Telehealth and Telemedicine Benefits

1
Telehealth and Telemedicine Benefits

• Improve accessibility to specialty care
• Cost effective and efficient in rural settings
• Innovative way to provide CME for physicians and
  other professionals on staff
• Better bottom line and better quality of care

2
What is Telehealth and Telemedicine

• Telehealth
• The use of electronic information and
  telecommunications technologies to support and
  promote long-distance clinical health care,
  patient and professional health-related
  education, public health, and health
  administration
• Telemedicine
• The use of electronic communication and
  information technologies to provide or support
  clinical care at a distance. Included in this
  definition are patient counseling, case
  management, and supervision/preceptorship of
  rural medical residents and health professions
  students when such supervising/precepting
  involves direct patient care.

3
Funding Opportunities

• Public Funding (Federal and State)
• More financial support for telehealth initiatives
• Grant monies available through government
  agencies such as the following.
• Health Resources and Service Administration
  (HRSA)
• Rural Utilities Services (RUS)
• U.S. Department of Health and Human Services
  (DHHS)
• National Telecommunication and Information
  Administration (NTIA)

4
Funding Opportunities.(Continued)

• Private FundingFoundations
• There are numerous foundations that provide
  grants and loans for telehealth projects.
• Application process is much less technical than
  public funding applications.
• It is important to understand the application
  requirements for each foundation.
• Many foundations provide technical assistance.

5
Tips for Grant Attainment

• Contact previous grantees
• They can give tips why they were successful in
  obtaining grantdos and donts
• Determine and write-up the specific objectives
  and uses of the telehealth technology needed
• Determine the amount of financial assistance
  needed
• Select several different funding sources

6
Tips for Grant Attainment(Continued)

• Verify funding application deadline
• Make sure you have followed the grantors specific
  guidelines before submitting application
• Make sure the application is well-prepared,
  thoughtfully planned, and concisely packaged

7
Telehealth Associations

• Purpose of Associations
• Support rural health care
• Support telehealth initiatives
• Role of Associations
• Advocates
• Educators
• Communication
• Technical Assistance
• Research

8
Reimbursement for Telemedicine

• Reimbursement for telemedicine is continually
  evolving
• It is important to pay attention to the payer
  requirements
• Five major payer categories
• Medicare
• Medicaid
• Commercial Insurance
• TRICARE
• Employer-Sponsored Health Coverage

9
Network Infrastructure and Vendors

• Dont try to re-invent the wheelthere are
  several successful telemedicine programs
  operating in the U.S.
• Contact them for advice and best practices
• Do an internal assessmentuse the sample tool
  provided
• Check vendor references