Category: HRSA

Mobilizing Health Care Workforce via Telehealth

October 26, 2023

Mobilizing Health Care Workforce via Telehealth

ProviderBridge.org was created through the CARES Act by the Federation of State Medical Boards and HRSA’s Office for the Advancement of Telehealth. The site provides up-to-date information on emergency regulation and licensing by state as well as a provider portal to connect volunteer health care professionals to state agencies and health care entities.

Provider Bridge facilitates mobilizing verified health care providers to health care entities and communities where they are needed most.

  • Healthcare Professionals – get your verified digital licensure passport
  • Healthcare Entities – Find verified health care providers
  • Verify credentials
  • Up-to-the-minute verification and critical emergency resources
  • Learn the latest about ongoing national, state, and local Public Health Emergencies and gain access to crucial tools that help deliver necessary care when and where it matters most

Learn more about Provider Bridge

Additional Resources

HHS/DoD National Emergency Tele-Critical Care Network

October 26, 2023

HHS/DoD National Emergency Tele-Critical Care Network

A joint program of the U.S. Department of Health & Human Services (HHS) and the U.S. Department of Defense (DOD) is available at no cost to hospitals caring for COVID-19 patients. Teams of critical care clinicians – critical care physicians, nurses, respiratory therapists, and other specialized clinical experts – are available to deliver virtual care through telemedicine platforms, such as an app on a mobile device. Hear from participating clinicians, and email to learn more and sign up.

Patient and Provider Featured Telehealth Resources

October 17, 2023

Patient and Provider Featured Telehealth Resources

Want to learn more about telehealth? Need resources to guide your organization towards telehealth? Telehealth.HHS.gov shares trusted telehealth resources for patients and providers.

Resources for Providers Include:

  • Getting started with telehealth
    • How to evaluate telehealth vendors and begin offering care through telemedicine
  • Planning your telehealth workflow
    • How to set up and manage a workflow for virtual visits
  • Health equity in telehealth
    • How health care providers can improve access to telehealth for all populations
  • Preparing patients for telehealth
    • From scheduling to privacy, learn how to prepare your patients for virtual appointments to ensure their comfort and high quality care
  • Telehealth policy
    • Telehealth policy resources for health care providers and organizations
  • Billing for telehealth
    • Reimbursements for telehealth continue to evolve. Find resources on billing and reimbursement for Medicare, Medicaid, and private insurers
  • Licensure
    • Telehealth licensure requirements vary at the federal, state, and cross-state levels for health care providers
  • Legal considerations
    • Read about the legal considerations for providing care through telehealth, including information on privacy and security, informed consent, and liability and malpractice
  • Best practice guides
    • Learn how to incorporate telehealth into your practice. Get resources and tips focused on different specialties and delivery models including telebehavioral health, telehealth for direct-to-consumer care, and telehealth for emergency departments.

Resources for Patients Include:

Prescribing Controlled Medications via Telehealth

October 17, 2023

Prescribing Controlled Medications via Telehealth

The Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA), jointly with the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS), has extended the full set of telemedicine flexibilities regarding the prescribing of controlled medications as were in place during the COVID-19 public health emergency (PHE), through December 31, 2024.

Authorized providers are able to prescribe controlled substances via telehealth if they meet certain criteria.

Telemedicine flexibilities regarding prescription of controlled medications as were in place during the COVID-19 public health emergency include:

  • A practitioner can prescribe a controlled substance to a patient using telemedicine, even if the patient isn’t at a hospital or clinic registered with the DEA.
  • Qualifying practitioners can prescribe buprenorphine to new and existing patients with opioid use disorder based on a telephone evaluation.

For more information, see:

Prescribing Controlled Substances via Telehealth

Second Temporary Extension of COVID-19 Telemedicine Flexibilities for Prescription of Controlled Medications – from the Federal Register

Interstate licensure resources for health care providers, states, and health care organizations

Telehealth Policy Updates

Free Training: Treatment of Opioid Use Disorder in Primary Care

October 17, 2023

Free Training: Treatment of Opioid Use Disorder in Primary Care

Nine modules on topics that include pregnancy care for patients with substance use disorder and the increasing rates of Hepatitis C are provided by the University of Rochester Recovery Center of Excellence, one of three FORHP-supported Rural Centers of Excellence on Substance Use Disorders.

These educational modules are available at no cost and carry continuing education credits.

To register, please click on the module title, in the list below:

 

COPD in Rural Communities: A Learn More Breathe Better® Webinar

October 17, 2023

COPD in Rural Communities: A Learn More Breathe Better® Webinar

Ahead of National COPD Awareness Month in November, HRSA’s Federal Office of Rural Health Policy will join the National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute’s Learn More Breathe Better® program and guest speakers to discuss this chronic lung disease and its impact in rural areas.

In this webinar, the Learn More Breathe Better® program will highlight resources you can use during National COPD Awareness Month in November and beyond. Guest presenters will speak about the impact of COPD on rural populations and how their programs address this disparity.

Guest speakers include:

  • Kristen Dillon, MD, FAAFP, Health Resources and Services Administration (HRSA), Federal Office of Rural Health Policy (FORHP)
  • Sally T. Buck, MS, FACHE, National Rural Health Resource Center (NRHRC)
  • Hilary Payne, MPH, Appalachian Pulmonary Health Project

For educational resources, visit Learn More Breathe Better’s National COPD Awareness Month page.

Register to learn about efforts to address health disparities and improve the lives of those with COPD in rural communities.

When: Wednesday, October 18, 2:00 p.m. ET

Register Here

If you have any questions about the webinar or registration, please email Greta Gorman at greta.gorman@nih.gov.

Funding Opportunity – Early Hearing Detection and Intervention State/Territory Program – HRSA-24-036

October 17, 2023

Funding Opportunity – Early Hearing Detection and Intervention State/Territory Program – HRSA-24-036

This notice announces the opportunity to apply for funding under the Early Hearing Detection and Intervention (EHDI) State/Territory Program. The purpose of this program is to enhance the state/territory EHDI system infrastructure to improve language acquisition for deaf and hard-of-hearing (DHH) children up to age 3. Funding will support state and territory EHDI systems of services so that DHH newborns, infants, and young children up to age 3 receive appropriate and timely services, including hearing screening, diagnosis, and early intervention (EI).

Who Can Apply?

  • Any state
  • District of Columbia
  • Commonwealth of Puerto Rico
  • Northern Mariana Islands
  • Guam
  • American Samoa
  • S. Virgin Islands
  • Micronesia
  • Republic of the Marshall Islands
  • Republic of Palau

In addition, you can apply if your organization is in the United States and is:

  • Public or private, non-profit
  • Community-based
  • Tribal (governments, organizations, as those terms are defined at 25 U.S.C. § 450b)
    • Native American tribal governments (federally recognized) are eligible
    • Native American tribal organizations (other than federally recognized tribal governments) are eligible.

Watch the August 23, 2023 technical assistance webinar for more information

Get answers to Frequently Asked Questions for this funding

Applications are Due November 6, 2023

Apply Here

2023 National Telehealth Conference – Recorded Sessions Now Available

October 17, 2023

2023 National Telehealth Conference – Recorded Sessions Now Available

The Health Resources and Services Administration (HRSA) has released the recorded sessions from the September 2023 National Telehealth Conference.

Watch individual sessions from the 2023 National Telehealth Conference:

State of the Healthcare Industry: Market Updates for Rural Strategy

October 17, 2023

State of the Healthcare Industry: Markey Updates for Rural Strategy

The National Organization for State Offices of Rural Health (NOSORH), in partnership with Stroudwater Associates, invites you to participate in a series of quarterly market updates for rural healthcare stakeholders to stay current on the changes in the healthcare marketplace in order to strategize responses to ensure vital services for rural communities.

By the end of these sessions, participants will be able to:

  • Understand new regulations and laws that have occurred during the last 90 days
  • Describe the current market dynamics of the healthcare industry
  • Evaluate the effects of these trends on rural providers
  • Apply this understanding to their own organization

Who should attend?

  • Rural hospitals
  • Primary care practices
  • Non-profit organizations
  • Rural philanthropy organizations
  • Policymakers, government agencies and other rural health stakeholders

When:

Monday, October 30, 3:00 p.m. ET

Register Here

Rural Health Clinics Still Have the Opportunity to Apply

October 16, 2023

Rural Health Clinics Still Have the Opportunity to Apply

As announced by the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA) in January 2023, clinicians no longer need a federal waiver to prescribe buprenorphine for treatment of opioid use disorder. Clinicians will still be required to register with the federal Drug Enforcement Agency (DEA) to prescribe controlled medications. On June 27, the DEA began to require that registration applicants – both new and renewing – affirm they have completed a new, one-time, eight-hour training. Exceptions for the new training requi8rement are practitioners who are board certified in addiction medicine or addiction psychiatry, and those who graduated from a medical, dental, physician assistant, or advanced practice nursing school in the U.S. within five years of June 27, 2023.

Rural Health Clinics (RHCs) still have the opportunity to apply for a $3,000 payment on behalf of EACH provider who trained between January 1, 2019 and December 29, 2022 (when Congress eliminated the waiver requirement). Approximately $889,000 in program funding remains available for RHCs and will be paid on a first-come, first-served basis until the funds are exhausted.

How to Apply

  • RHCs will need a System for Award Management (SAM) account in order to apply
    • For information on how to create a SAM account, visit gov
    • For help on setting up a SAM account, you can watch this helpful video
  • RHCs will also need a HRSA Electronic Handbooks (EHBs) account in order to apply
  • Apply through HRSA EHBs

Watch this 11-minute video that explains the changes.

Please send questions to DATA2000WaiverPayments@hrsa.gov.