Arizona Telemedicine Program

Join us to explore innovative strategies for enhancing telebehavioral health services. Discover creative solutions in the Southwest that bridge the gap between individuals and the care they need. We’ll cover tech, community partnerships, virtual prescribing, and more. Don't miss out!
Registration link: https://telemedicine.arizona.edu/event/webinar/2024-06-12-bridging-gap-innovations-telebehavioral-health-access

May is Mental Health Month, a reminder to prioritize our emotional well-being and support those in need. HRSA's Office for the Advancement of Telehealth offers valuable resources on how telemedicine can enhance behavioral health care.
https://telehealth.hhs.gov/patients/additional-resources/telehealth-and-behavioral-health?utm_campaign=OATannouncements20240514&utm_medium=email&utm_source=govdelivery
https://telehealth.hhs.gov/community-stories/using-telehealth-connect-kids-mental-health-care?utm_campaign=OATannouncements20240514&utm_medium=email&utm_source=govdelivery
https://telehealth.hhs.gov/licensure/licensure-for-behavioral-health?utm_campaign=OATannouncements20240514&utm_medium=email&utm_source=govdelivery

🏥 Participate in our 2024 survey and tell us about the telehealth technologies you're leveraging. Your input will help dive into the technology trends that matter most. https://buff.ly/4a28wpB

The Arizona Telemedicine Program will be attending this conference. Registration information is below. See you there!

Registration is open for the Northwest Regional Telehealth Resource Center Conference in Seattle next month! This year's theme is "The Next Generation of Telehealth: From Reactionary to Visionary." Learn more: https://nrtrc.org/conference/sponsorships.shtml

This virtual event promises to be an enlightening experience for all those passionate about advancing telehealth.
Featuring esteemed speakers and thought leaders, this meeting will explore topics such as:
🔹 American Indian Health – Area Health Education Center Program
🔹 Closing Care Gaps Through Telehealth Policy
🔹 Continuity and Collaborative Care at Desert Senita Community Health Center
🔹 Innovations in Pediatric Telehealth at Phoenix Children’s Hospital

Don't miss out on this opportunity to connect with industry experts, gain valuable insights, and contribute to the future of telemedicine in our state.

There's still time to register for our upcoming webinar on bee stings & treatments in Arizona!

This informative session will delve into the world of apiology. Experts will discuss bee-related emergencies, common clinical presentations, and treatment strategies for large-scale bee attacks.

March 20, 2024, 12 p.m. Register today! CME available.
https://buff.ly/49RLHEX

Don't forget to register:

Telemedicine in 2024: What You Need to Know!

State Telehealth Policy Landscape: 2024 Developments with Quinn Shean, strategic policy advisor to the American Telemedicine Association, with our own Tara Sklar, Arizona Telemedicine Program's associate director of telehealth law and policy, and faculty director of health at University of Arizona Law
Join us for this FREE webinar on March 19th,12 p.m. PST, as we delve into the current state of telemedicine legislation across the U.S.

Learn about:

• Latest trends impacting telemedicine practice
• Policy updates on payment, licensure, and controlled substances
• Challenges and opportunities surrounding interstate care
• Impact of data privacy and AI on telemedicine

Don't miss this informative session! Register now and stay informed on the future of telemedicine. https://buff.ly/3wxpldz

Elizabeth Krupinski, Ph.D., director of the Southwest Telehealth Resource Center and associate director of evaluation for the Arizona Program, contributed this week's blog on AI's impact on healthcare and telemedicine:
"... there is a growing concern about de-skilling, where the use of tools can lead to a reduction in valuable skills among healthcare providers. We need to address these challenges before AI can be fully integrated into healthcare practice. It is a journey, and we are already well down the AI highway with some clear advantages and benefits being realized."

AI's impact on healthcare and telemedicine | Southwest Telehealth Resource Center There are additional potential challenges of using artificial intelligence (AI) in healthcare, particularly in telemedicine. The "black box" nature of AI, where the system's decision-making process is opaque, can make it difficult for healthcare professionals to act on the information it provides. T...

Have you registered for ATA Nexus 2024, the American Telemedicine Association’s annual conference? Be part of the industry’s most informative and essential virtual care event. We look forward to seeing you there!

https://buff.ly/3SCmpoF

Funding alert!

The US Department of Agriculture's Rural Utilities Service is accepting applications under the Distance Learning and Telemedicine (DLT) grant program for fiscal year (FY) 2024, subject to the availability of funding. Based on FY 2023 appropriated funding, RUS estimates that approximately $60 million will be available for FY 2024.

All applicants are responsible for any expenses incurred in developing their applications. Applications must be submitted through buff.ly/2E8nFqg and received no later than April 29, 2024 to be eligible.

RUS encourages applicants to consider projects that will advance the following key priorities:
*Assisting rural communities recover economically through more and better market opportunities and through improved infrastructure.
*Ensuring all rural residents have equitable access to USDA programs and benefits from USDA-funded projects; and
*Reducing climate pollution and increasing resilience to the impacts of climate change through economic support to rural communities.

https://buff.ly/42Zn1bn

Buzzing with Excitement! Join our upcoming webinar on bee stings & treatments in Arizona!

This informative session will delve into the world of apiology, covering the epidemiology of bee-related emergencies, common clinical presentations, and treatment strategies for large-scale bee attacks.

March 20, 2024, 12 p.m. Register today! CME available.
https://buff.ly/49RLHEX

Telemedicine in 2024: What You Need to Know!

State Telehealth Policy Landscape: 2024 Developments with Quinn Shean, strategic policy advisor to the American Telemedicine Association, with our own Tara Sklar, Arizona Telemedicine Program's associate director of telehealth law and policy, and faculty director of health at University of Arizona Law
Join us for this FREE webinar on March 19th,12 p.m. PST, as we delve into the current state of telemedicine legislation across the U.S.

Learn about:

• Latest trends impacting telemedicine practice
• Policy updates on payment, licensure, and controlled substances
• Challenges and opportunities surrounding interstate care
• Impact of data privacy and AI on telemedicine

Don't miss this informative session! Register now and stay informed on the future of telemedicine. https://buff.ly/3wxpldz

We look forward to seeing you at the Tribal Health Literacy Summit, March 12-14, at the Desert Willow Conference Center in Phoenix!

This event brings together tribal leaders, healthcare professionals, policymakers, educators, and community advocates to address the challenges posed by pandemics and promote health literacy in Indian Country. It is designed to tackle critical issues related to health literacy, chronic disease management, social determinants of health, health screening, prevention, and the foundations of health literacy within tribal communities.

There's still time to register: https://buff.ly/3IdD1gD

Join us on April 17, 2024,11 a.m. MST for the quarterly Arizona Telemedicine Council meeting. Virtually catch up with colleagues throughout the state and telemedicine projects unique to the communities of Arizona.

https://buff.ly/49f9peH

🎉 The Department of Health and Human Services has just approved New Mexico’s request to expand access to critical behavioral health services through mobile crisis intervention teams! 🚑 This approval means that New Mexicans experiencing a mental health or substance use crisis can now connect with behavioral health providers 24/7, 365 days a year. 💪
https://buff.ly/48hb3ei

Learn about the federal Affordable Connectivity Program, a federal benefit that makes internet service affordable to low-income households. Over one in six Arizonans currently participate.
However, the ACP may end this Spring if Congress does not provide additional funds disrupting the connectivity many need for work, school, healthcare, and more.

The virtual panel, The Affordable Connectivity Program—Everything You Need to Know, is Feb. 27, 2024, 10-11 a.m. MST.

Panelists include Drew Garner, director of policy engagement at the Benton Institute for Broadband & Society; Nubia Estrada, program administrator with Chicanos Por La Causa; and Maggie Farry, intergovernmental affairs director with the Office of the Arizona Governor Katie Hobbs.

Register here:
https://buff.ly/3T40bMF

Arizona

The Health Resources and Services Administration released a new Notice of Funding Opportunity to support innovative multi-state collaborations that will enable licensed health care professionals to provide physical health and behavioral health services through telehealth technology across states. HRSA will award approximately $500,000 to up to four grantees each year over a period of five years. The application is due April 8, 2024. Join the technical assistance webinar on Feb. 21, 3 p.m. EST to learn about this funding opportunity.

https://buff.ly/3UM0KvH

Arizona Community Health Workers Association offers virtual continuing education for all CHWs/CHRs/Promotoras(es) in Spanish and English. Check out their next program on Feb. 20th, 2024, 10-11:30 a.m., Taming the (Pathological) Anxiety Monster: Tools for Inner Calm with informative training on anxiety and strategies to deal with it.

Registration is required to attend.
https://buff.ly/42zFIlM

Get ready for our next webinar in the series "Envenomations, intoxications and bites in the Southwest. More common than you think! What To Do," on Feb 21, 2024 12 p.m. MST. CME available.
Join presenters Geoffrey Smelski, clinical education director at the Arizona Poison and Drug Information Center; and Norman Beatty, assistant professor, internist, with the Division of Infectious Diseases and Global Medicine at the University of Florida College of Medicine; with facilitator Larry York, clinical pharmacist at Infectious Diseases and HIV/ AIDS, at the University of Arizona College of Medicine.
Outcome objectives:
• Describe the epidemiology of the presented venoms.
• List three clinical presentations of venomous snake bites.
• Describe two most important steps residents and healthcare professionals can do to prevent/lessen injuries from snake bites.

https://buff.ly/3SSUG3f

Center for Telehealth and e-Health Law intern Danny McDermott from University of Arizona Law contributed the latest post on the HHS SAMHSA final rule making PHE opioid-related telehealth flexibilities permanent.

"More specifically, the rule will permanently allow OTP physicians to initiate buprenorphine treatment for patients if they, or an authorized healthcare professional under an OTP physician’s supervision, determine that an adequate evaluation can be accomplished using audio-only or audio-visual telehealth technology."



https://buff.ly/3OLENZN

Keeping you up to date on telehealth payment restrictions for Medicare and private payers has always been a priority. Check out the latest updates on our Billing and Resource page.

https://buff.ly/4bB0VzY

Our February roundup is out. Dig into these and telehealth-related headlines!
https://buff.ly/3UvyYn9

Don't forget to register for tomorrow's webinar, Prescribing in Telemedicine: Charting the Course Beyond the PHE Era on Feb 13, 12 PM MST with Dr. Beju Shah, who has over 25 years in both healthcare and technology as both a pharmacy automation expert and a thought leader.

Webinar moderated by our own Tara Sklar, faculty director of health law at the University of Arizona College of Law, and associate director of telehealth law and policy at the Arizona Telemedicine Program and Southwest Telehealth Resource Center.

Join us to learn about the current state of prescribing medications in telemedicine, identify emerging trends and technologies, and discuss potential opportunities and challenges for practice. CME available.

• Understand the current landscape of prescribing medications in telemedicine, including relevant regulations and guidelines.
• Identify emerging technologies and trends in telemedicine that are influencing the prescription and management of medications.
• Discuss potential opportunities and challenges in prescribing medications via telemedicine, including patient safety, privacy and security, and the role of the healthcare provider.

https://buff.ly/49dSrfY

Get ready to be inspired at ! This event is a must-attend for anyone interested in protecting and advancing telehealth. Register to be part of the future of healthcare. 🌐 https://buff.ly/3Oq2aYS

Our latest newsletter looks at health equity in telehealth and health equity resources!
Our report also takes a look at the recent National Governors Association’s brief, "Leading State Approaches and Communication Strategies to Support Health Equity,” that examines health disparities and innovative health equity strategies across the country.

https://buff.ly/3Szspx0

Our webinar series continues with Prescribing in Telemedicine: Charting the Course Beyond the PHE Era on Feb 13, 12 PM MST with Dr. Beju Shah, who has over 25 years in both healthcare and technology as both a pharmacy automation expert and a thought leader.

Webinar moderated by our own Tara Sklar, faculty director of health law at the University of Arizona College of Law, and associate director of telehealth law and policy at the Arizona Telemedicine Program and Southwest Telehealth Resource Center.

Join us to learn about the current state of prescribing medications in telemedicine, identify emerging trends and technologies, and discuss potential opportunities and challenges for practice. CME available.

• Understand the current landscape of prescribing medications in telemedicine, including relevant regulations and guidelines.
• Identify emerging technologies and trends in telemedicine that are influencing the prescription and management of medications.
• Discuss potential opportunities and challenges in prescribing medications via telemedicine, including patient safety, privacy and security, and the role of the healthcare provider.

https://buff.ly/49dSrfY

The Department of Health and Human Services will publish a final rule on Feb 2 that significantly expands access to medications for opioid use disorder including allowing treatment initiation through .
https://buff.ly/3uto4n4

2024 billing and updates with Carol Yarbrough:
"There is some good news, Yarbrough explained, pointing out the extension of COVID-19 public health emergency (PHE) telehealth flexibilities that pushes the 'telehealth cliff' back an additional year, extending most of the flexibilities through the end of 2024."
https://buff.ly/4bl8v1l

Join us for the webinar Prescribing in Telemedicine: Charting the Course Beyond the PHE Era, Tuesday, Feb. 13, 12 p.m. MST, with Dr. Beju Shah, senior telemedicine success manager at doxy.me, and facilitated by our own Tara Sklar, associate director of telehealth law & policy with the Arizona Telemedicine Program, and faculty director of health law at the University of Arizona College of Law. CME available.

• Understand the current landscape of prescribing medications in telemedicine, including relevant regulations and guidelines.
• Identify emerging technologies and trends in telemedicine that are influencing the prescription and management of medications.
• Discuss potential opportunities and challenges in prescribing medications via telemedicine, including patient safety, privacy and security, and the role of the healthcare provider.

Register today! https://buff.ly/49dSrfY

Arizona Telemedicine Program and Southwest Telehealth Resource Center colleagues and friends, gathered last Friday to wish Janet Major, our longtime associate director for innovation and digital health, a joyful retirement.

Major is credited for creating lasting and meaningful partnerships. Her enthusiasm for telehealth, health equity, digital literacy, and broadband infrastructure was felt in many meetings, forums, and communities across Arizona and our region. Please help us wish Janet the best in her next adventure!