Telemedicine Workgroup Meeting Highlights | 1-21-21

NY Hep C Telemedicine Workgroup – Meeting Notes

Thursday January 21, 2021 (10 – 11 AM) via Webinar

In attendance at this meeting: See below notes

Next Meeting: Thursday, March 18 – 10:00AM

Workgroup Chair: Andrew Talal, MD, University at Buffalo, ahtalal@buffalo.edu

Overview of Council on Addiction Recovery Services (CAReS) and the Challenges and Opportunities in Rural Substance Use Disorder Service Delivery

 Michael Prutsman, Executive Director of CAReS – mprutsman@councilonaddiction.org

• See presentation here
• Upstate substance use treatment provider, providing inpatient and outpatient services, some services via telehealth. Provides HCV testing, is interested in providing linkage to HCV treatment services via telehealth or in-person.
• Mount Sinai Reach, REACH and START shared HCV telemedicine treatment implementation program development. Group would like to expand these models.

Policy Updates

Katy Cook, Telehealth Project Manager at Adirondack Health Institute – kcook@ahihealth.org

• Governor Cuomo’s proposed comprehensive telehealth reform looks to permit:
  • telephonic delivery of care
  • interstate licensure
  • allowing certain unlicensed staff to deliver substance use disorder services via telehealth
  • eliminating obsolete location requirements
  • expanding reimbursement for patient monitoring
  • requiring telehealth in commercial insurance
  • expanding covered telehealth providers
  • integrating telehealth into Statewide Health Information Network for New York
  • expanding access to mental health and addiction services
• NYS Telemedicine Training Portal

Project Updates

Pruthvi Patel, MD, Mount Sinai – patel@mountsinai.org

• HCV Telemedicine Implementation during COVID-19 Study
  • Survey ready to be sent out to NYS providers
• Letter to NYS Medicaid, OASAS and Governor promoting increased access to HCV treatment in substance use programs
  • Received response from OASAS of general support
• Hepatitis B and C Telemedicine Treatment Referral Guide Development
  • NYC Health Department will develop a brief survey to populate
  • NYS DOH Provider Directory planning to add HCV Telemedicine Services indicator, can encourage providers to update their listing

Telemedicine Resources

• Hep Free NYC Telehealth Resources
• Hep C_Telemedicine Implementation Guide for Substance Use Treatment Programs 2020 
• NYS DOH Provider Directory
• NYS Telemedicine Training Portal

Attendance

1. Alvin Chu, MA, MPH, START Treatment and Recovery Centers, achu@startny.org
2. Andrew Reynolds, areynoldshcv@gmail.com
3. Andrew Talal, MD, SUNY Research Foundation, ahtalal@buffalo.edu
4. Angelica Ramirez, Mount Sinai, angelica.ramirez@mountsinai.org
5. Arpan Dharia, SUNY, adharia@buffalo.edu
6. Arslan Mohamed, NYCDOHMH, amohamed1@health.nyc.gov
7. Carmelita Cruz, OASAS, carmelita.cruz@oasas.ny.gov
8. Clotide Monguya, African Hope Committee, monguyamd@gmail.com
9. Colleen Flanigan, RN, NYS DOH, colleen.flanigan@health.ny.gov
10. Dan Shappee, AbbVie, Daniel.shappee@abbvie.com
11. Deborah Brown, Bureau of Hepatitis Health Care, NYSDOH, AIDS Institute, deborah.brown@health.ny.gov
12. Frank Winter, CMS, frank.winter@cms.hhs.gov
13. Heather Anderson, Gilead Science, heather.anderson2@gilead.com
14. Jeff Weiss, REACH, jeffrey.weiss@mountsinai.org
15. Jessie Schwartz, NYCDOHMH, jschwartz2@health.nyc.gov
16. Joy Cambe, Empire Liver Foundation, joycambe@empireliverfoundation.org
17. Julia Hunter, julia.hunter@nyuhs.org
18. Justine Waldman, Reach Medical, jwaldman@reachmed.org
19. Kathleen Davis, University of Rochester Medical Center, Kathleen_davis@urmc.rochester.edu
20. Katy Cook, AHI, kcook@ahihealth.org
21. Lia Alleyne, NYCDOHMH, lalleyne@health.nyc.gov
22. Marc Badura, SUNY, mbadura@buffalo.edu
23. Marie Hardy, Mount Sinai, marie.hardy@mountsinai.org
24. Mavis Bailey, START Treatment and Recovery Centers, mbailey@startny.org
25. Meg Chappell, MPH, Empire Liver Foundation, megchapell@empireliverfoundation.org
26. Michael Prutsman, Council on Addiction Recovery Services, mprustman@councilonaddiction.org
27. Nadine Kela-Murphy, MPH, NYC DOHMH, nkelamurphy@health.nyc.gov
28. Nirah Johnson, LCSW, NYC DOHMH, njohnso2@health.nyc.gov
29. Pat Lincourt, NYS OASAS, pat.lincourt@oasas.ny.gov
30. Pruthvi Patel, Empire Liver Foundation, pruthvi.patel@mountsinai.org
31. Sandeep Krishnan, MedTech, sandeep.krishnan@medtecintl.com

Last Updated on February 19, 2025 by HepFree NYC