New Mexico Telehealth Alliance TELEHEALTH RESOURCES | COMMUNITY | PROGRAM SUPPORT Connecting New Mexicans to Better Health. The New Mexico Telehealth Alliance (NMTHA) is a tax-exempt 501(c)(3) non-profit corporation dedicated to promoting telehealth solutions that deliver quality healthcare throughout the State. The NMTHA is a network of members representing a broad spectrum of public and private healthcare organizations. The NMTHA provides program support enabling members to eff ectively share resources. Board members and officers are all volunteers. Vision: Through the efforts of the NMTHA’s work on policy, quality, and equitable access to telehealth services, New Mexicans will be able to get the care they need when they need it. Mission: Advance effective use, equitable access, and sustainable telehealth service delivery in New Mexico. About Innovating Remote Access to Care Bridging Health Equity Gaps / Disparities AI + Digital Innovation Medicare Telehealth HCA/Turquoise Care Vision & Strategies View Presentations Why does New Mexico need a Telehealth Alliance? Click HERE to learn more... Be part of the solution! Join the Ne w Mexico Telehe alth Alliance Telehealth and telemedicine are no longer an innovative approach to healthcare - they are a necessary part of it. More than ever, access to quality healthcare, especially in New Mexico, is fundamental to the well-being of many communities, especially in rural and territorial areas. Supporting the New Mexico Telehealth Alliance through membership helps ensure access to meaningful information and supports the viability of telehealth services in New Mexico. Membership matters! Benefits of Membership Stay Connected! Stay connected with the NMTHA community by signing up to receive updates and notifications on industry trends, the latest telehealth news, events, and more. Thanks for connecting with NMTHA! Submit

What You Need to Know About the Telehealth Extension and Evaluation Act Dr. Maheu February 24, 2022 The Telehealth Extension and Evaluation Act was introduced on February 7, 2022, to ensure a continuation of public access to telehealth after the end of a public health emergency. If passed, it will allow time to gather data concerning virtual care utilization and prevent a sudden drop-off in access to care, also known as the telehealth cliff. What is the Telehealth Extension and Evaluation Act? The Telehealth Extension and Evaluation Act establishes a two-year extension for certain coronavirus-related telehealth waivers. It will extend geographic and site restrictions waivers and allow Medicare beneficiaries to access telehealth from various locations. It also provides flexibility for prescribing drugs via telehealth and extends flexible Medicare payment plans for Rural Health Centers (RHCs), Federally Qualified Health Centers (FQHCs), and Critical Access Hospitals (CAHs). The bill follows an advocacy letter signed by 336 organizations, co-led by the American Telemedicine Association (ATA) and others, urging Congressional leaders to continue the current telehealth waivers and pass permanent, evidence-based telehealth legislation for implementation in 2024. Key Takeaways for the Telehealth Industry The telehealth industry should be aware of the critical points of the Telehealth Extension and Evaluation Act. Extension of Medicare Payment for Telehealth Services. The CARES ACT allowed the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) to waive specific Medicare coverage and payment limitations, allowing Medicare beneficiaries to receive telehealth care at home. If the Telehealth Extension and Evaluation passes, it will extend certain telehealth coverage waivers on originating site and geographic location limitations, expand the list of telehealth providers, and increase the availability of audio-only telehealth services to Medicare beneficiaries for two years after the public health emergency ends. Telemedicine Drug Prescribing. The Ryan Haight Act prohibits the prescribing of medicine without an in-person visit. Federal law allowed DEA registered practitioners to prescribe to patients without in-person visits during the pandemic. See TBHI’s previous article Telehealth Opioids, and Ryan Haight Act Update, for more information. The proposed legislation would extend this flexibility two years after the public health emergency. Extension of FQHCs and RHCs. Before the pandemic, Federally Qualified Health Centers (FQHCs) and Rural Health Clinics (RHCs) could only provide telehealth services to patients near their locations. The CARES Act allowed these facilities to provide care to patients in distant areas, a practice the legislation would continue for two years after the public health emergency expires. Extension for CAHs. The 2020 Hospitals Without Walls program allowed hospitals to provide telehealth care during a public health emergency. The proposed legislation would add Critical Access Hospitals (CAHs) as distant site providers of telehealth services to continue offering off-site care. Restrictions for Certain DMEs and Lab Tests. The legislation would require an ordering physician to conduct an in-person examination of a patient no more than 12 months before ordering specific high-cost lab tests and Durable Medical Equipment (DME) products via telehealth. It would also instruct Medicare Administrative Contractors to audit practitioners and clinicians who do 90% or more of their orders of DME and lab tests via telehealth. This would continue for two years after the health emergency ends. It is meant to reduce instances of fraud and abuse. NPI Number for Telehealth Billing. Healthcare providers need a national provider identifier (NPI) number to bill Medicare directly. Under certain conditions, Medicare pays for services billed by physicians but performed by non-physician staff acting under the physician’s supervision. This practice is known as “incident to” billing. The proposed legislation requires all practitioners to obtain an NPI number to receive Medicare payment for telehealth services two years after the public health emergency. Your Advocacy Is Needed The pandemic has caused an increased reliance on the telehealth industry. If passed, the Telehealth Extension and Evaluation Act will ensure that patients can continue to access the virtual care they need. Contact your elected officials at the federal level to ask them to support this crucial bill. https://telehealth.org/what-you-need-to-know-about-the-telehealth-extension-and-evaluation-act/?smclient=f760e669-8538-11ec-83c8-18cf24ce389f&smconv=5bc4c379-a4c1-484f-a411-33ec93777504&smlid=9&utm_source=salesmanago&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=default < Previous News Next News >

Memorial Hermann to provide school-based pediatric telehealth Naomi Diaz October 18, 2022 Houston-based Children's Memorial Hermann has partnered with telehealth company Hazel Health to provide outpatient pediatric care to K-12 students in Houston. Under the partnership, schools that have agreements with Hazel will be able to offer their students access to health services via virtual telehealth sessions, according to an Oct. 17 press release. Children's Memorial Hermann pediatricians or specialists will connect with the students through the program for follow-up or long-term care management. The aim of the partnership is to increase access to pediatric care in schools across 12 counties in southeast Texas. See original article: https://www.beckershospitalreview.com/telehealth/memorial-hermann-to-provide-school-based-pediatric-telehealth.html < Previous News Next News >