Telehealth

Online Telehealth Training (free)

Washington State Telehealth Collaborative training (meets SSB6061 training requirements)

TeleBehavioral Health 101 series, including Session 1 - “Introduction to TeleBehavioral Health and Policy” (meets SSB6061 training requirements)

NRTRC Telehealth 101 Online Training

Telemedicine education for direct to patient visits

The Northwest Regional Telehealth Resource Center (NRTRC) provided funding to WA State Department of Health in 2020-2021 to support several telehealth projects. Other states in the NRTRC received similar funding; Oregon, Idaho , Utah, Montana, Wyoming and Alaska. A portion of Washington's funds were used to contract with Northwest Telehealth/Providence who provided a seven-part training series, with a tip sheet for each topic

Session 1: Telemedicine Overview and Options for Virtual Care

• Tip sheet: Session 1 D2P Technology Assessment Tool (PDF)

Session 2: Practice Guidelines

• Tip sheet: Session 2 Telemedicine Guideline (PDF)
• Tip sheet: Session 2 D2P Provider Telemedicine Readiness Checklist (PDF)

Session 3: Billing and Reimbursement

• Tip sheet: Session 3 14-Steps to Telemedicine Revenue (PDF)

Session 4: Workflow Design and Implementation

• Tip sheet: Session 4 D2P Workflow at a Glance (PDF)

Session 5: Website Manner- Facilitating the Virtual Experience

• Tip sheet: Session 5 Website Manner (PDF)

Session 6: Technical Considerations for Virtual House Calls

• Tip sheet: Session 6 10-Tips for DTP Technology Integration (PDF)

Session 7: How to Support Technology in a "Bring-Your-Own-Device" World

• Tip sheet: Session 7 Preparing for a Virtual Visit Example (PDF)

Telehealth guidance for Apple Health clients during COVID-19 FAQ

The telehealth guidance is also available in additional languages here (search “telehealth”).

Washington State Telehealth Collaborative (WSTC)

Established in 2016 by SB 6519, the WSTC provides guidance, research, and recommendations for the advancement of telemedicine and the benefit of professionals providing care through telemedicine.

Washington State Telehealth Implementation Guidebook

The guidebook was published pre-COVID-19 pandemic but no publication date is noted.

Bree Collaborative

The Bree Collaborative identifies and promotes strategies that improve patient health outcomes, health care service quality, and the affordability of health care. The members form an expert workgroup to develop evidence-based recommendations that are sent to the Washington State Health Care Authority to guide the type of health care provided to Medicaid enrollees, state employees, and other groups. In 2021, the Bree Collaborative chose Telehealth as a focus area. The result of their work will be posted when available.

• Center for Connected Health Policy Home Page
• Center for Connected Health Policy Intro to Telehealth Policy
• Center for Connected Health Policy COVID–19 Telehealth Coverage Policies
• Center for Connected Health Policy Billing for Telehealth Encounters (PDF)
• CCHP: Compare State Policies
• CCHP 50 State Report on Telehealth Laws & Reimbursement Policies (PDF)
• Center for Connected Health Policy Washington Current State Laws & Policy

• Center for Medicaid and Medicare Services 1135 Waivers (PDF)
• Center for Medicaid and Medicare Services Telehealth Information
• Federal Public Health Emergency (PHE) Declaration(s)
• The CARES Act H.R.748

Foley & Lardner LLP 50-State Survey of Telehealth Commercial Insurance Laws

Telemedicine: Ensuring Safe, Equitable, Person-Centered Virtual Care (PDF)

National Telehealth Technology Assessment Resource Center

Northwest Regional Telehealth Resource Center

Northwest Regional Telehealth Program Assessment (PDF)

• Northwest Regional Telehealth Resource Center provides an interactive assessment for those interested in starting a telehealth program or assessing a current program.

NRTRC Telehealth Services and Codes (PDF)

• Northwest Regional Telehealth Resource Center's up-to-date current procedural terminology (CPT) Telehealth Services and Codes table. The table includes Category 1, 2 and 3 along with interim codes valid during the public health emergency (PHE).

Critical Access Hospital (CAH) Telehealth Guide

• The Technical Assistance and Service Center (TASC) has partnered with the Northwest Regional Telehealth Resource Center (NRTRC) to produce an update to the Critical Access Hospital (CAH) Telehealth Guide. Recent federal guidance has been included in this edition. The updated guide provides information and guidance for assessing and implementing telehealth services for CAHs, including purchasing, staffing, maintenance, reimbursement, and reporting for outpatient services. For additional guidance on using this tool, please see the introductory Webinar that was held with the original release of the guide in September 2021. Additionally, the guide includes best practices and resources developed by subject matter experts (SME), technical consultants, and telehealth resource centers (TRCs). The objective is to provide Flex Programs and CAHs with a comprehensive guide that will allow them a singular point of reference for CAH telehealth standards with direct content and links to appropriate public and federal resources. Further questions and concerns can be directed to tasc@ruralcenter.org.