Telehealth Grants – Opportunities and Applications

Last Updated on January 29, 2024 by Lori Pace

There are Grants for Telehealth that help protect the health and safety of Americans. Using Telehealth has been popular these last few years due to its digital information and communication technologies. These grants increase access to telehealth, allowing individuals to manage their health and get the essential services they need right away. You can get a diagnosis, treatment of common diseases, consultations about new symptoms, and management of chronic diseases through telehealth.

Telehealth Grants – Goals

Telehealth is also known as m-health (mobile healthcare) and e-health (electronic health). These grants have the following objectives:

1. Provide healthcare to rural and isolated communities.
2. Service or convenience that is accessible to people with limited mobility, time or transport options.
3. Offer access to medical specialists.
4. Improve communication and coordination between members of a healthcare team and patients.
5. Support self-management of healthcare.

Benefits of Telehealth

Telehealth research is still new, but it improves the quality of life. These telehealth services are available for health care.

1. Patient Portal – This secure online tool allows you to communicate with your online doctor or nurse and request prescription refills, review test results, summarize previous visits, and schedule appointments.
2. Virtual Appointments – Some clinics offer virtual appointments by video conferencing that allows patients to continue receiving care even if an in-person visit is not possible. Virtual appointments are a way to recommend home care strategies, prescribe medication, and provide additional medical care.
3. Remote Monitoring – Doctors can remotely monitor patients’ health using a variety of technologies, including mobile or web-based apps, devices that wirelessly transmit and measure information, wearable devices, home monitor devices, and others. It reduces waiting times and prevents the need for unnecessary in-person referrals.
4. Personal Health Records (PHR) – This electronic personal record stores self-managed and maintained health information. Access to a PHR app can be made via the internet from any device that is web-enabled, including smartphones, tablets, laptops and computers. A PHR can be used to inform emergency personnel about vital information such as allergies, current diagnoses, medications, and so on.
5. Personal Health Apps – There are many apps and digital tools that can help people organize their medical information.

Federal Funding and Telehealth Grants

Federal agencies are often the largest source of telehealth grant funding. grants.gov has grant opportunities, but you must consider each agency’s mission statement.

Health Resources Services Administration (HRSA)

Under the administration of HRSA, there are many funds available for telehealth programs through the Federal Office of Rural Health Policy (FORHP). Telehealth is essential for remote and rural areas where there are not enough health care services.

The Office for the Advancement of Telehealth offers funding to support and improve telehealth technology in rural areas. It provides education, health care delivery and information services. Visit the following link to see the list of current programs and learn more about federal support. Telehealth.HHS.gov .

Telehealth Network Grant Program (TNGP)

TNGP aims at improving healthcare services and networks for medically underserved populations. The purpose of TNGP is to:

1. Increase the quality and availability of health care services, as well as training for healthcare professionals.
2. Increase the quality of information on health for patients and their families, as well as health care providers.

Currently, TNGPs promote the use of rural Tele-emergency Services where 24-hour Emergency Department consultations will be provided via telehealth and without the need for emergency care specialists.

Evidence-Based Tele-Behavioral Health Network Program (EB THNP)

EB THNP aims at making telehealth networks available to:

1. Access to mental health services for rural and frontier communities
2. For evaluation of the effectiveness of tele-behavioral healthcare by conducting evaluations.

National Telehealth Resource Center Program (NTRC)

The NTRC supports telehealth technical support delivered by Regional Telehealth Resource Center Program recipients (RTRC). The NTRC focuses its efforts on:

1. Training
2. Information dissemination and research findings
3. Supporting effective collaboration
4. Encouragement of the use of telehealth technology in rural areas and those who are medically underserved.

Regional Telehealth Resource Center Program (RTRC)

Regionally situated RTRCs facilitate grant activities at local levels. This is to provide customized telehealth technical support, so that all resources are equally distributed.

Telehealth Centers of Excellence (COE)

The COE evaluates the effectiveness of telehealth services both in rural and urban areas. It finds that financial self-sufficiency is possible in areas where medical centers offer telehealth services.

Telehealth Focused Rural Health Research Center Cooperative Agreement (TF RHRC)

Two distinct centres are part of the TF RHRC Program: one is evaluation-focused, and the other is evidence-focused.

The evaluation-focused TF RHRC performs and maintains a comprehensive evaluation of all telehealth investments nationwide. The evidence-focused TF RHRC also conducts clinically-informed and policy-relevant health service research. This helps to expand the evidence base for rural telehealth.

Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA) Grants for Telehealth

Telehealth grants offer a new way to provide behavioural health care. And they are also designed to address the problems that have led to a crisis in accessing treatment for addiction and mental health.

Certified Community Behavioral Health Clinics are a sustainable financing model for care delivery. To encourage the use of telemedicine and expand access to services, the SAMHSA accepts CCBHC Expansion Grants.

Telehealth Grants of National Institute of Health (NIH)

The NIH’s National Institute of Biomedical Imaging and Bioengineering supports technology development. Moreover, it is responsible for the early development and support of telehealth technologies.

Digital Health – Mobile Health and Telehealth Program supports the development and integration of wireless technologies. This program also allows for the digital delivery of healthcare information to monitor health and disease status.

In short, it is essential to integrate and develop mobile health technology that meets clinical needs for daily living and wellness.

Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC)

CDC creates telehealth programs for rural communities in order to provide care in new ways. The National Center for Chronic Disease Prevention and Health Promotion (NCCDPHP) employs a telehealth approach to lower healthcare barriers for rural residents who are unable to drive or have limited mobility.

CDC supports telehealth programs that help rural residents with chronic diseases prevention, specialist care and management programs.

Stroke Care and Cardiac Rehabilitation

The CDC oversees the Division for Heart Disease and Stroke Prevention in promoting telehealth. In short, this method helps reduce stroke risk factors and heart disease in rural areas by using videoconferencing to connect with specialists in stroke centres.

The Paul Coverdell National Acute Stroke Program funds the state health departments and hospitals offering telestroke. This is to reduce deaths, improve the outcomes, and also collect information to understand the proper use of telestroke services.

There is also home-based cardiac rehabilitation that reaches rural residents to overcome barriers. This involves applications and devices, and that would help professionals supervise and interact with their patients.

Diabetes Management and Prevention

The CDC oversees the Diabetes Self-Management Education and Support (DSMES) services in helping the rural and urban people manage their diabetes. This program aims to improve health and reduce diabetes complications without spending too much on it. However, only 38% of rural communities participate in DSMES services.

There is also the National Diabetes Prevention Program (National DPP) that offers affordable evidence-based lifestyle change through telehealth. This program aims to prevent or delay type-2 diabetes.

Vision Care for Diabetic Patients

CDC has telehealth projects that screens eye diseases of those in rural areas, because blindness is one of the major complications caused by diabetes.

Tobacco Cessation

CDC funds a program that provides tobacco use cessation services because tobacco affects the health of people in rural areas.

Epilepsy Management

CDC offers an Epilepsy Program funding telehealth interventions and reduces barriers like transportation. There are also Epilepsy self-managements programs which are: Project UPLIFT (Using Practice and Learning to Increase Favorable Thoughts) and HOBSCOTCH (HOme-Based Self-management and COgnitive Training CHanges lives). There is also a tele-mentoring program, also known as Project ECHO (Extension for Community Healthcare Outcomes).

Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality (AHRQ)

Telehealth was able to expand its technology and offer more training opportunities, as well as a greater range of treatment options for consumers and healthcare providers. For more information, visit https://www.ahrq.gov/topics/telehealth.html

Conclusion about Telehealth Grants

Telehealth has revolutionized healthcare delivery, particularly in rural areas. It is designed to address the healthcare needs of consumers.

Furthermore, you can use telehealth grants to help improve the quality and accessibility of healthcare. These funding programs allow for greater accessibility and efficiency. It helps overcome geographical barriers, decrease the need for travel, provide clinical support, offer various communication devices, and improve patient outcomes.

In conclusion, telehealth is a powerful tool for improving the quality of healthcare delivery for all populations.