ASPE Issue Brief: Medicare Beneficiary Use of Telehealth Visits: Early Data From the Start of the COVID-19 Pandemic, 7/28/2020
This ASPE issue brief examines changes in Medicare fee-for-service primary care visits and use of telehealth at the start of the COVID-19 public health emergency (PHE). This brief seeks to address the issue of how and whether the Medicare telehealth flexibilities introduced to address the COVID-19 pandemic may have helped maintain access to primary health care during the PHE. Data reflects visits up to early June in 2020.
Impact of Participation in Technology-Enabled Collaborative Learning and Capacity Building (ECHO) Models on Provider Retention, 9/19/2019
This report analyzed the effect of Project ECHO on workforce retention at practice sites and within health professional shortage areas.
Experiences of Medicaid Programs and Health Centers in Implementing Telehealth, 3/6/2019
Health centers are experimenting with telehealth for a range of conditions, working with different types of remote providers, and confronting different telehealth policies and implementation barriers, depending on their locations and payer mix. This paper explored the experiences of health centers and state Medicaid programs in seven states.
Among the findings, state Medicaid programs and health centers reported that: 1) if health centers could serve as both originating and distant sites, this could spur further utilization of telehealth; 2) they and their partners would benefit from additional clarification and education of telehealth policies, especially as they relate to federally-funded health centers; and 3) telehealth may be most effective if implemented as part of a suite of strategies to address workforce shortages in rural areas.
Responding to the ECHO Act: Report to Congress on the Current State of Technology-Enabled Collaborative Learning and Capacity Building Models and a Workforce Retention Analysis, 3/1/2019
This webpage includes links to materials ASPE prepared in response to the “Expanding Capacity for Health Outcomes (ECHO) Act,” Public Law 114-270, which required the Department to report to Congress on a range of issues related to technology-enabled collaborative learning and capacity building models and make recommendations on their use.
The report to Congress consisted of a summary document that included the Department’s recommendations, a report prepared by RAND, which provided a brief history of such models, described examples of their implementation, reviewed the current status of the evidence base for these models as of December 2018, and reported on input provided by a panel of technical experts on the evidence to date as well as potential evaluation approaches and options to generate additional evidence.
Report to Congress: E-Health and Telemedicine, 8/19/2016
This report responded to a request from the Committees on Appropriations of the U.S. House of Representatives and the U.S. Senate. It examined the rapid proliferation of telehealth modalities when providing medical care and highlighted HHS’s efforts to identify and address obstacles to e-health and telemedicine. The report explained ways that advances in telecommunications could bolster access to care or improve health care quality, effectiveness, and outcomes. Particular attention was paid to ways in which delivery system reform may increase the use of e-health and telemedicine.
Issue Brief: Using Telehealth to Support Opioid Use Disorder Treatment, 11/01/2018
Final Report: Using Telehealth to Identify and Manage SUD Conditions in Rural Areas, 12/12/2018
This issue brief and final report describe how telehealth is used to support behavioral health and SUDs, with a particular focus on implications for medication-assisted treatment for opioid use disorders. The intent was to understand telehealth implementation and use, financing and sustainability, and impact in the field.