The Telehealth Technical Assistance Center is supported by a grant from the Charles R. Wood Foundation. The intention of the grant is to expand telehealth capacity in the region to improve care, support patients post-discharge, and serve the needs of community members. The initiative, whose goal is to connect multi-sector collaborators through telehealth, covers Clinton, Essex, Franklin, Fulton, Hamilton, Saratoga, St. Lawrence, Warren, and Washington counties
Click here to access telehealth resources related to the COVID-19 pandemic, including state and federal guidance, waivers, best practices, billing and coding, and reimbursement documents.
A collaborative effort between Fort Drum Regional Health Planning Organization and Adirondack Health Institute, the North Country Telehealth Partnership is a unified effort to plan and implement telemedicine throughout an 11-county North Country region and is northern New York’s leading agency focused on increasing access to health care through the use of telehealth. Click here for more information.
Healthcare provider survey link– https://www.surveymonkey.com/r/NCDIC2
Community member survey link– https://www.surveymonkey.com/r/NCDIC
Rural regions can face many challenges in delivering health care, including barriers to patient travel and provider access.
Telehealth and telemedicine are the delivery of clinical health care services through real-time video transmission to provide greater access to specialty and primary care, or remote patient monitoring in the home.
AHI supports telehealth and telemedicine throughout our nine-county North Country region by serving as a resource, helping partners to assess their needs and readiness, connecting organizations to specialists, providing insight on equipment and vendors, helping navigate through regulatory and reimbursement questions, organizing educational opportunities, and sharing grant information.
COVID-19 (Coronavirus) Resource Documents
In the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic and the number of changes happening by the hour, the AHI Telehealth team has made available the following telehealth-related resource documents for the benefit of regional organizations. Information is available on the multiple state waivers that have been released, Medicare waivers, commercial plan updates, telehealth software resources, upcoming webinars, and other agency resource guides related to this topic.
AHI Created Telehealth Resources
- The Affordable Connectivity Program (ACP) is a Federal Communications Commission (FCC) program that helps low-income households pay for Internet service and connected devices.
- AHI COVID-19 Telehealth Resource Guide – 4.13.20
- AHI Webinar Slide Deck: Telehealth and COVID-19 – 3.25.20
- Private Payer Telehealth Regulations – COVID-19 – 4.8.20
- Telehealth Vendor Resource Guide
NYS Department of Health – Medicaid Waiver and FAQs
NYS Office of Mental Health – Waiver and FAQs
- Commissioner’s Regulatory Waiver
- NYS OMH COVID-19 Disaster Emergency FAQ
- NYS OMH COVID-19 Telehealth Modifier Spreadsheet
- NYS OMH Self-Attestation of Compliance to Offer Telementalhealth Services
- OMH COVID-19 Guidance Document Webpage
- OMH COVID-19 Consolidated Telemental Health Guidance
- Self-Attestation to Deliver Services Via Telemental Health During the Disaster Emergency
- Streamlined Process to Permanently Add Telemental Health as an Optional or Additional Service
- Use of Telephone and Two-Way Video Technology by OMH-Licensed, Funded or Designated Providers and Clients Affected by the COVID-19 Pandemic
NYS Office of Addiction Services and Supports – Waiver and FAQs
- OASAS Continued COVID-19 Regulator Waivers
- Continuing COVID-19 Regulatory Flexibility
- NYS OASAS Consent to the Use of Telepractice in the Provision of Addictions Treatment
- NYS OASAS COVID-19 Letter of Counsel
- NYS OASAS Telepractice FAQs
NYS Office of Persons with Developmental Disabilities Guidance
Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services Medicaid Waivers and FAQs
- American Medical Association Telehealth Services Covered by Medicare
- Center for Connected Health Policy – An Analysis of Private Payer Telehealth Coverage During the COVID-19 Pandemic
- Center for Connected Health Policy COVID-19 Telehealth Coverage Policies
- Center for Connected Health Policy COVID-19 Telehealth Policy Update Video
- Center for Connected Health Policy FQHC/RHC Clinics Acting as Distant Site Provider in Medicare
- Center for Connected Health Policy Interim Final Rule Guidance from CMS
- CMS COVID-19 Frequently Asked Questions on Medicare Fee-for-Service Billing
- CMS Flexibilities to Fight COVID-19 for Physicians and Other Clinicians
- CMS FQHC/RHC Medicare Fact Sheet
- CMS General Telemedicine Toolkit
- CMS HHS Video: Medicare Coverage and Payment of Virtual Services
- CMS Telehealth Toolkit for Long-Term Care Facilities and Nursing Homes
- HPMS COVID-19 Information for Plans Memo
- Medicare Fee-for-Service Response to COVID-19
- Medicare Telemedicine Health Care Provider Fact Sheet
- Physicians and Other Clinicians: CMS Flexibilities to Fight COVID-19
Federal Waivers
Miscellaneous Telehealth Resources
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- American Academy of Family Physicians: Using Telehealth to Care for Patients During the COVID-19 Pandemic
- American Academy of Pediatrics: Coding for Telemedicine Services
- American College of Physicians COVID-19 Telehealth Coding and Billing Information
- American Medical Association COVID-19 Coding Advice
- American Medical Association Telehealth Playbook
- American Telemedicine Association Webinar: Incorporating Telehealth in Your Practice – Practical Tips for Clinicians
- Citizen Advocates Telemental Health Services
- Coding Intel Telemedicine and COVID-19 FAQ
- Health Recovery Solutions COVID-19 Policy Updates for Home Health and Hospice Providers
- HHS Telehealth Website
- Medicare and NY Medicaid Telehealth Changes during the COVID-19 Public Health Emergency
- National Association of Community Health Centers COVID-19 Resource Page
- National Consortium of Telehealth Resource Centers COVID-19 Telehealth Toolkit
- State Medicaid and CHIP Telehealth Toolkit
- Telehealth PAL – HRSA Health Centers
For more information about the North Country Telehealth Partnership, please contact [email protected]
