The Center for Connected Health Policy (CCHP), on behalf of the National Association of Community Health Centers (NACHC), conducted an initial environmental scan of available tools for federally qualified health centers (FQHCs) in regards to the use of telehealth to deliver services.
CCHP’s goal is to provide a curated list of the top resources most helpful to FQHCs in each of the eight categories developed by the National Telehealth TTA Partners Roundtable in 2021.
The listed technical assistance resources, excerpted from the Environmental Scan of Telehealth Technical Assistance Resources: A Product of the National Health Center Telehealth Resource Center Project, are meant to offer practical advice or resources to FQHCs on implementing, operating, expanding or sustaining a telehealth program.
The Digital Divide: Access, Broadband, Equity
Bridging the Digital Divide: Tactics to Address Patient Barriers to Virtual Care (2021). Resource Type: Publication. Description: Lack of Internet and broadband access prevents some patients from using telehealth and other technology that can support their own health care and getting accurate health care information. In one 2020 study, 42 million Americans lacked adequate access to broadband (high speed internet). As of 2019, about one in five people did not have smartphones, and among low income people nearly one third do not have a smartphone. Rates of computer ownership are not much better. Those patients who do have access to the technology may or may not have the capacity and willingness to use it, depending on past experiences. Some patients aren\'t comfortable with technology, while others don\'t trust it or believe that virtual care is sub-par, despite growing evidence of its benefits. This culminates in a clear digital divide that can hinder the ability for patients to fully engage in their care or take advantage of things like remote patient monitoring, telehealth, mHealth, or patient portal. More Details...
Serving Rural Patients with Telehealth: Resources and Tips for Federally Qualified Health Centers: A HITEQ telehealth publication (2020). Resource Type: Publication. Description: With the challenges of provider shortages and lack of accessible facilities, telehealth presents an opportunity for health centers serving rural areas to expand health services, integrate primary care with subspecialty services, and improve care management.6 Telehealth provision in rural communities is particularly important and in-demand during the COVID-19 pandemic as many health centers have had to quickly transition to providing remote services. While telehealth has the potential to improve healthcare provision and access, many rural areas lack the reliable broadband connection and devices necessary for high-quality telehealth provision. More Details...
Implementation & Operations: Workflows, Procedures, Platforms
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...
Serving Rural Patients with Telehealth: Resources and Tips for Federally Qualified Health Centers: A HITEQ telehealth publication (2020). Resource Type: Publication. Description: With the challenges of provider shortages and lack of accessible facilities, telehealth presents an opportunity for health centers serving rural areas to expand health services, integrate primary care with subspecialty services, and improve care management.6 Telehealth provision in rural communities is particularly important and in-demand during the COVID-19 pandemic as many health centers have had to quickly transition to providing remote services. While telehealth has the potential to improve healthcare provision and access, many rural areas lack the reliable broadband connection and devices necessary for high-quality telehealth provision. More Details...
Quality Assurance: Measurement, Data Collection, Improvement
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...
Data and Reporting: Definitions, Taxonomy, EHR Alignment, Reporting Systems/Processes
Telehealth Taxonomy For FQHC Data Capture (2020). Resource Type: Publication. Description: This guidance document for FQHCs was developed by a Project Team* that included representation by TRCs, NACHC, PCAs and HCCNs. These are what the Project Team considers the “minimum data set” that each individual FQHC should be able to capture with confidence within their data systems. These core data elements were selected within the context of: Potential for impact on quality metrics and reporting, as well as potential for impact on FQHC telehealth reimbursement policies. 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...
Policy, Financial Reimbursement and Legal: Advocacy Efforts, Regulatory Surveillance
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...
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...
CMS Changes for 2022: Mental Health Visits via Telehealth, Expanded Flexibilities for Rural Health Clinics, COVID-19 Vaccines and Monoclonal Antibody Therapy, FAQs (2022). Resource Type: Publication. Description: Starting January 1, 2022: Federally Qualified Health Centers (FQHCs) get payment for hospice attending physician services when provided by specific providers (pages 5 & 6). CMS allows mental health services using telecommunications (pages 5 & 12). CMS allows concurrent billing for chronic care management (CCM) and transitional care management (TCM) services (page 5). CMS changed G2064 and G0265 to 99424 and 99426, respectively (page 8). CMS added COVID-19 shot and monoclonal antibody therapy administration information (page 9) More Details...
Serving Rural Patients with Telehealth: Resources and Tips for Federally Qualified Health Centers: A HITEQ telehealth publication (2020). Resource Type: Publication. Description: With the challenges of provider shortages and lack of accessible facilities, telehealth presents an opportunity for health centers serving rural areas to expand health services, integrate primary care with subspecialty services, and improve care management.6 Telehealth provision in rural communities is particularly important and in-demand during the COVID-19 pandemic as many health centers have had to quickly transition to providing remote services. While telehealth has the potential to improve healthcare provision and access, many rural areas lack the reliable broadband connection and devices necessary for high-quality telehealth provision. More Details...
Patient Engagement: Patient Education, Navigation, Outreach, Technical Support
How to Measure Patient Experience and Satisfaction with Telehealth (2020). Resource Type: Publication. Description: Why should you use patient experience and satisfaction surveys for telehealth visits? It’ll inform quality improvement efforts at your health center, benefitting both patients and providers in several ways. More Details...
Serving Rural Patients with Telehealth: Resources and Tips for Federally Qualified Health Centers: A HITEQ telehealth publication (2020). Resource Type: Publication. Description: With the challenges of provider shortages and lack of accessible facilities, telehealth presents an opportunity for health centers serving rural areas to expand health services, integrate primary care with subspecialty services, and improve care management.6 Telehealth provision in rural communities is particularly important and in-demand during the COVID-19 pandemic as many health centers have had to quickly transition to providing remote services. While telehealth has the potential to improve healthcare provision and access, many rural areas lack the reliable broadband connection and devices necessary for high-quality telehealth provision. More Details...
Clinical Delivery: Clinician-focused services, CME/CEU, Clinical Skills, Competencies
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...
NRTRC Telehealth 101 Online Training (2020). Resource Type: E-Learning. Description: Gain practical knowledge with this comprehensive overview. For those new to telehealth or looking for a refresher, this course will provide information on how to create and/or grow telehealth programs. Tools, tips, and lessons learned will be incorporated into the content of the various components of setting up a telemedicine program. A total of 1.75 CME credit hours is available upon course completion. More Details...
Financial Models: Service and Payer Mixes, Reimbursement Implications
Strategic Investments in Telehealth and Digital Tools for Health Centers: Maintaining Your Competitive Advantage Beyond the Pandemic (2021). Resource Type: Publication. Description: This short guide describes FQHC telehealth utilization and barriers to adoption pre and during COVID19 pandemic. The document outlines reasons for maintaining or increasing adoption relative to improving health equity through technology access and move to value based care. A checklist is provided to guide technology investment and decision making. More Details...
The Stairway to Telehealth Sustainability: The Telehealth Maturity Model: HITEQ Highlights Webinar (2021). Resource Type: Archived Webinar. Description: In response to the COVID-19 pandemic, telehealth adoption increased significantly, supporting ongoing access to care and was critical to support healthcare operations continuity which resulted in the adoption of various modes of telehealth tools. The initial focus was applying telehealth capabilities to ordinary care to increase access to care and keep patients, providers and staff safe. What healthcare organizations are now looking for is a roadmap to make telehealth more sustainable, to integrate it into clinical operations and to leverage it more strategically. In this presentation, Christian Milaster of Ingenium Digital Health Advisors shares the 7-step Telehealth Maturity Model that guides organizations toward sustainable success with telehealth. This presentation is the first session of a two-part series. HITEQ will host a second webinar session in April -- Measuring Telehealth Success: The Why, The What, The How. More Details...