 Prevention Programs: Announces CMS’ new Calendar Year (CY) 2022 Physician Fee Schedule (PFS) final rule that will promote greater use of telehealth and other telecommunications technologies for providing behavioral health care services, and will boost payment rates for vaccine administration. The new rule (November 2021) means counseling and therapy services, including treatment of substance use disorders, will be more readily available to individuals, especially in areas with poor broadband infrastructure. Click here to access a fact sheet CMS has developed about the new rule; and access the full (more than 2,400 pages) rule here.
Telehealth Learning Series for SUD Treatment and Recovery Support Providers: Provides a (free) national online discussion and resource sharing opportunity for substance use disorder (SUD) treatment providers and peer support specialists who are transitioning their services to the use of telephone and video-conferencing methods in response to COVID-19 social distancing guidelines. This website archives webinars and training presentations, curated tools, forms and other resources, and a Frequently Asked Questions and Recommended Resources document contributed by SAMHSA’s Addiction Technology Transfer Center [ATTC] Network, the Center for Excellence on Protected Health Information [CoE-PHI], the National Consortium of Telehealth Resource Centers, and the Center for the Application of Substance Abuse Technologies [CASAT] at the University of Nevada - Reno.
Pediatric Mental Health Care Access (PMHCA) and the American Rescue Plan Act - Pediatric Mental Health Care Access - New Area Expansion (ARP-PMHCA) Programs: Announces expansion of Pediatric Mental Health Care Access (PMHCA) projects into new states and geographic areas, including tribal areas. Through these programs, new state and regional networks of pediatric mental health care teams can now provide tele-consultations, training, technical assistance and care coordination for pediatric primary care providers to diagnose, treat and refer children and youth with mental health conditions and substance use disorders. Recent grant awards from the Health Resources and Services Administration [HRSA]’s Maternal and Child Health Bureau [MCHB] have increased the number of such networks from 21 to 46 projects throughout the country. Visit this webpage to identify the project in your vicinity, and for contact information and a summary of each funded tele-mental health project.
Practice Guidelines for Telemental Health with Children and Adolescents: Provides clinical guidance for the delivery of child and adolescent mental health and behavioral services by licensed health care providers using real time videoconferencing. This guidance, synthesized and produced by the American TeleMedicine Association [ATA], is based on a growing evidence base and expert consensus. The resource includes sections relevant across the age spectrum addressing ethical considerations; telemental health competencies; clinical supervision and telemental health; and future directions.State Medicaid and CHIP Telehealth Tool Kit: Identifies policy topics that states should address to facilitate widespread adoption of telehealth services. The Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) has issued this updated toolkit to help states identify policies that may impede the rapid deployment of telehealth, to help ensure that Americans (e.g. students) can access the health care services they need through electronic and virtual means, minimizing travel to healthcare facilities and supporting efforts to limit community spread of the virus.
COVID-19 Telehealth Resources: Provides an ongoing list of COVID-19 telehealth resources from the School-Based Health Alliance, including a webinar series, telehealth essentials checklist, and program development kit.
Quick Facts on Telehealth in Schools: Reports research findings and parent perspectives about use of technology to deliver health care and mental health services to students remotely. The Child Mind Institute shows how telehealth has, dur