Use of telehealth in early intervention (IDEA Part C) – Resources to consider during the COVID-19 public health emergency.
Practice / Effectiveness:
A number of states are already using telehealth in early intervention Part C that has included funding from both Medicaid and Private health insurance. There are a few articles that have looked at the use of telehealth within early intervention Part C:
- Overview of States’ Use of Telehealth for the Delivery of Early Intervention (IDEA Part C) Services
Jana Cason, DHS, OTR/L; Diane Behl, M.Ed.; Sharon Ringwalt, PhD, CCC-SLP
http://telerehab.pitt.edu/ojs/index.php/Telerehab/article/view/6105/6409 - Report on the Use of Telehealth in Early Intervention in Colorado: Strengths and Challenges with Telehealth as a Service Delivery Method
Beth Cole, EDD , Katherine Pickard, PHD , Arlene Stredler-Brown, PHD, CCC-SLP International Journal of Telerehabilitation (Spring 2019)
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC6597149/pdf/ijt-11-33.pdf - Telerehabilitation: An Adjunct Service Delivery Model for Early Intervention Services
Jana Cason, DHS, OTR/L, International Journal of Telerehabilitation (Spring 2011)
http://telerehab.pitt.edu/ojs/index.php/Telerehab/article/view/6071/6301 - Tele-Intervention: The Wave of the Future Fits Families’ Lives Today
Diane D. Behl, K. Todd Houston, W. Spencer Guthrie, and Nancy K. Guthrie, EP Magazine (Dec. 2010)
https://infanthearing.org/resources_home/events/docs_events2011/tele-intervention.pdf - A Multisite Study Evaluating the Benefits of Early Intervention via Telepractice
Behl, Diane D. MEd; Blaiser, Kristina PhD; Cook, Gina PhD; Barrett, Tyson BS; Callow-Heusser, Catherine PhD; Brooks, Betsy Moog MS; Dawson, Pamela MEd; Quigley, Suzanne PhD; White, Karl R. PhD, Infants and Young Children (April / June 2017)
https://journals.lww.com/iycjournal/Fulltext/2017/04000/A_Multisite_Study_Evaluating_the_Benefits_of_Early.5.aspx - The Development of Statewide Policies and Procedures To Implement Telehealth for Part C Service Delivery
Beth Cole, MNM, Arlene Stredler-Brown, PhD, Becki Cohill, OTD, Kristina Blaiser, PHD, Diane Behl, PhD, Sharon Ringwalt, PhD, International Journal of Telerehabilitation (Fall 2016)
http://telerehab.pitt.edu/ojs/index.php/Telerehab/article/view/6206/6668
Other Resources Specific to Telehealth in Early Intervention:
- National Center for Hearing Assessment and Management (NCHAM) – Utah State University
‘A Practical Guide to the Use of Tele-Intervention in Providing Early Intervention Services to Infants and Toddlers Who Are Deaf or Hard of Hearing’ - http://www.infanthearing.org/ti-guide/
Over the past 8-9 years, NCHAM has been supporting the knowledge base and research to determine the effectiveness of tele-Intervention (TI). They believe TI is a useful tool in serving families of children who are Deaf and Hard-of-hearing and applies to the use in promoting communication development. This guide has applicability across early intervention and has great resources on technology, sample consent form etc. - Colorado Early Intervention – Telehealth ‘Live Video Visits’ Resources
https://padlet.com/tracy_sperry/telehealthresources
Colorado has a number of resources they have developed to implement what they have termed ‘live video visits’ - American Physical Therapy Association
http://www.apta.org/Telehealth/
Includes a variety of resources on practice and billing and a blog post on telehealth ethics Best Practice and the Law (Aug 2019)
http://www.apta.org/Blogs/PTTransforms/2019/8/28/Telehealth/ - American Occupational Therapy Association
https://www.aota.org/Practice/Manage/telehealth.aspx
Including a position paper, webinar, ethics advisory - American Speech-Language-Hearing Association
https://www.asha.org/PRPSpecificTopic.aspxfolderid=8589934956§ion=Resources
including extensive information on key issues and resources (including HIPAA, funding)
Funding - Medicaid and Private Insurance:
- Center for Connected Health Policy – National Telehealth Policy Resources Center
https://www.telehealthpolicy.us/telehealth-policy/state-telehealth-laws-and-reimbursement-policies-report CCHP report that:
a. All Fifty states and Washington, DC provide reimbursement for some form of live video in Medicaid fee-for-service.
b. Twenty-three states limit the type of facility that can serve as an originating site.
c. Forty states and DC currently have a law that governs private payer telehealth reimbursement policy. - CCHP Current State Laws and Reimbursement Policies
Interactive map and search options below including current laws and regulations for all fifty states and the District of Columbia regarding Medicaid and private insurance
https://www.cchpca.org/telehealth-policy/current-state-laws-and-reimbursement-policies#
HIPAA and Technology
- NOSORH (National Organization of State Offices of Rural Health) Infographic: Telehealth Technologies and Preparing to Select a Vendor
https://nosorh.org/wp-content/uploads/2016/11/NOSORH-Telehealth-Vendor-Fact-Sheet-FINAL.pdf - Telehealth Technology Assessment Resource Center
http://telehealthtechnology.org/
Includes a toolkit regarding video and how to select them and includes a webinar
http://telehealthtechnology.org/toolkit/clinicians-guide-to-video-platforms/ - The Center for Connected Health Policy (CCHP)
A public interest nonprofit organization that develops and advances telehealth policy solutions to promote improvements in health and health care systems. HIPAA and Telehealth Fact Sheet
https://www.cchpca.org/sites/default/files/2018-09/HIPAA%20and%20Telehealth.pdf - Webinar - Essential Elements of the HIPAA Security Law - Privacy and Security Assessment for Internet-based Technologies
Valerie Watslaf et al, University of Pittsburg, School of Health and Rehabilitation Sciences
http://www.infanthearing.org/ti-guide/privacy.html#observing - VoIP for Telerehabilitation: A Pilot Usability Study for HIPAA Compliance
Valerie R. Watzlaf, PhD, RHIA, FAHIMA Briana Ondich, BS, RHIA
http://telerehab.pitt.edu/ojs/index.php/Telerehab/article/view/6096/6390
Other Resources:
- National Consortium of Telehealth Resource Centers
https://www.telehealthresourcecenter.org/
Includes map and links to the 12 Telehealth Resource Center that support all states and territories. Telehealth Resource Centers (TRCs) have been established to provide assistance, education, and information to organizations and individuals who are actively providing or interested in providing health care at a distance. Their charter from the Office for Advancement of Telehealth is to assist in expanding the availability of health care to rural and underserved populations. Their federal funding means the assistance they provide is generally free of charge. - US Health Resources and Services Administration – Federal Office of Rural Health Policy
https://www.hrsa.gov/rural-health/telehealth
The Office for the Advancement of Telehealth (OAT) promotes the use of telehealth technologies for health care delivery, education, and health information services and believes that telehealth is especially critical in rural and other remote areas that lack sufficient health care services, including specialty care.