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Telehealth and Health Information Technology in Rural Healthcare – Resources

Selected recent or important resources focusing on Telehealth and Health Information Technology in Rural Healthcare.

Updated Analysis: Using Population-Based Outcome Measures to Assess the Impact of Telehealth Expansion on Medicare Beneficiaries' Access to Care and Quality of Care
Explores the association between telehealth use, quality of care, and access to care when both telehealth and in-person visits are available to fee-for-service (FFS) Medicare beneficiaries. Compares data from the second half of 2018 and 2019 to the second half of 2022 by the level of telehealth utilization in Hospital Service Areas (HSAs). Describes the effects of telehealth for urban and rural beneficiaries and differentiates between telehealth utilization for behavioral and non-behavioral health services. Updates a June 2023 report that analyzed data from 2021.
Author(s): Tanvi Rao, Angshuman Gooptu, Karin Johnson, Guido Cataife, Steven Susana-Castillo
Date: 06/2024
Type: Document
Sponsoring organizations: American Institutes for Research, Medicare Payment Advisory Commission
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The Evolution of Health System Planning and Implementation of Maternal Telehealth Services During the COVID-19 Pandemic
Analyzes the impact of telehealth to provide maternal healthcare services during the COVID-19 pandemic. Utilizes interview feedback from 15 health system leaders to discuss issues such as telehealth reimbursement, research, access, barriers, and integration. Includes commentary on telehealth use in rural areas.
Author(s): Monisa Aijaz, Burcu Bozkurt, Arrianna Marie Planey, et al.
Citation: Digital Health, 10
Date: 06/2024
Type: Document
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Understanding Rural-Urban Differences in Veterans' Internet Access, Use and Patient Preferences for Telemedicine
Analyzes disparities among rural and urban veterans regarding telemedicine. Utilizes March 2022 survey data from 350 veterans about issues related to telemedicine use, including internet access, connection speeds, internet-connected devices, and use and perception of telemedicine.
Author(s): Amy M. J. O'Shea, Mikayla Gibson, James Merchant, et al.
Citation: Journal of Rural Health, 40(3), 438-445
Date: 06/2024
Type: Document
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Creating Access to Care in Rural America
Recording of a May 2024 webinar describing how CAMC Greenbrier Valley Medical Center utilized telemedicine hubs to ensure access to care in rural West Virginia communities. Discusses lessons learned, development of the program, and future plans. Features a panel discussion with telehealth, geriatric care, and rural health experts on improving healthcare delivery in rural areas. Transcript available in the video description.
Date: 05/2024
Type: Video/Multimedia
Sponsoring organization: Center of Excellence for Telehealth and Aging
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Pandemic-Era Trends in Telehealth Use among Americans with Private Health Insurance
Brief analyzing telehealth use between 2019 and 2021 for people younger than 65 with private health insurance. Discusses the impact of COVID-19 on telehealth use. Analyzes data by various factors such as age, rurality, access, broadband availability, and more. Discusses policy implications related to broadband access, mental healthcare provider shortages, costs, access, and equity. Includes both nationwide and state-by-state rural and urban comparisons.
Author(s): Beth Carter, Olivia Dean, Alex Hartzman, Luis Arzaluz, Aiden Wynia
Date: 05/2024
Type: Document
Sponsoring organization: AARP Public Policy Institute
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Interoperable Exchange of Patient Health Information Among U.S. Hospitals: 2023
Presents data on the degree to which hospitals engage in the four domains of interoperable exchange - send, receive, find, and integrate - as of 2023 and describes trends between 2018 and 2023. Analyzes the frequency that non-federal acute care hospitals engaged in interoperable exchange by hospital characteristics, including hospital size, system affiliation status, rural or urban location, and Critical Access Hospital (CAH) designation. Describes hospitals' ability to exchange electronic health information with other providers across the care continuum and how clinicians use this information about the point of care.
Author(s): Meghan Hufstader Gabriel, Chelsea Richwine, Catherine Strawley, Wesley Barker, Jordan Everson
Date: 05/2024
Type: Document
Sponsoring organization: Assistant Secretary for Technology Policy/Office of the National Coordinator for Health Information Technology
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Trends and Disparities in Pandemic Telehealth Use among People with Disabilities
Examines the use of telehealth services by Medicare beneficiaries with disabilities by analyzing data from the Medicare Telehealth Trends Dashboard; the 2021 Medicare Current Beneficiary Survey (MCBS) and MCBS Winter 2021 Supplement; and the Census Bureau's Household Pulse Survey data from July 21, 2021, to August 8, 2022. Presents data on patterns of telehealth utilization by Medicare beneficiaries with disabilities by type of Medicare eligibility and number and type of disabilities, modes of telehealth used by the number and type of disabilities, and the availability of different modes of telehealth and access to video-enabled services. Exhibit 8 compares telehealth utilization trends among Medicare fee-for-service beneficiaries between 2019 and 2021 by Medicare eligibility and rural and urban status.
Author(s): Madjid Karimi, Lok Wong Samson, Sara J. Couture, et al.
Date: 05/2024
Type: Document
Sponsoring organization: HHS Office of the Assistant Secretary for Planning and Evaluation
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Telehealth Policies and Federally Qualified Health Centers, Spring 2024
Provides an overview of telehealth policies for Federally Qualified Health Centers (FQHCs). Covers originating and distance sites, reimbursement, services outside the four walls of the FQHC, and more. Includes a chart of FQHC Medicaid telehealth reimbursement eligibility policies by state.
Date: 05/2024
Type: Document
Sponsoring organization: Center for Connected Health Policy: The National Telehealth Policy Resource Center
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The Future of Broadband Affordability
Presents a recording of a May 2, 2024, hearing before the U.S. Senate Committee on Commerce, Science, and Transportation Subcommittee on Communications, Media, and Broadband. Describes federal approaches to increase broadband access and affordability. Discusses the state of broadband affordability programs, the impact of a potential lapse or end of the Affordable Connectivity Program (ACP), and strategies to address shortfalls in broadband affordability programs.
Additional links: Blair Levin, New Street Research - Testimony, Jennifer Case Nevarez, Community Learning Network - Testimony, Kathryn de Wit, Pew Charitable Trusts - Testimony
Date: 05/2024
Type: Video/Multimedia
Sponsoring organization: Senate Committee on Commerce, Science, and Transportation
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Telephone-Based Guideline-Directed Medical Therapy Optimization in Navajo Nation: The Hózhó Randomized Clinical Trial
Explores whether a guideline-directed medical therapy (GDMT) is initiated and titrated through telehealth improves GDMT use among patients with heart failure with reduced ejection fraction in Navajo Nation. Summarizes results of a stepped-wedge, pragmatic comparative effectiveness trial conducted from February to August 2023 at two Indian Health Service facilities in rural Navajo Nation. Discusses the importance of community-designed and locally-tailored strategies to improve GDMT rates.
Author(s): Lauren A. Eberly, Ada Tennison, Daniel Mays, et al.
Citation: JAMA Internal Medicine, 184(6), 681-690
Date: 04/2024
Type: Document
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Last Updated: 9/18/2024