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Rural Health
Resources by Topic: Telehealth

The IHS Telehealth System Was Deployed Without Some Required Cybersecurity Controls
Presents findings of an audit to determine whether the Indian Health Service (IHS) implemented select cybersecurity system controls prior to deploying its telehealth system nationally. Offers policy recommendations to the IHS for improving the implementation of cybersecurity controls for new information systems and remediating known vulnerabilities that may impact telehealth technologies.
Date: 09/2022
Type: Document
Sponsoring organization: Office of Inspector General (HHS)
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Physician Response to COVID-19–Driven Telehealth Flexibility for Opioid Use Disorder
Presents survey responses of physicians who provide Opioid Use Disorder (OUD) treatment on telehealth flexibilities driven by the COVID-19 pandemic, particularly their OUD telehealth policy preferences. Notes rural implications of access equity issues and policy changes.
Author(s): Tamara Beetham, David A. Fiellin, Susan H. Busch
Citation: The American Journal of Managed Care, 28(9)
Date: 09/2022
Type: Document
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MedPAC Comment on CMS's Proposed Rule on the Payment Systems for Hospital Outpatient Departments and Ambulatory Surgical Centers for 2023
Comments on a July 26, 2022, Federal Register proposed rule revising the Medicare Hospital Outpatient Prospective Payment System (OPPS) and Medicare Ambulatory Surgical Center (ACS) payment system for calendar year 2023. Includes considerations for payment for 340B drugs, additional facility payments for Rural Emergency Hospitals, telehealth rehabilitation services beyond the COVID-19 public health emergency, and efforts for measuring equity and healthcare quality disparities.
Date: 09/2022
Type: Document
Sponsoring organization: Medicare Payment Advisory Commission
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Certain Medicare Beneficiaries, Such as Urban and Hispanic Beneficiaries, Were More Likely Than Others To Use Telehealth During the First Year of the COVID-19 Pandemic
Data brief examining telehealth usage by Medicare beneficiaries during the first year of the COVID-19 pandemic, noting rural and urban differences, state-level trends, and usage by race/ethnicity and age according to Medicare Advantage and fee-for-service claims data. Offers policy recommendations and agency responses.
Date: 09/2022
Type: Document
Sponsoring organization: Office of Inspector General (HHS)
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MedPAC Comment on CMS's Proposed Rule on the Physician Fee Schedule and Other Revisions to Part B for CY 2023
Comment on a July 29, 2022, Federal Register proposed rule revising the physician fee schedule to improve payment systems for physicians and other Medicare Part B revisions. Includes a discussion of the coverage of certain telehealth services after the COVID-19 public health emergency, as well as rebasing and revising the Medicare Economic Index (MEI).
Date: 09/2022
Type: Document
Sponsoring organization: Medicare Payment Advisory Commission
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Broadband Internet Subscription Rates and Opioid Prescribing via Telemedicine During the COVID-19 Pandemic
Explores the effect of the DEA's temporary permission for providers to prescribe opioids via telehealth during the COVID-19 pandemic in Kentucky. Discusses the effect this permission had on rural areas and in counties with low and high rates of broadband access.
Author(s): Douglas R. Oyler, Svetla Slavova, Patricia R. Freeman, et al.
Citation: Journal of Rural Health, 38(4), 900-907
Date: 09/2022
Type: Document
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Telehealth Reimbursement Guide for California, 2022 Edition
Provides an overview of telehealth and explains telehealth reimbursement criteria for Medicare, Medi-Cal, and other insurance programs in California. Includes specific information for Critical Access Hospitals, Rural Health Clinics, and Federally Qualified Health Centers.
Date: 09/2022
Type: Document
Sponsoring organization: California Telehealth Resource Center
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Disability and Telehealth since the COVID-19 Pandemic
Discusses the importance of telehealth for people with disabilities in context of the COVID-19 public health emergency. Describes telehealth's benefits and barriers for individuals as well as institutional advantages and limitations, including discussion of increased need and accessibility issues in rural areas. Describes specific policy and funding modifications during the public health emergency. Provides policy and infrastructure recommendations.
Author(s): Natalie Lawson, Jaque King, Robyn Rontal
Date: 08/2022
Type: Document
Sponsoring organization: Center for Health and Research Transformation at the University of Michigan (CHRT)
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Telehealth Brings Important Services to Rural Long-Term Care Facilities
Discusses the benefits of telehealth services for residents and staff of rural long-term care facilities. Identifies some of the challenges related to providing these services. Features a New Hampshire skilled nursing facility providing telemental health services, and a Virginia geriatrician helping long-term care facilities address COVID-19 via Project ECHO educational sessions.
Author(s): Allee Mead
Citation: Rural Monitor
Date: 08/2022
Type: Document
Sponsoring organization: Rural Health Information Hub
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Adoption of Telemedicine in a Rural US Cancer Center Amid the COVID-19 Pandemic: Qualitative Study
Describes the implementation of telemedicine in outpatient oncology clinics affiliated with the Dartmouth Cancer Center that serve rural patients. Discusses findings from interviews with staff, specialty providers, and practice managers, noting challenges to implementation, the need for guidance, and concerns about communication quality.
Author(s): Matthew Mackwood, Rebecca Butcher, Danielle Vaclavik, et al.
Citation: JMIR Cancer, 8(3), e33768
Date: 08/2022
Type: Document
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