The COVID-19 pandemic has driven unprecedented innovation and adoption of telehealth over the past year. Telehealth has increased healthcare access to those around the world, especially in remote communities, those with transportation challenges, as well as individuals who experience limited physical mobility, chronic illness, or mental illness. Due to the pandemic and subsequent waivers in regulations and payment, telehealth appointments skyrocketed in 2020. Temporary policies, such as Medicare waivers, were introduced at the beginning of the pandemic to encourage individuals, with an emphasis on those at higher risk of contracting the virus, to stay home and turn to telephone or video medical appointments or utilizing remote monitoring devices to help manage chronic illnesses.
The evolving challenges of providing remote point of care support for vulnerable populations through telehealth and telemedicine is a global challenge, requiring changes in care practice, innovations in the use of technology, advances in clinician/patient communications, and rapid change in reimbursement, regulatory, and work force processes. This final Web Forum, presented by Mei Kwong of the Center for Connected Health Policy and Julie Bates of AARP California, and Trong Le of the California Primary Care Association, will highlight the promising opportunity and incentive to advance telehealth, ultimately transforming health care as we know it, both domestically as well as internationally.
Presenters
Mei Wa Kwong, JD
Executive Director
Center for Connected Health Policy
Sacramento, CA
Mei Wa Kwong is a nationally recognized expert on telehealth policy. In her current role at Center for Connected Health (CCHP),she works with the organization’s multitude of national and regional partners on telehealth issues and oversees CCHP’s projects, provides policy technical assistance to state and federal lawmakers, industry members, providers,…
Julie Bates, PhD
Associate State Director
AARP CA
Stockton, CA
Julie Bates is an Associate State Director for AARP California and has worked for AARP for 18 years. She holds a PhD in Gerontology from Concordia University Chicago. Julie represents AARP on the California Telehealth Policy Coalition. She is the outgoing chair of the California Telehealth Policy Coalition subcommittee on…
Trong Le, JD, MPH
Assistant Director of Policy
California Primary Care Association
Trong Le is the Assistant Director of Policy at the California Primary Care Association. He joined CPCA in 2019 to focus on FQHC/330 program and managed care issues. He previously served as a consultant with a national consulting firm, where he conducted qualitative and quantitative research and strategic analysis on…
Moderator
David Lindeman, PhD
Director Health, Center for Information Technology Research in the Interest of Society (CITRIS)
University of California Berkeley
Berkeley,CA
David Lindeman, PhD, is Director Health, Center for Information Technology Research in the Interest of Society (CITRIS), UC Berkeley, and Director, Center for Technology and Aging (CTA). Dr. Lindeman has worked in the fields of health care and long-term care for nearly 40 years as a health services researcher and…