National Resources

From the Northwest Regional Telehealth Resource Center

NRTRC COVID-19 and Telehealth
Links to current resources.

NRTRC COVID-19 and Telehealth Resources
A comprehensive, guide compiling the most pertinent resources into one document.

NRTRC Telehealth Quick Start Guide for Providers
Written for use during the current public health emergency.

From the National Consortium of Telehealth Resource Centers

COVID-19 & Pandemics
Telehealth can help address COVID-19 as well as other pandemic situations.

COVID-19 Telehealth Toolkit
A special document released to assist organizations implement telehealth during the COVID-19 outbreak.

NCTRC Webinar – Telehealth and COVID-19
(March 19)
YouTube recording and a download of presentation slides from this popular webinar.

From the Center for Connected Health Policy

Telehealth Policy in a Post-COVID-19 World
(May 15th)
After COVID-19: What stays, what goes?

CMS COVID-19 Telehealth Policy Updates
(May 1st)
This video will cover the recent changes CMS has made to the telehealth policies in Medicare.

COVID-19 - Telehealth Policy Updates – Federal & State
(March 31, 2020)
This video will go over recent policy changes due to passage of HR 748, the CARES Act, CMS Medicare updates and an overview of state actions.

TELEHEALTH COVERAGE POLICIES IN THE TIME OF COVID-19 TO DATE
(Updated daily, as needed, by CCHP)
A comprehensive, easy-to-understand review of federal policy adjustments, with links for more detail.

COVID-19 RELATED STATE ACTIONS
Listing of telehealth-related actions taken in individual states with links to source documentation.

Current State Laws & Reimbursement Policies
(as of October 2019)
Searchable database by state with links to source documents.

Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services

State Medicaid & CHIP Telehealth Toolkit
Policy considerations for states expanding use of telehealth.

Expanded Flexibilities for RHCs and FQHCs
New guidance for RHCs and FQHCs regarding COVID-19 and Telehealth Billing.

MLN Booklet: Telehealth Services
(Updated March 2020)
Comprehensive guide for Medicare’s Fee for Service Telehealth Services updated annually

CMS Fact Sheet: Medicare Telemedicine Health Care Provider Fact Sheet

CMS FAQs: Medicare Frequently Asked Questions
(Published on March 17, 2020)
These two documents outline the flexibility added into Medicare’s telehealth services to facilitate the use of telehealth during the COVID-19 public health emergency.

CMS General Telehealth and Telemedicine Provider Toolkit

CMS ESRD Provider Telehealth and Telemedicine Toolkit
Summary of electronic links to reliable sources of information regarding telehealth and telemedicine.

MLN Communication Technology Based Services and Payment for RHCs & FQHCs, January 2019
CMS expanded services utilizing technology to go beyond Medicare’s traditional telehealth program. These services, such as Virtual Check-ins, are not considered telehealth but which can utilize the phone or video.

HIPAA for Professionals: COVID-19 and HIPAA specific to Telehealth

OCR: FAQs on Telehealth and HIPAA during the COVID-19 nationwide public health emergency

Notice of Enforcement Discretion for Telehealth remote communication during the COVID-19 nationwide public health emergency
The federal Office of Civil Rights has relaxed some HIPAA requirements to allow video technologies that do not fully comply with HIPAA rules including non-public facing “popular” video products such as Facetime and Skype.

Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration

COVID-10 Public Health Emergency Response and 42 CFR Part 2 Guidance
Flexibility regarding the disclosure of patient information during a medical emergency.

Considerations for the Care and Treatment of Mental and Substance Use Disorders in the COVID-19 Epidemic
(March 20, 2020)
SAMHSA strongly recommends the use of telehealth and/or telephonic services to provide evaluation and treatment of patients.

Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) Diversion Control Division

DEA COVID-19 Information Page
See section on Telemedicine which specifies guidance for the use of telehealth and the conditions for prescribing schedule II-V controlled substances to patients for whom DEA-registered practitioners have not conducted an in-person medical evaluation.

Use of Telemedicine While Providing Medication Assisted Treatment (MAT)
(Published May 15, 2018)
DEA Guidance

Health and Human Services (HHS)

TELEHEALTH.HHS.GOV
How to get or provide remote health care.

Center for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC)

COVID-19 One-Stop Shop Toolkits
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) has created a COVID-19 One-Stop Shop, which provides resources and information on a variety of topics including videos, social media, PSAs, print resources, checklists, FAQs, and web resources.

American Telemedicine Association (ATA)

ATA's Comments on the 2022 Physician Fee Schedule Proposed Rule