Sept. 17, 2020

A certificate program in telehealth developed by a board consisting of Avera eCARE representatives, Harvard University medical faculty physicians and others has been launched nationally.

The American Board of Telehealth, or ABT, launched the CORE Concepts in Telehealth Certificate Program. The CORE curriculum, which stands for  Clinical, Operational, Regulatory and Ethics, includes seven online modules, taking the learner through interactive content and case scenarios.

The program and the board itself were funded by the Leona M. and Harry B. Helmsley Charitable Trust.

“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,” Walter Panzirer, a trustee of the Helmsley Charitable Trust and member of the founding board of ABT, said in a statement.

Among consumers, telehealth use climbed from 11 percent in 2019 to 46 percent as of May 2020 because of canceled clinic visits in the midst of the coronavirus pandemic, according to a study by McKinsey & Co. 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 percent in February to 43.5 percent in April, according to the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services.

The online, self-paced CORE program is approved for Continuing Medical Education credits and calls itself 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

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 Dr. Kelly Rhone, 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.

“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.”