Sioux Falls, Sept. 17, 2020 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- The American Board of Telehealth (ABT) has launched the CORE Concepts in Telehealth Certificate Program.
This is the first certificate made available by the newly formed ABT. The CORE – Clinical, Operational, Regulatory and Ethics – curriculum includes seven online modules, taking the learner through interactive, engaging content and case scenarios.
“In light of COVID-19, when so many organizations are now looking to offer telehealth, it’s important to have a standard to ensure everyone is practicing this mode of care in the highest quality,” said Walter Panzirer, a Trustee of the Helmsley Charitable Trust and member of the Founding Board of ABT.
Among consumers, telehealth use climbed from 11% in 2019 to 46% of consumers using telehealth to replace cancelled health care visits as of May 2020, according to a study by McKinsey & Company. Providers report 50 to 175 times the number of telehealth visits, according to research by Stanford University. And within just two months, Medicare primary care visits provided via telehealth skyrocketed from 0.1% in February to 43.5% in April, reports the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services.
The online, self-paced CORE program provides a comprehensive curriculum enabling the learner to develop knowledge of telehealth concepts for successful implementation and delivery across a broad spectrum of service areas. The content is CME-accredited and is the gold standard of telehealth education in the health sector. Modules cover the following topics:
- Introduction to Telehealth
- Technology
- Telepresence
- Licensing, Credentialing and Privileging
- Legal, Regulatory and Quality
- Reimbursement/Parity
- Ethics
Learners can register for the course and access course materials at an ABT Education Hub on AmericanBoardofTelehealth.org.
The certificate course is open to anyone and is appropriate for physicians, health care professionals, administrators, students, or others who are interested or involved at some level in telehealth.
“Just as there is an art to medicine, there is an art to telemedicine,” said Kelly Rhone, MD, FACEP, Avera eCARE Medical Director for Outreach and Innovation and member of the Founding Board of ABT. “The ever-changing landscape of technology as well as regulatory, legal and ethical considerations create complexities that make adopting this form of practice seem overwhelming. This training was developed with the input of top experts in telemedicine and is designed to promote high-quality care through telemedicine or other forms of health care technology.”
ABT is a new national entity created to improve and ensure the quality of telehealth by developing high-quality, evidence-based education in the practice of telemedicine. ABT’s first certificate program is being launched with the publication of validated telehealth competency development with Harvard Medical Faculty Physician Group. ABT will develop future CME-accredited educational tracks for virtual care delivery and telehealth integration.
Overarching initiatives for the ABT are education and training, as well as advocacy for the highest standards of virtual care delivery and telehealth integration. Its board of advisors includes telehealth experts with a broad range of experience in patient care, health care policy, business, technology and community service.
The board and certificate program are supported by generous grant funding from the Leona M. and Harry B. Helmsley Charitable Trust.
“Telehealth is the way of the future. Way before the pandemic, we knew it was a way to address shortages of physicians and specialists, especially in rural areas. Because it allows people to access specialty care and lifesaving intervention, we need to make telehealth more available to more people in more places,” Panzirer said. “The American Board of Telehealth and this CORE curriculum will help to accomplish all these goals and so we encourage anyone who has interest or involvement in telehealth – whether as a student, medical professional or administrator – to take advantage of this educational opportunity.”
Learn more at AmericanBoardofTelehealth.org
About the American Board of Telehealth
The American Board of Telehealth (ABT) is promoting a strategic vision for the advancement of high-quality, evidence-based telehealth education. The board is focused on providing education and training to validate the knowledge needed to succeed in telehealth and virtual care delivery. Education and certificate programs include in-person and online learning opportunities developed with telehealth experts from across the care continuum, as well as discipline-specific and specialty focused telehealth content. To learn more, please visit AmericanBoardofTelehealth.org.
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