We encourage rural providers to participate in a survey to identify what are the most important areas you want support to optimize telehealth and other virtual services, key areas of focus, barriers, and what are your future plans?
Survey closes July 7, 2025 Link here: https://lnkd.in/gU2cpYgG
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Join Us for the 2025 Healthcare AI Boot Camp
Complimentary Virtual Sessions
This bootcamp is hosted by a national initiative led by a group of federally funded Telehealth Resource Centers from across the country, a Telehealth Center of Excellence along with additional regional partners including the California Rural Health Association, ITUP, and the Community Clinic Association of Los Angeles County.
This foundational training is designed to equip participants with a clear understanding of core AI concepts and their practical applications in healthcare, setting the stage for engagement with real-world challenges.
This pivotal series brings together clinicians, operational leaders, technologists, and pioneering voices in healthcare AI to explore key concepts, develop practical skills, and align innovations with the urgent needs of our healthcare system. Participants will leave with the knowledge and confidence to launch or advance their AI journey, ready to drive meaningful impact in their organizations and communities.
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WHAT DOES THE EVIDENCE BASE SAY
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Digital Technologies and Chronic Disease Management
Tackling the chronic disease burden requires innovation and creativity. Digital health technologies can play a vital role in chronic disease management. This newsletter features recent publications on the impact of digital health in chronic disease management, CDC recommendations about telehealth interventions to improve chronic conditions, and available HHS and AMA resources and clinical guidelines on digital health options.
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Featured Publications
Current Implementation of Digital Health in Chronic Disease Management: Scoping Review | JMIR | 2024
A scoping review of 252 studies, (published between 2015 and 2023), were conducted by selecting primary studies on the implementation of any type of digital health innovations that help patients, caregivers, or healthcare providers to manage chronic health conditions. The digital health technologies included in this scoping review were eHealth, mHealth, telehealth, wearables. The main barriers that impact implementation of these digital health technologies were data privacy concerns and patient preference for in-person/in-clinic care. The main facilitators to support digital health adoption and implementation were training for health care providers and personalization of digital health features to patient needs.
Role of Telehealth Use in Chronic Care Management and Disparity Reduction Among the Aging Population | Telemedicine and eHealth | 2024
This longitudinal cohort study was conducted using Medicare data during COVID-19 (compared to previous years) from one Accountable Care Organization in the Midwest US. The study examined the association between use of telehealth services and chronic care management measures, as well as its impact on disparity reduction in care metrices among 65+ adults. The study findings indicate that telehealth was associated with better performance in chronic care management for utilization-based measures, such as having 2+ A1C tests, breast cancer screening, and depression screening. Telehealth was also associated with disease outcome-based measures including A1C control, blood pressure control, and depression diagnosis. Additionally, for certain vulnerable patient populations, (e.g., racial/ethnic minorities, high-risk patients for breast cancer screening), telehealth was associated with disparity reduction in these care measures.
Variability in Primary Care Telehealth Delivery Methods Across Chronic Conditions | JAMA Network Open | 2025
A cross-sectional study to understand which conditions were more or less likely to be treated using telehealth was conducted using outpatient data from over 7 million primary care encounters at the US Department of Veterans Affairs (VA). Study findings illustrated which types of encounter diagnoses in primary care settings had decreased, no difference, or increased probability of using video- or telephone-based care for 39 identified chronic conditions. The results indicate that VA patients with pressure and chronic ulcers, dementia, and Parkinson disease, which are associated with limited functional abilities, were more likely to be video based than other chronic conditions.
CDC Recommendations
Telehealth Interventions to Improve Chronic Disease | Cardiovascular Disease Data, Tools, and Evaluation Resources | CDC
CDC’s Community Preventive Services Task Force (CPSTF) recommends several telehealth interventions to help manage chronic diseases and conditions, such cardiovascular disease, high blood pressure, diabetes, or obesity. The use of telehealth can help improve medication adherence, clinical outcomes, and dietary outcomes. Telehealth components that have demonstrated effectiveness: Text messaging (e.g., medication and appointment reminders), web-based content and applications (e.g., goal setting), and interactive content (e.g., patient-provider communication where patients send health data to their providers). Read more about findings from four systematic reviews:
Additional Resources: Highlighted Resources
Future of Health: Advancing Appropriate Use of Telehealth within Medical Specialties - Published by American Medical Association (AMA) this resource includes links to various resources and toolkits and addresses: 1) Common uses of digital health across medical specialties, such as cardiology, emergency medicine, family medicine, hematology, internal medicine, neurology, OBGYN, oncology, and pediatrics; 2) Clinical guidelines and appropriate use of telehealth services; 3) Key challenges (e.g., physician payment, broadband and technology access, privacy and security, medical legal and licensure, clinician education, and workflow); and 4) Next steps.
Telehealth for Chronic Conditions - HHS
Synchronous and asynchronous telehealth options to help manage chronic health conditions.
The resources below are available from Health and Human Services (HHS) and provide real-world applications of telehealth options, some with descriptions and tips.
Resources for Patients to Manage Chronic Health Conditions - HHS (HSRA)
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Disaster Response
Telemental Health Toolkits for
First Responders and Clinicians!
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As the number and intensity of wildfires increase in California, particularly in rural communities, it is important to consider telehealth and other tools to provide mental health services to first responders.
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