth Conference sessions recordings, as well as a summary report with a link to the slides, are now available. Public and private sector leaders came together to discuss telehealth best practices for a full day, covering the following topics:


  • Efforts to expand access to telebehavioral health services via interstate licensure
  • Implications of health policy to inform telehealth’s future
  • Ways to expand access to services via telehealth to underserved and low-income communities
  • Innovations in healthcare utilizing telehealth
  • Expansion of broadband connectivity and the adoption of telehealth to improve health equity
Watch Recordings

August


SDOH and Telehealth: A Shared Journey for Patients and Care Teams

Aug 14, 2024 @ 1 p.m.–2 p.m.

Organizer: California Telehealth Resource Center


A presentation of the patient and care team experience of screening patients for social determinants of health (SDOH) using telehealth.


Telehealth T-Time

Aug 15, 2024 @ 9 a.m.–12 p.m.

Organizer: Ingenium Health Advisors


NRTRC is a proud sponsor of Telehealth T-Time: A Community for Telehealth Enthusiasts — a free monthly event to learn from and network with your telehealth peers. 


This month’s Telehealth T-Time on August 15, 2024 focuses on school-based telehealth and features three presentations: “Navigating Challenges in School-based Telehealth,” “Implementing a CHW-Supported Tele-Behavioral Health Model for Youth in a Rural School Setting,” and “An FQHC, a School, and a Grant: A Cape Cod Telehealth Success Story.”


NCTRC Webinar—Connecting Closer To Home—Why Broadband and Telehealth Need Each Other

Aug 15, 2024 @ 12 p.m.–1 p.m.

Organizer: National Consortium of Telehealth Resource Centers


More patients are receiving care in their homes, and more providers are using their homes to deliver telemedicine care. In this informational session, the Telehealth Technology Assessment Center will share why broadband matters in telehealth, how to ensure you are getting the connectivity you need to deliver (or receive) care, and resources to share with patients and providers who have questions about their connectivity.


Community Health Institute (CHI) & Expo Conference

Aug 24–Aug 26

Atlanta, GA

Organizer: National Association of Community Health Centers


The 2024 Community Health Institute (CHI) & Expo Conference is the premier gathering of the nation’s community health centers, the largest network of primary care providers in the nation. CHCs currently serve 1 in 11 Americans, but NACHC’s goal is for health centers to serve one in three Americans as the nation’s healthcare employer, provider, and partner of choice. The conference will provide attendees with the latest in science, education, practice, and policy that health centers need to stay competitive and financially stable.


Using Patient Journeys to Improve Digital Health Tool Adoption

Aug 28, 2024 @ 1 p.m.–2 p.m.

Organizer: California Telehealth Resource Center


This webinar highlights how the patient experience of engaging with digital health tools can guide clinics in increasing adoption and utilization. While the patients are fictional, the experiences discussed represent how patients may first learn about and interact with digital health tools, as well as how the clinics can facilitate these experiences.



September


AAIP’s 52nd Annual Meeting and Health Conference

Sep 5–Sep 8

Salt Lake City, UT

Organizer: Association of American Indian Physicians


The Association of American Indian Physicians (AAIP) announces the 52nd Annual Meeting and National Health Conference, “Empowering Indigenous Health: Unifying Efforts for Progress.”


The conference is presented by AAIP, and the Indian Health Service (IHS) Clinical Support Center is the accredited provider.


Telehealth Awareness Week

Sep 15–Sep 21

Organizer: American Telemedicine Association (ATA)


During Telehealth Awareness Week (TAW), the ATA invites telehealth solution providers, hospital systems and medical practices, patient advocacy leaders, policymakers, and other stakeholders to highlight the need to establish an omnichannel care model that includes in-person and virtual care.


TAW will also feature a series of national and regional events to explore the role of telehealth in care delivery, provide new educational resources focused on the key advantages of omnichannel care, and elevate the voices of patients and healthcare professionals who depend on telehealth to receive and deliver care.


TeleBehavioral Health 501: Best Practices for Telemental Health with Clients who are Deaf, Deaf/Blind and/or Hard of Hearing

Sep 20, 2024 @ 12 p.m.–1 p.m.

Organizer: University of Washington Behavioral Health Institute


TeleBehavioral Health 501 is a free 12-part webinar series open to anyone providing services to individuals who live with mental health and substance use issues. This Zoom-based series takes place the third Friday of each month, January through December 2024, from 11 a.m. – 12 p.m. (PT). You are invited to attend all webinars, but you will need to register for each webinar separately.



October


AnchorNETS

Oct 2–Oct 4

Crystal City, VA

Organizer: School Health and Libraries Broadband (SHLB) Coalition


The Annual SHLB Conference is the best place to expand your networks and knowledge of all things related to anchor institution broadband. Schools, libraries, telehealth networks, companies, and consultants attend from around the country to learn about their connectivity options. This year's conference will have a special focus on the wide variety of federal broadband funding opportunities, including the IIJA programs, Emergency Connectivity Fund, the Treasury Department Capital Projects Fund, as well as E-Rate, rural healthcare, and digital equity programs.


TeleBehavioral Health 501: Principles and Guidelines for Delivering TeleBehavioral Health to Older Adults and Clients with Cognitive Disorders in Home-Based Primary Care

Oct 18, 2024 @ 12 p.m.–1 p.m.

Organizer: University of Washington Behavioral Health Institute


TeleBehavioral Health 501 is a free 12-part webinar series open to anyone providing services to individuals who live with mental health and substance use issues. This Zoom-based series takes place the third Friday of each month, January through December 2024, from 11 a.m.–12 p.m. (PT). You are invited to attend all webinars, but you will need to register for each webinar separately.



November


2024 Rural Health Association of Utah Annual Conference

Nov 13–Nov 14

St. George, UT

Organizer: Rural Health Association of Utah


The Rural Health Association of Utah Conference is an annual event dedicated to promoting and improving rural healthcare in Utah. Join us for two days of insightful discussions, networking opportunities, and knowledge sharing. The 2024 Annual Rural Health Association of Utah Conference is on November 13 and 14 in beautiful St. George, Utah. The theme of this year's conference is Cultivating Healthier Lives in Rural Utah.


TeleBehavioral Health 501: Working with Interpreters via Telehealth

Nov 15, 2024 @ 12 p.m.–1 p.m.

Organizer: University of Washington Behavioral Health Institute


TeleBehavioral Health 501 is a free 12-part webinar series open to anyone providing services to individuals who live with mental health and substance use issues. This Zoom-based series takes place the third Friday of each month, January through December 2024, from 11 a.m.–12 p.m. (PT). You are invited to attend all webinars, but you will need to register for each webinar separately.

Do You Provide Healthcare or Services Via Telehealth? 

NRTRC's Find Telehealth is available to help patients and providers find in-person and telehealth care along with locations to have telehealth visits. TAPs can be viewed by turning on the TAPs button on the map. 

Northwest Regional State Telehealth Website Links


Telehealth Resources


Grant Funding Opportunities

Refer to the funding page on the NRTRC website for updated grant opportunities.
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”