Quick Finds: Telehealth

Improving Hypertension Management: Applying Standing Orders and the Role of Medical Assistants (2024). Resource Type: Archived Webinar. Description: Presented by Mary Blankson, Chief Nursing Officer for Community Health Center, Inc. (CHCI), this session will cover how to implement standing orders using CHCI's hypertension guidelines and other national best practices. It will emphasize the key role of Medical Assistants (MAs) and demonstrate how standing orders support broader healthcare initiatives. Participants will gain knowledge on how to apply standing orders for hypertension management in their own health centers to improve patient care and streamline clinical processes. More Details...

Telehealth Learning Bundle (2024). Resource Type: Toolkit. Description: This resource provides context, learning opportunities, and implementation resources to support the effort of reimagining how training and technical assistance (TTA) and the operating environment can be strengthened to build a sustainable future for telehealth across the health center community. More Details...

Patient-Centered Telehealth for LGBTQIA+ Communities (2024). Resource Type: Publication. Description: The purpose of this publication is to educate health center staff on how to reduce barriers to LGBTQIA+ patient care by improving telehealth programming. More Details...

Environmental Scan of Telehealth Technical Assistance Resources: Updated January 2024 (2024). Resource Type: Publication. Description: NACHC and the Center for Connected Health Policy provide a curated list of top telehealth technical assistance resources for FQHCs interested in implementing, operating, expanding or sustaining a telehealth program. This is an update to the 2022 version. More Details...

E-Consult Trends Across Medicaid Programs and Impact on FQHCs (2024). Resource Type: Publication. Description: NACHC and the Center for Connected Health Policy examine the current state of eConsult Medicaid policies in relation to FQHCs. This paper looks at a sampling of states to examine trends in eConsult policies that allow, exclude or do not specify the policy specific to FQHCs, resulting in reimbursement and telehealth operational implications for health center. More Details...

Emergency Preparedness in School-Based Telehealth (2024). Resource Type: Archived Webinar. Description: The Emergency Preparedness in School-Based Telehealth webinar was designed for health center and health center look-alike staff. The webinar aims to increase the audience's knowledge of and capacity to define how health centers can partner effectively with schools to implement telehealth care, identify how to provide students with care through telehealth, and reduce barriers to telehealth services. More Details...

Best Practices for Phone & Virtual Interpretation (2024). Resource Type: Publication. Description: This publication provides evidence based best practices for phone and virtual interpretation for farmworkers and other who are Limited-English proficient in health centers and clinics. This publication provides many resources to other publications with best practices resources for available interpretation services. We hope this can be applied to support farmworker patients who speak Indigenous languages to increase their access to health care services. More Details...

Telehealth for LGBTQIA+ Patients (2024). Resource Type: Archived Webinar. Description: In this webinar, Emily Phillips will discuss best practices in telehealth for LGBTQIA+ patients including information on expansion, implementation and quality improvement. Participants will learn strategies aimed at increasing access and engagement for marginalized communities in telehealth programming and ways to ensure continuous quality improvement. More Details...

Closing the PrEP Care Gap with TelePrEP: Training for Health Centers (2024). Resource Type: Archived Webinar. Description: This training session was delivered by the HITEQ Center in collaboration with Housing Works, a health center based in New York City. Staff from Housing Works provided an overview of the TelePrEP model, considerations for implementation, and successes and barriers their TelePrEP program has faced. All health center staff were welcome to attend, and the content will be useful for all seeking to expand PrEP access for HIV prevention in their health center and community. More Details...

Integrated Mental Health (2024). Resource Type: Archived Webinar. Description: We invite you to join the School-Based Health Alliance (SBHA) for a one-hour webinar on Integrated Mental Health to address care coordination, partnerships, and evidence-based care strategies for school-aged children. More Details...

HITEQ Highlights: Crossing The Chasm of Innovation - One FQHC's Journey to Operationalize its Telehealth Strategy: HITEQ Highlights Webinar (2023). Resource Type: Archived Webinar. Description: In this HITEQ Highlights webinar, we focused on the intersection of telehealth strategy and operations. One health center\'s experience of leveraging telehealth as a tool for expanding service delivery and patient access will be a jumping off point from which to consider the benefits (and challenges) of dedicated telehealth resources within an organization. Participants learned how telehealth might benefit recruitment efforts and review relevant resources for ongoing telehealth support. More Details...

Innovative Methods for Delivering Pre-Exposure Prophylaxis (PrEP) Care (2023). Resource Type: Archived Webinar. Description: Presented by Dr. Kevin Ard, participants will learn about innovative approaches to HIV prevention using a status-neutral framework with information on telehealth for pre-exposure prophylaxis (PrEP), PrEP On Demand, and more. The webinar also provides the most recent information about how to implement long-acting injectable PrEP at health centers. More Details...

Best Practices for Phone and Virtual Interpretation in Health Centers (2023). Resource Type: Archived Webinar. Description: This webinar is provided in conjunction with a newly created best practices resource in response to the demand for more language access services in health centers especially for Limited English Proficient (LEP) patients. This project is HRSA-funded. Presented on 11/30/2023 More Details...

Enhancing Healthcare Access for Special Populations Through Telehealth and Home Visitation Services: NCHPH Webinar (2023). Resource Type: Archived Webinar. Description: Hosted by the National Nurse-Led Care Consortium and the National Center for Health in Public Housing, this 2-part webinar series discussed promising practices in home visitation and telehealth as ways to support improved access to comprehensive primary care for communities with high levels of disability, and isolation, lack of adequate transportation, and other social drivers of health that contribute to health inequities, particularly residents of public housing. More Details...

Accessing Your Health Center's Digital Health Tools: HITEQ Team Tool Kit (2023). Resource Type: Toolkit. Description: Digital patient engagement investments is a broad category that includes all digital health tools your health center uses to reach and support patients. These include patient portals, messaging and outreach apps, remote patient monitoring tools, and mHealth apps. Despite the hopes and promises of new technologies, implementation of digital tools in health centers can be uneven and siloed, hindering progress on adoption, engagement, and transformation. More Details...

Navigating Compliance Challenges with the Information Blocking Rule: A Collection of Case Studies: HITEQ Center and Feldesman Tucker Leifer Fidell LLP, September 2023 (2023). Resource Type: Toolkit. Description: The Office of the National Coordinator for Health Information Technology’s (ONC) 21st Century Cures Act Information Blocking Rule (Info Blocking Rule) prohibits covered actors – including health care providers, health IT developers of certified health IT, and health information exchanges/health information networks– from engaging in practices likely to interfere with, prevent, or materially discourage access, exchange, or use of electronic health information (EHI). The Info Blocking Rule includes eight exceptions that provide actors with certainty that, when their practice interferes with the access, exchange, or use of EHI and meets the conditions of one or more exception, such practice will not be considered information blocking.1 More Details...

BPHCurates: Child and Adolescent Health and Social Resources: Targeted Resources on Food Insecurity, Behavioral Health, Oral Health, Staffing Shortages, and Telehealth to Support Child and Adolescent Health (2023). Resource Type: Publication. Description: This resource packet provides health centers with resources to develop processes for improving service delivery and outcomes for children and adolescents, specifically related to telehealth, food insecurity, mental and behavioral health, oral health, and staffing shortages and retention. In addition, links to general child and adolescent health center technical resources are provided. More Details...

FAQ: How can health centers comply with both 42 CFR Part 2 and the Information Blocking Rule?: July 2023 (2023). Resource Type: Toolkit. Description: What are the HIPAA guidelines related to PHI and PII? What is 42 CFR Part 2? What is the Information Blocking Rule? How can my health center comply with both 42 CFR Part 2 and the Information Blocking Rule? How can my health center safeguard EHI on the patient portal following 42 CFR Part 2? How can I find out if 42 CFR Part 2 applies to my health center? Where can I find sample Information Blocking policies, procedures, and templates? More Details...

Interoperability Readiness Scorecard: HITEQ Center, July 2023 (2023). Resource Type: Template. Description: Many health centers struggle to reap the benefits of technological advancement and investments in health information technology (health IT), while others embrace them and reap rewards. Interoperability is one such example; requiring health centers assess systems, relationships, and implementation. There are keys to successful interoperability implementation for which health centers must develop processes, stand up infrastructure (within the system, internally and externally, and organization), and then take action. Process refers to structured processes, policies, and procedures within the health center. Infrastructure refers to structural capacity and ability within the health center’s technology and staffing structure. Action refers to full implementation to the point of active and ongoing use and engagement. This scorecard encourages health centers to consider their processes, infrastructure, and action in a number of key areas. Each area key to interoperability are to be self-graded on a scale of 1 through 5, where 1 is poorly or not yet developed and 5 is well developed. Health centers can also use this to guide discussions and monitor progress over time. evaluate once steps have been completed. More Details...

Assessing Patient Satisfaction with Telehealth at Community Health Centers: A Policy Brief (2023). Resource Type: Publication. Description: This brief describes findings from a national assessment of health center patients’ experiences with telehealth and the policy implications of these findings. The assessment focused on three key aspects of telehealth utilization, including 1) ease of use, 2) interaction with the clinician, and 3) overall comfort/satisfaction. More Details...

Using Telehealth to Connect With Older Patients: Considerations for Health Centers (2023). Resource Type: Publication . Description: This publication will offer guidance for providers and staff on best practices for conducting agefriendly virtual healthcare visits with the older patients in their communities More Details...

Promoting Cybersecurity Awareness for Patients: Protecting yourself when using patient portals, health apps, and online medical devices, June 2023. (2023). Resource Type: Archived Webinar. Description: This training guide provides patients with knowledge and awareness about cybersecurity threats to protect their personal health data and to minimize risks from computer viruses and malware. More Details...

Affirming Telehealth Practices for LGBTQIA+ Communities (2023). Resource Type: Archived Webinar. Description: Join us for this one-hour session to explore promising telehealth practices to serve LGBTQIA+ communities and mitigate stigma and barriers to healthcare. This session will give a comprehensive overview of tools, resources, and best practices to help you build or expand your telehealth programming to improve the health and wellbeing of LGBTQIA+ patients. This session will be led by Emily Phillips, Fenway Health Telehealth Project Manager. More Details...

Sensitive Information and the Electronic Patient Record: HITEQ Center, June 2023 (2023). Resource Type: Toolkit. Description: With nearly 100% of community health centers utilizing electronic health records (EHR) to care for patients, focus has pivoted from implementation and new workflow development to enhancement in order to drive value and reflect patient needs and population trends. EHR technology presents potential opportunities and significant constraints. Providers frequently document and share potentially sensitive information in the EHR, such as risk for intimate partner violence (IPV), consistent offers of pre-exposure prophylaxis (PrEP), or patient sexual orientation and gender identity (SOGI). More Details...

A Guide to Essential Cybersecurity Tasks for Health Centers: For health centers with limited resources, developed in June 2023 (2023). Resource Type: Toolkit. Description: In an increasingly connected healthcare landscape, health centers face a dual challenge: the rising tide of cyber threats and the need to comply with stringent data protection regulations, all while managing limited resources. The ever-evolving nature of cyberattacks and the complexity of compliance requirements make it essential for health centers to prioritize cybersecurity tasks effectively. More Details...

Assessing Provider Capabilities, Attitudes, and Preferences about Telehealth: HITEQ Center Question Bank, April 2023 (2023). Resource Type: Toolkit. Description: As health centers are charting their path forward with telehealth after the public health emergency ends, it will be critical to have methods in place to comprehensively assess the current experiences, capabilities, attitudes, and preferences of providers. Telehealth program improvements should be grounded in a real understanding of these factors to ensure readiness of all providers. More Details...

Telehealth Office Hour: Bridging the Digital Divide (2023). Resource Type: Archived Webinar. Description: As Telehealth continues to advance the care organizations provide to their communities, systemic issues are being identified as it relates to Telehealth equity. Join us during NACHCs Telehealth Office Hour as we are joined by the Northeast Telehealth Resource Center to examine telehealth strategies that address disparities in access to quality care. More Details...

The Managed Care Data Set - Video: Developed with Starling Advisors in 2022 (2023). Resource Type: E-Learning. Description: This is the second in a three module value based care basics series from the HITEQ Center. This module was developed by Starling Advisors in 2022. More Details...

Clinical Quality Measures for Eligible Professionals: 2023 Update: A crosswalk of Clinical Quality Measures for UDS and other reporting from The HITEQ Center (2023). Resource Type: Toolkit. Description: This spreadsheet developed by the HITEQ Center provides a crosswalk of Clinical Quality Measures and their electronic specifications as defined in the 2023 update for Eligible Professionals (Clinicians). Fields include the crosswalk of measures with related information about CMS, NQF, and MIPS ID, and Telehealth Eligiblity, as well as inclusion in HRSA BPHC Uniform Data System (UDS) CY2023, Million Hearts, CMS Quality Payment Program (QPP) - APM Performance Pathway (APP) Measures, Medicare Shared Savings Program (MSSP)/ CMS ACO Shared Savings Program, CMS Core Set (Child Core Set Medicaid / CHIP): HEDIS Specified, CMS Core Set (Adult Core Set Medicaid): HEDIS Specified, Core Quality Measures Collaborative (ACO / Primary Care). Links are included throughout. More Details...

Specialty Care Access in Health Centers - What is the Potential of eConsults?: HITEQ Highlights Webinar (2023). Resource Type: Archived Webinar. Description: Access to care is the essential work of health centers, and one pain point is how to ensure specialty access for health center patients. This webinar will discuss innovation in specialty care access using technology and e-Consults. Electronic consultations (“e-consults”) are asynchronous, consultative, provider-to-provider communications within a shared electronic health record (EHR) or web-based platform. E-consults are intended to improve access to specialty expertise for patients and providers without the need for a face-to-face visit. More Details...

Telehealth Reimbursement (2023). Resource Type: Publication. Description: This document discusses changes to telehealth reimbursement, providing basic guidelines to navigate frequent changes in policy. More Details...

Telehealth E/M Coding (2023). Resource Type: Publication. Description: This document summarizes the 2021 E/M coding guidelines for office visits, inlcuding a chart of E/M guidelines for medical decision making. More Details...

Telehealth Documentation (2023). Resource Type: Publication. Description: This document outlines the documentation requirements for telehealth services beyond those required for inperson visit. It also discusses medicial decision making and changes to the time component. More Details...

Telehealth Billing (2023). Resource Type: Publication. Description: This document describes telehealth billing practices, focusing on correct place of service and modifiers for commercial payers. More Details...

Advancing Team-Based Care: Enhancing the Role of the Medical Assistant and Nurse through Implementation of Care Management to Improve Chronic Conditions (2022). Resource Type: Archived Webinar. Description: Expert faculty outline the differences between case management, care coordination and complex care management to frame up a discussion on strategies to leverage effective models for both in-person and remote services. Expert faculty discuss the role of the medical assistant and the nurse in care management, as well as how standing orders and delegated orders support this work. This session will discuss how telehealth and remote patient monitoring enhancements can support complex care management for patients with chronic conditions. Participants leave this session with the knowledge and tools to begin or enhance implementation of chronic care management by enhancing the role of the medical assistant, nurse and the technology that supports the clinical care. More Details...

Using Teledentistry to Improve Prenatal Care (2022). Resource Type: Publication. Description: This publication describes how the University of California, Irvine Family Health Center provides synchronous teledentistry services to pregnant patients. More Details...

HITEQ Highlights: Deploying Smartphone Apps to Advance Mental Health in Primary Care: HITEQ Highlights Webinar (2022). Resource Type: Archived Webinar. Description: Patient engagement through electronic health apps are one solution to the need for timely and ongoing patient support. This session discussed a program to support mental health through an integrated behavioral health model using a mental health app at Cambridge Health Alliance. More Details...

MATRC Vendor Selection Toolkit (2022). Resource Type: Toolkit. Description: In this toolkit MATRC has compiled the insights of experienced telehealth experts to help you identify the steps you should undertake to select the most suitable technologies for your telehealth services. More Details...

Telehealth Office Hours: Telehealth Reimbursement (2022). Resource Type: Archived Webinar. Description: NACHC Telehealth Office Hours targets health center, PCA, and HCCN staff who have questions or want to share information about telehealth related policy and operational activities. In addition to updates and Q&A, each session will focus on a specific topic of concern. More Details...

Telehealth Sustainability Worksheet (2022). Resource Type: E-Learning. Description: This worksheet is provided as a basic tool to assist in basic business model development for FQHC/RHC/IHS and is based on the model of purchasing blocks of time by the hour with a specialty care or primary care provide. This tool is to help guide decisions related to contracting with a provider and how selecting a service provider will likely affect sustainability. More Details...

Telehealth Classroom - Online Training Course (2022). Resource Type: E-Learning. Description: This Telehealth Classroom training portal has been developed by the federally funded Northeast Telehealth Resource Center (NETRC), to assist regional stakeholders, including health systems, health centers, providers, and health professions students to successfully implement telehealth. More Details...

State Telehealth Laws and Medicaid Program Policies, Fall 2022 (2022). Resource Type: Publication. Description: The Center for Connected Health Policy’s (CCHP) Fall 2022 Summary Report of the state telehealth laws and Medicaid program policies provides a summary of the current status of telehealth policy in the states as of October 2022. CCHP provides these bi-annual summary reports in the Spring and Fall each year to provide a snapshot of the progress made in the past six months. CCHP is committed to providing timely policy information that is easy for users to navigate and understand through our Policy Finder. The information for this summary report covers updates in state telehealth policy made between July and early September 2022. More Details...

Guide for Patient Self-Management of Chronic Illness through “Tele-education” (2022). Resource Type: Publication. Description: This Guide for Patient Self-Management of Chronic Illness highlights one way of providing “tele-education” to patients using WhatsApp®, a virtual messaging application that allows video and voice calls, text messages, and so much more all through a wireless internet connection. More Details...

HHS Issues Guidance on HIPAA and Audio-Only Telehealth (2022). Resource Type: Publication. Description: In June 2022, the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS), through its Office for Civil Rights (OCR), issued guidance on how covered health care providers and health plans can use remote communication technologies to provide audio-only telehealth services when such communications are conducted in a manner that is consistent with the applicable requirements of the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act of 1996 (HIPAA) Privacy, Security, and Breach Notification Rules, including when OCR’s Notification of Enforcement Discretion for Telehealth. More Details...

Telehealth Office Hours: Remote Self-Monitoring Blood Pressure Program (June 09, 2022): Remote Self-Monitoring Blood Pressure Program (2022). Resource Type: Archived Webinar. Description: NACHC offers monthly Telehealth Office Hours for health center, PCA, and HCCN staff who have questions or want to share information about telehealth related policy and operational activities. In addition to updates and Q&A, each session will focus on a specific topic of concern. More Details...

Telehealth and Digital Tools Equity Assessment: Developed in February 2022 (2022). Resource Type: Other. Description: This brief assessment, which can be downloaded in the Documents to Download section below, contains questions that health centers can ask potential vendors to ensure their tools support equitable access and address the needs of the health center\'s population. More Details...

Affordable Connectivity Program Consumer Outreach Toolkit (2022). Resource Type: Toolkit. Description: The Affordable Connectivity Program was created by the FCC to help households struggling to pay for internet service. As part of that effort, the FCC is mobilizing people and organizations to help raise awareness about the ACP. The materials below are available for public use, and you can download and customize them to meet your needs. More Details...

Clinical Quality Measures for Eligible Professionals: 2022 Update (2022). Resource Type: Publication. Description: This spreadsheet developed by the HITEQ Center provides a crosswalk of Clinical Quality Measures and their electronic specifications as defined in the 2022 update for Eligible Professionals (Clinicians). More Details...

Developing a Postdoctoral Psychology Residency Program in Your Community Health Center (2022). Resource Type: Archived Webinar. Description: Two years later, we continue to witness the pandemic’s toll on mental health – and a sustained increased demand for mental health services. Behavioral health care providers who are experienced in integrated care settings are needed now more than ever. Join this webinar to learn how your health center can establish its own postdoctoral clinical psychology residency program. This webinar will address considerations such as program structure, design, curriculum, the supervisor’s role, required resources, and the benefits of sponsoring an in-house formal postdoctoral clinical psychology residency training program. More Details...

Telehealth Office Hours: Follow-up Strategies for Implementing Teledentistry (2022). Resource Type: Archived Webinar. Description: Following up on last summer's initial office hour on Patient-centered Strategies for Tele-dentistry, this office hour will address questions and scenarios raised by health centers as they continue on their paths to implement the many applications of tele-dentistry. This session will provide useful tips and examples for developing tele-dentistry workflows and highlight case use examples focusing on pediatric populations. More Details...