COVID-19 (Coronavirus) Resource Documents

In the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic and the number of changes happening by the hour, the FDRHPO 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.

North Country Telehealth Partnership Created Telehealth Resources

• 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 DOH Bureau of Early Intervention Guidance for EI Providers
• NYS DOH Medicaid Telehealth Guidance FAQ
• Waiver of SHIN-NY Written Consent during COVID-19 Outbreak for Telehealth

NYS Office of Mental Health – Waiver and FAQs

• NYS OMH Consolidated COVID-19 Telemental Health Guidance
• NYS OMH COVID-19 Telehealth Modifier Spreadsheet
• NYS OMH General & Telemental Health FAQs
• NYS OMH Self-Attestation Compliance to Offer Telemental Health Services
• Self-Attestation to Deliver Services Via Telemental Health During the Disaster Emergency
• Supplemental Guidance: Expansion of Telemental Health During the Disaster Emergency
• Supplemental Guidance: Use of Telehealth for OMH-Funded Programs
• Supplemental Guidance: Use of Telehealth for Residential Services
• Use of Telemental Health for People Affected by the Disaster Emergency

NYS Office of Addiction Services and Supports – Waiver and FAQs

• NYS OASAS COVID-19 Letter of Counsel
• NYS OASAS Telepractice FAQs
• NYS OASAS Telepractice Waiver Update 03.13.20
• NYS OASAS Telepractice Waiver Update 03.20.20

NYS Office of Persons with Developmental Disabilities Guidance

• NYS OPWDD Telehealth Updates

Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services Medicaid Waivers and FAQs

• American Medical Association Telehealth Services Covered by Medicare
• 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 COVID-19 Fact Sheet
• 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 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

Federal Waivers

• Department of Health & Human Services Limited Waiver of HIPAA Sanctions

Miscellaneous Telehealth Resources

• 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 Academy 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 & Hospice Providers
• HHS Telehealth Website
• 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

 

Regional Telemedicine Initiative

Out of all our project areas, perhaps the fastest growing is our regional telemedicine initiative.

Work began in early 2009, when FDRHPO created the North Country Telemedicine Project (NCTP), an extensive fiber-optic network that connected more than 25 healthcare facilities in Jefferson, Lewis, Oneida, Onondaga and St. Lawrence counties, including Fort Drum’s Guthrie Ambulatory Health Care Clinic.

This network expanded in 2011, when FDRHPO partnered with the Adirondack-Champlain Telemedicine Information Network (ACTION) to create a second network encompassing sites in Clinton, Essex, Franklin, Rensselaer, Saratoga, Warren and Washington counties — as well as Chittenden County in Vermont.

Funding for these programs was made available by the Federal Communication Commission’s “Rural Health Care Pilot Program” and the New York State Department of Health’s “HEAL 21” grant. Today, FDRHPO’s telemedicine program remains funded by the Department of Health, as one of its Rural Health Development Programs.

In 2015, FDRHPO began a collaboration with the Adirondack Health Institute (AHI) to form the North Country Telehealth Partnership — a unified effort to plan and implement telemedicine throughout their 11-county catchment area, covering northern and central New York. This collaborative has quickly become northern New York’s leading agency focused on increasing access to health care through the innovative use of telehealth and telemedicine technology.

More Information for Providers  More Information for Patients

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Telehealth Learning Collaborative

The Telehealth Learning Collaborative is a bi-monthly video conference hosted by the North Country Telehealth Partnership. It brings together stakeholders from across New York State to help ensure successful telemedicine project implementation, continuity and sustainability.

Our current membership is made up of more than 130 individuals from more than 90 organizations, which are listed below. To see the individuals who represent their organization on the collaborative, simply click on an organization for more information.

To join our Telehealth Learning Collaborative, please click here.

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Want to learn more?

If you have questions about our telemedicine program or the North Country Telehealth Partnership, our team can help you out! Get to know us below to see who might be your best contact.