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The Emergency Broadband Benefit will provide a discount of up to $50 per month towards broadband service for eligible households and up to $75 per month for households on Tribal lands. Eligible households can also receive a one-time discount of up to $100 to purchase a laptop, desktop computer, or tablet from participating providers if they contribute $10-$50 toward the purchase price.

The Emergency Broadband Benefit is limited to one monthly service discount and one device discount per household.

Behavioral health — like other areas of health care — has changed significantly due to the COVID-19 public health emergency. It is now easier for mental health providers to offer and get reimbursed for telebehavioral health services. Telehealth can also make behavioral health services safer and more private and convenient for patients who can access care from their home.

This notice announces the opportunity to apply for funding under the Evidence Based Telehealth Network Program (EB THNP). The two-fold purpose of this award is (1) to demonstrate how health networks can increase access to health care services utilizing telehealth technologies and (2) to conduct evaluations of those efforts to establish an evidence base for assessing the effectiveness of telehealth care for patients, providers, and payers.
The implementation of telehealth technology is rapidly expanding into health systems.1 HRSA defines telehealth as the use of electronic information and telecommunication technologies to support and promote long-distance clinical health care, patient and professional health-related education, public health and health administration. Telehealth modalities that support clinical treatment may include video conferencing, the internet, store-and-forward imaging, streaming media, and terrestrial and wireless communications. Rising evidence supports that many health conditions can be addressed with a virtual in home visit from a doctor to his or her patient.2 In 2015, the American College of Physicians declared their position and support for Direct-to-Consumer (DTC) considering the patient has an established relationship with the providers, and the care meets in person standards of quality

The American Hospital Association supports the elimination of geographic site restrictions and coverage for audio-only services, but it says more time is needed to study and set long-term telehealth reimbursement policy.

The coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic, aided by a relaxation in federal telemedicine regulations, has ushered in a new era of virtual care. Physicians and patients have substantially increased their adoption and use of virtual care. According to one report, an estimated 1.6 million telemedicine visits were conducted early in the pandemic, between January and March 2020, representing approximately 50% more telemedicine visits than occurred in the same period in 2019.¹ Based on aggregated payer data covering 150 million privately insured individuals in the US, by April 2020 telemedicine visits accounted for 13% of all medical claims compared with 0.15% in April 2019, an 86-fold increase.

Gain practical knowledge with this comprehensive overview.  For those new to telehealth or looking for a refresher, this course will provide information on how to create and/or grow telehealth programs. Tools, tips, and lessons learned will be incorporated into the content of the various components of setting up a telemedicine program.  A total of 1.75 CME credit hours is available upon course completion.