• Telehealth...The Future is Now, January 24, 2020
  • Half-day workshop for physicians, nurses, providers, and health care professionals
• Physical Therapy Today and Telehealth Tomorrow, February 26, 2020
  • Florida Association of Physical Therapists (FAPT) CEU event
  • Content: National and state associations’ Telehealth positions; evidence on the use of telehealth in the delivery of health care; and deliver of telehealth in delivering of physical therapists
• NSU Shark CREST (Center for Research and Education in Simulation and Telehealth), March 3, 2020
  • Coronavirus Aid, Relief, Economic, Security (CARES) Act Grant submission
  • University center for interprofessional collaborative education, practice, research, and policy development in telehealth and clinical simulations
  • $300,000 grant request
• Telehealth for Students in the Health Professions, July – August 2020
  • Three modules, self-paced, online course for PCHCS graduates, graduating students, and students entering clinical rotations
  • Content included: telehealth applications; ethical, legal, regulatory, and privacy considerations; and the delivery of quality and safe patient care

What Services May Be Delivered Via Telehealth?

Telehealth encompasses the delivery of health care services facilitated by technology thus, the

possibilities are vast and only limited through the technology available. According to the Office of the National Coordinator for Health Information Technology (ONC) and the Center for Connected Health Policy (CCHP), the practice of telehealth typically involves one or more of the following:

• Provider-to-patient services called telemedicine (e.g., telepsychiatry, telesurgery)
• Augmented patient care called telehealthcare (e.g., remote home monitoring)
• Patient engagement called e-health and/or health education
• Information management across the health care continuum such as the Health Information Exchange (HIE) 

The types of services possible are very diverse including patient encounters, robotic surgery, and at-home health monitoring.

How Does Telehealth Operate Within a Clinical Setting?

Reimbursement

The delivery of health care services via telehealth is covered by Medicare, including consultations, care management, health screenings, outpatient evaluation, wellness visits, critical care encounters, among other services. Although private insurers have previously had limited or no coverage for telehealth, the industry has changed considerably in recent years with the provision of telehealth coverage seen as cost-effective and supporting quality health care access.

Logistics

The use of telehealth can vary significantly, depending on the clinical setting, scope of practice, and investment in technology. Telehealth can operate as simple as virtual patient encounters (e.g. telepsychiatry) and home health monitoring through device sensors or as complex as telesurgery—the use of robotics by surgeons to perform operations over long distances. Therefore, the landscape of telehealth practice is vast and full of possibilities.

Regulations

According to the CCHP, no two states approach telehealth regulatory policy the same way. Since

telehealth has had a re-birth with the advancements in technology over the last decade, it may take time for state-level regulations to evolve with the industry trends. For current information on regulations within your state, please visit the interactive telehealth policy map by CCHP at

https://www.cchpca.org/telehealth-policy/current-state-laws-and-reimbursement-policies