This is our Sweet Spot! Current clients of ours, such as New Oakland Family Centers in Michigan, have been using our Telehealth software and our services to reach more people and cut costs. When an organization like New Oakland has many locations where they see people in need, it does not make sense to pay for a provider at each location or pay for a provider to drive around from place to place.
This is where we come in. Our software can be installed on the computers that you already have in your office and the providers can see more patients and help more people in less time. We work hard to make your telehealth program a success. We assist each user with set up and training and we make it easy for the presenting nurses to use the software and get that patient in front of the providers.
I’m here in Kalamazoo, MI for the Community Mental Health Association of Michigan’s Winter Conference. We already work with many organizations in Michigan and around the nation. We would love to get to know you and see how we can help an organization like yours. If you’re hesitant about the costs it is good to know that in Michigan and in many other states, Medicaid pays an extra technology fee per session to offset the costs of implementing telehealth services. Contact us to learn more!
Rural Health Update from the Virginia Rural health Association
I had a great day this past Wednesday at the Virginia Rural Health Collaborators Conference in Lexington, VA. Lexington is a beautiful Historic town that is the location of Washington and Lee University and the Virginia Military Institute. Just outside of town is the Virginia Horse Center, an amazing facility that includes the Andersen Coliseum where we met for the day.
The day began with State Senator R. Creigh Deeds from that area of Virginia giving a keynote presentation. Senator Deeds is committed to the rural areas of Virginia and helping them grow and thrive. He mentioned Telehealth as a way to do that. “Telemedicine is something that holds great promise” He says as a way to deal with issues such as provider shortages and barriers to access to quality care.
The next speaker was Alan Morgan, CEO of the National Rural Health Association. Sure he mentioned problems facing rural America such as Opioid Addiction and hospital closures, but he is also optimistic. One of his reasons for optimism is the rise of telehealth. “We need to advocate for Telehealth Policies that make sense,” he says, “and that includes broadband access”.
There were breakout sessions and I spent some time talking to people from VCU, Radford and other Universities, People from Behavioral Health organziations, Rural Development organizations and more. Overall it was time well spent. I was happy to learn more and also share what knowledge I have about what telehealth can do to provide better care to the people
who need it. I even had some good conversations with Clint Carney, from Telmedx, who provides a different kind of telehealth service. Let me know of you have any questions or any insight about reaching the people who need care in these rural areas. I’d love to have a conversation with you.
Our nation is in Crisis. The Opioid Crisis in America is having devastating effects nationwide. I was recently in West Virginia at the Rural Health Conference and it seems that there is no solution for this problem that is destroying communities and ruining lives. While areas in and near West Virginia have been hit hard, the crisis is not exclusive to the rural Appalchian region. According to the National Institute on Drug Abuse from back in March, there are 115 overdose deaths each day nationally.
There is help. Suboxone is medicine designed to treat Opioid Addiction. People with Substance Abuse Disorder can use suboxone and have a dramatic increase in quality of life. For a while now, getting access to Suboxone has been a challenge for a number of reasons. There is a stigma associated with Substance Abuse Disorder that is keeping people from admitting to themselves or their families that they need help. It is also difficult for many people to get to a Doctor because of problems associated with their disorder such as loss of a driver’s liscense and other illnesses.
Here;s the good news! Last week, The President of the United States signed the Support for Patients and Communities Act. According to Mobi Health News, “The latest legislation expands opioid-specific telemedicine services… Further down in the bill, the telemedicine portion spelled out that states will be able to seek federal reimbursement under Medicaid for telemedicine services of substance abuse disorders including medication-assisted treatment, counseling, medication management and medication adherence.”
This is an exciting time, barriers to access are being removed and people’s lives can be changed and lives can be saved. At Secure Telehealth we want to help as many people as possible get access to the life changing care that is available to them through Medication Assisted Treatment of their Substance Abuse Disorder. Please give us a call or contact us below with any questions that you may have.
What’s holding you back? Overcoming Obstacles in your Telehealth Practice
I read this interesting article today from Forbes. The writers, Gary Price M.D. and Tim Norbeck outline the promises of how telemedicine services will help in the future but also explain some of the reasons people are abandoning it now or not even starting yet. The promises have been documented on this site and others extensively, but these are a few of the reasons why people aren’t ready to commit quite yet.
Providers are finding it very hard to get paid. This is tough for sure. Every state has different laws regarding whether or not Medicaid will pay for the session and how much. It seems that some insurance companies will pay for some services and some won’t without any real explanation. With our research and experiences providing software in all 50 states, we can help you navigate through the confusion. For many of our customers, we provide more than just software, but we act as a “consultant” to help them be sure that they have a successful Telehealth practice. Even of you’re not a client, please contact us below or give us a call. We often find that we learn from each other when discussing the latest in the Medical Technology industry.
Providers and Health organizations are concerned about Privacy. We take this very seriously, Secure Telehealth software does not store any health information. Providers and Health organizations continue to use their own EHR and scheduling software. This makes a telehealth session get treated exactly the same as an in person session which already has security protocols in place. We understand HIPAA and will sign a Business Associate Agreement with the clients which allows us to provide the software and offer technical support.
Another obstacle, not specifically mentioned in the article, is that people are afraid of the technology. They could think that it would be too complicated or they give up because there are too many technical problems. At Secure Telehealth, we take care of the technology so you can focus on helping people. At no additional cost, We will assist in setting up each location and train all of the providers and presenting nurses. Even when providers or patients are in their own homes we can test their system so that everyone can be confident that the meetings will be go smoothly. Lastly, even if we haven taken all precautions, sometimes something still goes wrong, A computer is muted, or there was a software update, or an operating system changes or one of any number of other technical problems occur and we will answer the phone and help you right away so that a session is not missed.
The Health care Revolution is coming, I hope nothing is holding you back.
Experts Say “Great Execution” is required in order to make telehealth work. Read below how several Secure Telehealth Customers are executing telehealth programs successfully.
Jon Day is the executive director of Blue Valley Behavioral Health in Nebraska, While using Secure Telehealth, they have grown into the largest psychiatric provider in Nebraska.
“With any new service delivery system, it needs to be implemented wisely and having a particular strategy driving it. Secure Telehealth has allowed us to increase the number of clients we see, expand services, provide services in new environments, increase the productivity of our staff and increase our overall revenue.”
Annie Mills is the Director of Nursing for New Oakland Family Services with 9 locations in and around Detroit, Michigan. New Oakland has been using Secure Telehealth to provide telehealth software for over two years. She and her providers have seen tremendous benefit to their organization by utilizing the telehealth software. Please take a second and read some of the reviews from their providers and please contact us if you think we can be of assistance in a similar way.
Specialty care without waiting – “Telehealth improves access to care for patients that would otherwise have to wait or not be able to receive specialty care. I can service my pediatric consumers and those in need of addiction care with much less wait periods.”
A better environment for many mental health patients – “Patients who are shy or nervous, but comfortable and familiar with gaming and interacting in a digital fashion, feel more relaxed. It can be intimidating for many people to be in a doctor’s office and they may feel too overwhelmed by the circumstance to reveal their real thoughts. But, sitting in a room by themselves gives them their own territory and personal space. “
Adam Raulerson from the Laurelwood Hospital in the Northeast Georgia Health System
“We have used Secure Telehealth for 6 years now…very user friendly and effective for our use. It is User friendly for both my staff and the remote hospitals we support. Secure Telehealth requires minimal to no IT support. I installed and I test the equipment/software monthly. It is Cost effective. The most affordable product that meets our needs. Initially, there seemed to be upgrades way too often. That has changed and less upgrades are required.”
“We have seen Increased timely access for patient care and Reduction in overall cost of providing our services.”
Dr, James Greenblatt from Walden Behavioral Health in Massachusetts shares how Secure Telehealth has helped his practice grow.
Secure Telehealth was the “easy option and the best way to get started and maintain lower cost and investment as we grew our programs”
“I was skeptical as a Psychiatrist of what kind of relationship you can have with a patient – would they be honest? Would they be able to read nonverbal cues? And I really feel that I can provide a good assessment – Everything from empathy to emotions and tears to a comprehensive exam is definitely do-able in Telehealth”
Welcome to the newest feature on the website. Here we will be providing a weekly round up of news and notes regarding implementation of telehealth services across the 50 states and beyond. In the past week, a few changes have been made allowing for increase utilization of telehealth in various areas.
In a move to address the opioid abuse crisis, Illinois Gov. Bruce Rauner has signed into law a bill requiring the state’s Medicaid program to cover behavioral and mental health services delivered by telehealth and telemedicine. See Full story here.
“Trained or not, family doctors and pediatricians are on the front lines of mental health care” This article discusses the pcp or the pediatrician as the first line of defense in the mental health crisis. With less than adequate training, many Doctors are being forced to treat and help children and adults with a variety of possible mental health concerns. Through the use of telehealth software, a patient from the comfortable surroundings of his or her regular Doctor’s office can consult with a Psychiatrist to see of further treatment would be necessary. Adding telehealth services would be an inexpensive way to take the burden off of the PCPs or pediatricians and a Psychiatrist that markets his or her services to an office like this would be in high demand.
How can we help our most vulnerable patients? Click here for more from “The Second Wave” in Michigan
Health Care Organizations utilizing telehealth software often wonder, “Will it work as well as our face to face appointments?” or “Will we have to sacrifice the quality of our patient care?” They are concerned that the experience of meeting with a provider through a video conference will be intimidating for a patient or uncomfortable for the provider. Many organizations using Secure Telehealth for their HIPAA – compliant video conferencing have been pleasantly surprised. Not only are we hearing that when using our telehealth software, the sessions are just as effective, in many cases we are hearing that the telehealth session are even better than face to face. Here are some examples:
“Patients who are shy or nervous, but comfortable and familiar with gaming and interacting in a digital fashion, feel more relaxed. It can be intimidating for many people to be in a doctor’s office and they may feel too overwhelmed by the circumstance to reveal their real thoughts. But, sitting in a room by themselves gives them their own territory and personal space.”
Annie Mills, Director of Nursing at New Oakland Family Centers in Michigan
“Telehealth access has helped me be able to see clients more regularly and consistently because we don’t have to wait for face to face openings or problems related to clients travelling long distances to be seen. I have also experienced cases where clients have been able to be more open, honest, and forthcoming on telehealth relative to face to face contacts.”
Jack Carlson LIMHP, Mental Health Therapist at Blue Valley Behavioral Health
Want to hear more about how adding Telehealth services can help your organization? Or hear more about what we do at Secure Telehealth? Contact Us today!
Thank you very much to Altrius for preparing this white paper. I read it this morning and wanted to share it. The numbers are compelling. Rural areas will be hit hardest and the article explains how many areas are already being stretched thin. We have helped many organizations combat this issue by using our telehealth software and we can help you as well. Click here to give the article a look: Physician_Shortage_WhitePaper
Feeling your pain part 3: Connect your patients to the best Providers
The very best providers, psychiatric or otherwise, are in high demand. Meanwhile, according to the 2010 census and hrsa.gov their are 46.2 million Americans living in non-metropolitan statistical areas who have very limited access to these “rock star” providers. That is…UNTIL NOW!!!
Below is just one example of what an organization in a rural area can do using Secure Telehealth Software.
Blue Valley Behavioral Health is Nebraska’s largest rural behavioral health provider. We have 12 different offices throughout Southeast Nebraska and the geographic distance between them has been a difficulty since we started almost 50 years ago. Obtaining various provider types to cover such a large rural area, coordinating services amongst the different providers and making sure high quality treatment was being delivered was the triple threat we experienced on an ongoing basis. We started providing our Medication Management services via Secure Telehealth one Saturday morning once a month about four years ago. In combination with our EMR we proliferated to providing Telehealth services throughout all our 12 offices which included Medication Management, Mental Health and Substance Abuse services to both adults and youth. We went from seeing about 100 people the first year with Secure Telehealth to 1,000 people now per year.
We have now become Nebraska’s largest telehealth provider with behavioral health services. Not only have we increased our services and the number of people seen with telehealth, we have also expanded into new sites such as rural hospitals, jails, law enforcement and schools. We have completely expanded our services with Secure Telehealth and were able to do so without any high dollar grants or special funding. We did it with our own finances because it was affordable and easy to implement. Jim Mountain from Secure Telehealth has helped us execute our Telehealth vision and have made believers out of many people.
In addition to the telehealth services we provide throughout our office and alternative locations, here are a few interesting telehealth occurrences we have experienced:
We have one of our counselors who worked for us still providing mental health and substance abuse services in 3 of our offices…from Minnesota where she lives.
We had a substance abuse counselor providing a Prevention Class who was very resistant to using telehealth (via Secure Telehealth) and tended to avoid all things related to computers or technology. She is now providing her Prevention Class in her regular office but several of her class participants are now joining in from several different states throughout the US. In fact, she often has more people participating in her class via telehealth than in person.
We provide Crisis Response Services throughout rural Nebraska and work with many different county law enforcement agencies and hospitals. We had several law enforcement agencies initially refuse to do telehealth services because they didn’t think it worked. Now they initiate more services because they know telehealth is viable service.
With any new service delivery system, it needs to be implemented wisely and having a particular strategy driving it. Secure Telehealth has allowed us to increase the number of clients we see, expand services, provide services in new environments, increase the productivity of our staff and increase our overall revenue.
Jim from Secure Telehealth had an amazing conversation with Brian Henry, from Decatur Morgan Hospital in Decatur, AL this morning. We sat down and talked about how Telehealth has been used to improve his organization tremendously. Secure Telehealth has helped them increase patient access, save money, meet the demand and help more people. Give us a couple of minutes and give it a listen and contact us to see how we can help your organization today!
