Announcement: Seeking provider participants for new telehealth pilot 

Jul 15, 2022

Background  

In June 2021, the Maine Department of Health and Human Services (DHHS) received $32 million grant funding through a National Initiative to Address COVID-19 Health Disparities Among Populations at High-Risk and Underserved, Including Racial and Ethnic Minority Populations and Rural Communities. The funds awarded to the Department are focused on addressing disparities in the prevention and treatment of COVID-19 and advancing health equity (e.g., through strategies, interventions, and services that consider systemic barriers and potentially discriminatory practices that have put certain groups at higher risk for diseases like COVID-19) in racial and ethnic minority groups and rural populations within the State. 

Program Summary 

With a portion of these funds, the Department seeks to establish a 1-year pilot program, facilitated by the Northeast Telehealth Resource Center, to implement the Maine eConsult Network (MEeCN)*, supporting electronic consultations (eConsults) between primary care and specialist clinicians. Electronic consultations, (eConsults), use a web-based system that allows a primary care provider (PCP) and a specialist to securely share health information and electronically communicate about patient care. The provider-to-provider eConsult system reduces the need for unnecessary specialty referrals and physical trips for specialist visits as patient’s needs are resolved through the PCP with appropriate input from specialists. The goal of implementing the MEeCN is to reduce disparities and improve access to specialty expertise, particularly in rural areas. This effort will provide support for the following activities: 

• Develop eConsult processes, protocols, and infrastructure to pilot implementation of the MEeCN system with up to 10 primary care organizations across the state  

• Identify and recruit specialty providers to provide eConsult services to MEeCN affiliated primary care providers  

• Promote access to care for those populations most impacted by COVID-19, including populations living in rural and medically underserved areas, where barriers to access to health care have been exacerbated by the COVID-19 pandemic. These populations also include those experiencing symptoms of COVID-19 and healthcare challenges associated with long COVID. 

Interested primary care pilot participants are invited to complete an application which will be reviewed and scored by the Northeast Telehealth Resource Center in collaboration with Maine DHHS. Selection will be based on several factors, including the applicant organization’s need for specialist support, rurality, capacity to serve diverse and high-needs populations, and leadership buy-in. Application can be found here and must be completed by 5:00pm ET on Friday, August 12, 2022. Applicants and others interested in this pilot are invited to attend one of the upcoming information sessions introducing them to the program and the partners supporting the program, which include:  

• Maine DHHS  

• Northeast Telehealth Resource Center (NETRC)   

• ConferMED • Maine Rural Health Research Center 

Below are the times and preliminary agenda for each 1-hour session:  

• Tuesday, August 2nd 12pm-1pm  

• Wednesday, August 3rd 12pm-1pm  

• Thursday, August 4th 12pm-1pm 

Click here to register  

Please feel free to send questions ahead of time by emailing them to Caren Bishop. For more information, please visit www.eConsultMaine.org. We look forward to working together with partners throughout the State of Maine to expand access to timely specialty care for our rural and/or underserved communities. 

Best Regards,  

The NETRC Team  

*The Maine eConsult Network (MEeCN) was initialized through the Rural Health Network Development Planning Program, supported by grant number P10RH37483 from the Health Resources and Services Administration (HRSA) of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS).