As 2016 dawns, CAST is looking forward to seeing the U.S. Congress take definitive action to expand access to health care, and long-term services and supports, among older adults living in rural areas.
In particular, we’re watching 2 pieces of legislation that address the critical need for broadband service and telehealth technology in rural areas.
We’re working hard to ensure that whatever action Congress takes will help long-term and post-acute care (LTPAC) providers upgrade their technology infrastructure so they can reach out to rural older adults who otherwise might go without needed services and supports.
Telehealth Innovation and Improvement Act
First, we congratulate Senators Gary Peters (D-MI) and Cory Gardner (R-CO), who introduced the Telehealth Innovation and Improvement Act in December. This bill promises to expand Medicare coverage of telehealth by requiring that the Center for Medicare and Medicaid Innovation (CMMI) study whether telehealth can improve care and lower costs.
In this month’s article about S. 2343, I point out that this bill is a small step in the right direction. But we’re disappointed that it seems to focus only on hospitals.
We call on CMMI to fund telehealth demonstrations conducted by qualified providers well beyond hospitals, including housing with services, home health agencies, adult day health, Life Plan Communities (formerly CCRCs), and Life Plan at Home providers.
Rural Health Care Connectivity Act
We were very pleased to see the Senate Commerce Committee approve the Rural Health Care Connectivity Act in December. If passed by Congress, the bill would open the Federal Communications Commission’s Rural Health Care Program to skilled nursing facilities.
The Commerce Committee’s action allows the bill to be reported to the full Senate for future consideration. This means that nursing homes are one step closer to receiving federal support for telecommunications and broadband services. Read more about S. 1916 in this issue of Tech Time.
CAST Commission Report
The CAST Commissioners discussed a variety of technology-related topics at their Oct. 31 meeting in Boston. You can read about that discussion in our newest report: Understanding Market Drivers and Preparing for the Next Wave of Reforms.
The report, described in this issue of Tech Time, touches on the following issues:
- The next wave of policy reforms for long-term services and supports.
- Results of a survey of members conducted by CAST and PointClickCare, a LeadingAge Silver Partner with CAST focus.
- An analysis of usage of our strategic planning tool.
- User feedback on our Functional Assessment and Activity Monitoring Portfolio.
- CAST’s next tool, which will explore technology solutions for care planning and coordination.
Upcoming Deadlines and Opportunities
As you make your plans for 2016, I hope you will consider taking part in these important activities that have approaching deadlines.
- On-Time Pressure Ulcer Prevention Program (OTPP): We announced last month that nursing homes with electronic health records are invited to participate in the OPTT for 12 months. Find out more about this program during a webinar that takes place on Jan. 27. Only 50 nursing homes will be accepted into the program, which offers individualized technical assistance and education from a facilitator.
- LTPAC Health IT Summit: Consider presenting a session at the 2016 Long-Term and Post-Acute (LTPAC) Health Information Technology (IT) Summit, which takes place June 26-28, 2016 in Reston, VA. You have until Jan. 29 to submit your session abstract.
- CAST Sessions at PEAK: CAST will host 2 major technology-related sessions at LeadingAge’s upcoming PEAK Leadership Summit, which takes place March 14-16, 2015 at the Washington Marriott Wardman Park Hotel in Washington, DC. LeadingAge Partners, CAST Supporters, and CAST Business Associates will participate in the sessions, and in a new PEAK feature called BaseCamp. Read more about our PEAK sessions — and about BaseCamp — in this issue of Tech Time.
Also In This Issue
This issue of Tech Time is filled with lots of great news about LeadingAge Partners engaged with CAST, CAST Supporters, and CAST Business Associates.
We’re happy to see that the Virtual Senior Center (VSC) program, which CAST Patron Selfhelp Community Services launched in 2010, will be expanding to Pittsburgh this summer. VSC also operates in New York, Chicago, Baltimore, and San Diego.
Check out news about a small pilot project that evaluated outcomes associated with remote monitoring technology from CAST Business Associate Healthsense. Researchers found that older adults using remote monitoring sensor technology had about 50% fewer emergency department visits and hospitalizations than peers with similar health status but no in-home sensors.
I hope you will consider participating in 2 special events that are being hosted in January by CAST Business Associates Systems Engineering and CDW Healthcare. Read more about both events, and how to register, in our article.
Finally, check out the latest news from CAST Business Associates Caremerge, MatrixCare, American HealthTech/Healthland, and Keystone Technologies.
I hope you enjoy these and other articles in this issue of Tech Time. Please contact me with any questions for comments.