Greetings Northwest Region:

New Year: New Opportunities

2022 brings a new year, a new perspective and new opportunities! We heard you! You want telehealth trainings! Here’s a reminder about the NRTRC's six high-quality, free, readily available, online telehealth trainings for you and your staff. Washington State Healthcare Professional Telemedicine Training: This training was created to meet the telehealth training requirements in Washington, but those who have taken this training keep telling us it’s a great telehealth training for everyone. NRTRC Telehealth 101 Online Training: This training provides a comprehensive overview of telehealth for those new to telehealth and for those looking for a refresher. University of Utah Connecting Care through Telehealth: Long-Term Services and Supports: This training is helpful regardless of whether you work in the LTSS setting or provide services to patients in the LTSS setting. University of Utah Connecting through Telehealth: A Guide to Virtual Primary Care for Providers, Patients, Families, & Caregivers: This course works well for a variety of individuals — patients, families and caregivers. University of Washington TeleBehavioral Health 101 Series: This six-part series is essential for anyone delivering mental health services by telehealth. Department of Veteran Affairs Telebehavioral Health 101 Series: This six-part course provides a wealth of information to ensure high-quality, safe and sustainable delivery of mental health services by telehealth.

The NRTRC 2022 Annual Conference, Innovation in Telehealth will be back in person September 26-28 in Salt Lake City, Utah! If you enjoyed the last year’s virtual conference, you will not want to miss this. This year, a pre-conference grant writing workshop will be offered by the National Organization of State Offices of Rural Health (NOSORH). Watch for details on speaker and sponsorship opportunities. For more information email info@nrtrc.org.

National Telehealth Technology Assessment Center (TTAC) Save the Date! Save the date for Building Tomorrow’s Virtual Healthcare With Today’s Technology: A National Virtual Technology Showcase scheduled for February 2-3. This two-day event will feature several telemedicine case scenarios where patients, caregivers and providers present virtual care models such as emergency services, behavioral health, school-based care, remote patient monitoring and direct to consumer patient care. Attendees will have an opportunity to discuss the technologies used in the telemedicine scenarios with the vendors themselves. Exciting keynote presenters will kick off each day of the event. Register here.

Telehealth News The Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) released a revised version of their summary of policies based on the Calendar Year (CY) 2022 Medicare Physician Fee Schedule Final Rule. In December, HHS Secretary Xavier Becerra appointed a new HRSA Administrator, Carole Johnson. Learn more in the press release. HHS/DoD National Emergency Tele-Critical Care Network. A joint program of the U.S. Department of Health & Human Services and the U.S. Department of Defense is available at no cost to hospitals caring for COVID-19 patients and struggling with access to enough critical care physicians, nurses, respiratory therapists, and other specialized clinical experts. Teams of critical care clinicians are available to deliver virtual care through telemedicine platforms, such as an app on a mobile device. Hear from participating clinicians, and email to learn more and sign up. Adopting AI to Improve Patient Outcomes, Cost Savings, Health Equality: A recent survey of senior healthcare executives indicates organizations support adopting artificial intelligence practices. Video Telehealth as Effective as Usual Care for Chronic Diseases: A review of 38 randomized controlled trials (RCTs) demonstrated that using video teleconferencing generally results in “similar clinical effectiveness, health care use, patient satisfaction, and quality of life” in select diseases. Texas makes abortion via telehealth a crime: A new law in the state requires that physicians must examine pregnant women in-person before prescribing abortion medication and bans delivery of those medicines by courier, delivery or mail service – with potential consequences of jail time or a hefty fine. Survey from Wrap-EM: The Western Regional Alliance for Pediatric Emergency Management (WRAP-EM) is gathering data about the impact of COVID-19 on telemedicine. The alliance is asking for responses from healthcare professionals and patients. Responses are anonymous to this short survey. CTeL Telehealth Cost Impact Study: The Centers for Telehealth and e-Health Law have published a study of the financial effects of telehealth services. The executive summary is available as a .pdf document.

Upcoming Events & Webinars:

UMTRC Webinar, Artificial Intelligence in Virtual Care: Learn more about artificial intelligence and its impact on health care in general and specifically on virtual care. Jan. 19. 10 a.m. to 11 a.m. M.T.S NCTRC Webinar, Telehealth Policy Update: What Has Happened and What to Look for in 2022: Mei Kwong, Executive Director for the Center for Connected Health Policy, will provide an update on federal and state telehealth policy. The presentation will include updates on Medicare and potential 2022 legislative trends. Jan. 20, noon to 1 p.m. M.T.S. Telehealth: Breaking Down Provider and Patient Barriers: This webinar will focus on common myths and misconceptions about telehealth. Presenters will discuss the informed consent and safety plan. Jan. 26, 2 p.m. to 3 p.m., M.T.S. Conferences to Look for in 2022: HIMSS 2022: The Healthcare Information and Management Systems Society's Global Health Conference & Exhibition offers an opportunity for healthcare professionals to reimagine health and wellness services. The event includes a trade show. March 14-18 in Orlando, Fla. ATA 2022: The American Telemedicine Association's annual conference will examine how to establish telehealth as a permanent modality in care delivery. The conference will explore practical applications of telehealth, offer hands-on workshops, and discuss visions of telehealth’s future. May 1-3 in Boston, Mass. NRHA Health Equity Conference: The National Rural Health Association's conference is intended for those dedicated to bringing quality health care services to underserved and under-represented populations. May 10 in Albuquerque, N.M. NRTRC Annual Conference 2022: Innovation in Telehealth: The Northwest Regional Telehealth Resource Center's annual conference is scheduled for September 26-18 in Salt Lake City, Utah. APHA 2022: 150 Years of Creating the Healthiest Nation: Leading the Path Toward Equity. The American Public Health Association's annual conference will be held Nov. 6-9 in Boston, Mass.

Search for a Telehealth provider in your state or in the Northwest Region by using the NRTRC's Telehealth Finder tool. You can find a provider near you, or search by the type of specialty care service you are seeking.

In July of 2020 the NRTRC received a technical assistance request from the only primary care clinic on Vashon Island, WA., stating that they were in danger of closing down unless they could find another provider system to assume operations of the clinic by the fall of 2020. They were exploring their options which included telehealth, triggering the technical assistance request. The NRTRC team met with the clinic and provided resources for telehealth support. Since that initial meeting, the Vashon Island clinic has signed a contract with another community health clinic, and the contract is still in place. In September 2021, the NRTRC received a technical assistance request from Kings County Library System in Washington state, which wanted guidance on how to create telehealth sites. Given the proximity to Vashon Island, the NRTRC reached out to Vashon Healthcare and put them in contact with the Kings County Library system. The NRTRC then contacted a provider at Kings County Health Department in Seattle, that had asked for help in 2020 regarding access for their diverse population of patients, and connected that organization with the library system. Here is a link to the Kings County Library program, Teleconnect.

Northwest Regional State Telehealth Website Links Alaska Collaborative for Telehealth and Telemedicine Idaho Department of Health and Wellness 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. Example resources include a Critical Access Hospital Telehealth Guide and a webinar on Telehealth Essentials for FQHCs. Emergency Declarations: Check on the emergency status in your state.  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.

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”