Webinar: Telehealth Updates and Best Practices Amid COVID-19
- Date Recorded: April 28, 2020
- Length: about an hour
- Presenter: Kristina Sherry
- CE: NOT eligible for CE
- Price: $0.00
This webinar explores the shifting telehealth landscape amid COVID-19, which the World Health Organization characterized as a pandemic and which the United States declared a public health emergency that has prompted the need for greater flexibility in healthcare delivery and enhanced access to providers. Needless to say, it has also led many behavioral healthcare providers and addiction treatment providers to consider synchronous telehealth (i.e. real-time video conferencing) to enable delivery of services in a "socially distanced" manner that is safer for all.
As background, we revisit key terms and concepts underlying the lawful use of telehealth before the pandemic, including but not limited to informed consent, standard of care, "synchronous" vs. "asynchronous", "originating site" vs. "distant site", and restrictions on prescribing drugs.
Within the past few months, certain of these requirements have been relaxed by authorities including but not limited to state agencies; the U.S. Department of Health & Human Services' (HHS) Office for Civil Rights (OCR), with respect to HIPAA; the U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA), with respect to prescribing; and by the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) and other payors, with respect to reimbursement.
Importantly, we explore telehealth best practices amid COVID with respect to privacy, quality of care, and more, including the propriety of telehealth in certain circumstances even amid relaxed rules. Lastly, we consider the likelihood that this telehealth transformation will remain post-COVID.
Specifically, we tackle the following areas and questions:
- An overview of the telehealth landscape pre-COVID-19, including key terms and concepts such as informed consent, standard of care, "synchronous" vs. "asynchronous," "originating site" vs. "distant site," requirements with respect to prescribing and documentation, and more.
- Changes within the past few months in response to the COVID-19 crisis by:
- States (with focus on California);
- HHS's OCR, with respect to HIPAA;
- the U.S. DEA, with respect to prescribing;
- CMS and other payors;
- and more.
- Concerns regarding privacy, standard of care, reimbursement, and more amid these relaxed requirements
- Best practices and recommendations in response to these concerns (e.g., using Zoom for AA meetings)
- Will these relaxed rules remain after the COVID-19 crisis has passed?
Sponsors
Behavioral Health Association of Providers is a national trade membership association that provides education and advocacy for behavioral healthcare providers and related entities. Formerly known as the American Addiction Treatment Association, BHAP is the leading and unifying voice of addiction-focused treatment programs.
Nelson Hardiman is the largest healthcare specialty law firm in Los Angeles. Their attorneys represent health care providers, including hospitals, in California and throughout the U.S. Their team delivers on-target results to meet your needs in the complex arena of today’s healthcare laws and regulations.
Counselor is is the magazine for addiction and behavioral health professionals. It’s a national peer-reviewed publication that blends the in-depth information often found in journals with the ease-of-read and style of a magazine. The magazine has a circulation of 40,000+ addiction treatment professionals. Counselor provides the vital components necessary to enhance or create a successful practice and to improve the lives of clients whom clinicians serve.
Presenter
Kristina Sherry
Kristina Sherry is a transactional and compliance attorney with Nelson Hardiman.
Kristina brings to her healthcare practice the equanimity of a litigator and experience defending public entities such as Los Angeles World Airports and the Los Angeles Unified School District. She advises hospitals, physician organizations, long-term and behavioral care providers, and other healthcare-related organizations in transactions and regulatory matters.
Webinar: Telehealth Updates and Best Practices Amid COVID-19
Please remember that this webinar is for your own use: we request that you do not embed the video on a website or share with others.
Links of Note
The following URLs were mentioned in the webinar:
- Best Practices for Online Interaction:
- How to Protect Your Online 12 Step Meeting against Trolls, Zoom Bombers and Griefers
- Safety and Security While Video Conferencing with Zoom
- 11 Little Tips for Better Video Chat (For Teachers...and Everybody Else) - via the VlogBrothers (Hank and John Green)
- When Bad Presentations Happen to Good Causes - a free PDF download from Andy Goodman at the Goodman Center on how to do Powerpoints
- How to Produce a Livestreamed Event - an article from the theatre site "HowlRound" that goes deeper into actually producing a virtual event
- COVID-19 Specific Links:
- BHAP's COVID-19 Resources for Behavioral Health, which includes links to other free webinars we've done on COVID-19 related topics
- Center for Connected Health Policy (CCHP) provides state-by-state summary
- California Medical Association (CMA) offers COVID-19 resources, daily roundup of updates, and FAQs by category
- SAMHSA Coronavirus Guidance
- HIPAA Updates
- CDPH COVID-19 Updates
A national membership association that provides education and advocacy for those in the behavioral health and addiction treatment industries.
We are the leading and unifying voice of addiction-focused treatment programs.
