Lightning Talk Description: Telepractice is a generic term that includes telehealth, teletherapy, teledentistry, telemedicine, telenursing, and telecare. Telehealth, the use of electronic information and telecommunication technologies to support person-centered and client-facing virtual clinical care for people and animals, has been linked to improved access to care, quality of care, and health outcomes, and reduced cost of care. Traditionally viewed as a tool to improve access to care for individuals and families living in rural and frontier communities, temporary pandemic-era telehealth policies in the United States have reached new populations through expanded provider eligibility and inspired novel approaches to care, care delivery models, and teams.
A 2020 position statement by the National Academies of Practice (NAP) supports expansion of telehealth services among the acceptable and clinically appropriate services provided by all healthcare providers to support the wellbeing of people, families, and caregivers and assure universal access to health care. While advocacy efforts are underway in the U.S. to promote continuation of pandemic-era coverage and practice models, expansion to new providers, and adoption of universal broadband access, the burgeoning use of telehealth services has intensified the need for strategies to advance best practices, foster health equity, and develop and harmonize interprofessional competencies specific to telehealth. In response to this need, the Telehealth Research Subcommittee of the NAP Public Policy Committee has developed the NAP Telepractice Toolkit: A Resource for Interprofessional Collaborative Practice with input from NAP’s fifteen health and social care professional academies.
The Telehealth Research Subcommittee’s literature review resulted in the identification of a variety of telehealth types; expanded people, animals, and populations served; visit settings, rationale, and utilization; expanded use by pre-pandemic approved providers, new pandemic-era providers, and team-based care; telehealth best and promising practices; telehealth competencies; current reimbursement, regulations, and related policies including payors, state laws and reimbursement policies, state practice regulations and interstate compacts, certification and licensure, and proposed and pending legislation.
This presentation will introduce the NAP Telepractice Toolkit and present the findings of a review of current scholarly and grey literature, including pandemic-era innovations. Strategies will be shared to foster health and healthcare equity, advance best and promising practices, and develop competencies specific to telehealth, including opportunities for interprofessional harmonization of competencies.
In support of improving patient care, this activity is planned and implemented by The National Center for Interprofessional Practice and Education Office of Interprofessional Continuing Professional Development (National Center OICPD). The National Center OICPD is accredited by the Accreditation Council for Continuing Medical Education (ACCME), the Accreditation Council for Pharmacy Education (ACPE), and the American Nurses Credentialing Center (ANCC) to provide continuing education for the healthcare team.
As a Jointly Accredited Provider, the National Center is approved to offer social work continuing education by the Association of Social Work Boards (ASWB) Approved Continuing Education (ACE) program. Organizations, not individual courses, are approved under this program. State and provincial regulatory boards have the final authority to determine whether an individual course may be accepted for continuing education credit. The National Center maintains responsibility for this course. Social workers completing this course receive continuing education credits.
The National Center OICPD (JA#: 4008105) is approved by the Board of Certification, Inc. to provide continuing education to Athletic Trainers (ATs).
This activity was planned by and for the healthcare team, and learners will receive Interprofessional Continuing Education (IPCE) credit for learning and change.
Physicians: The National Center for Interprofessional Practice and Education designates this live activity for AMA PRA Category 1 Credits™. Physicians should only claim credit commensurate with their participation.
Physician Assistants: The American Academy of Physician Assistants (AAPA) accepts credit from organizations accredited by the ACCME.
Nurses: Participants will be awarded contact hours of credit for attendance at this workshop.
Nurse Practitioners: The American Academy of Nurse Practitioners Certification Program (AANPCP) accepts credit from organizations accredited by the ACCME and ANCC.
Pharmacists and Pharmacy Technicians: This activity is approved for contact hours.
Athletic Trainers: This program is eligible for Category A hours/CEUs. ATs should claim only those hours actually spent in the educational program.
Social Workers: As a Jointly Accredited Organization, the National Center is approved to offer social work continuing education by the Association of Social Work Boards (ASWB) Approved Continuing Education (ACE) program. Organizations, not individual courses, are approved under this program. State and provincial regulatory boards have the final authority to determine whether an individual course may be accepted for continuing education credit. The National Center maintains responsibility for this course. Social workers completing this course receive continuing education credits.
IPCE: This activity was planned by and for the healthcare team, and learners will receive Interprofessional Continuing Education (IPCE) credits for learning and change.
Learners can claim CE credit by completing the Daily Evaluation.
