As of January 2021, Washington healthcare professionals offering telemedicine services are required to complete telemedicine training. The purpose of the requirement is to inform practitioners of telemedicine definitions, regulations, and best practices. The Washington State Telehealth Collaborative has created and made publicly available a “Washington State Telehealth Training” to ensure all health care professionals can fulfil this requirement.
What is the WA Telehealth Collaborative?
The Collaborative consists of a group of twenty-two statewide experts on telehealth, and four state legislators, two from each chamber and party. The Collaborative was created in 2016 after the passage of SB 6519, which recognized of a dedicated group to provide guidance, research, and recommendations for the advancement of telemedicine and the benefit of professionals providing care through telemedicine.
The group meets every 6-8 weeks. Meetings are open to the public and time is reserved at the end of every meeting for public comments and questions. For upcoming meeting details and previous meeting minutes, please see the Upcoming Meetings page.
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The Washington State Telehealth Collaborative will advance excellence and innovation in telehealth for all Washington communities, improving access to high quality, safe and affordable health care in Washington State.
The Collaborative will provide a forum to improve the health of Washington residents through the collaboration and sharing of knowledge and health resources statewide and increasing public awareness of telehealth as a delivery mechanism. The Collaborative seeks to enable development and delivery of technology-assisted programs that promote access, sustainability, utilization and affordability of Telehealth services.
- Dr. John Scott – Chief Digital Health Officer, UW Medicine, Collaborative Chair
- Sen. Annette Cleveland – 49th Legislative District, Washington
- Rep. Marcus Riccelli – 3rd District, Washington
- Rep. Joe Schmick – 9th District, Washington
- Sen. Ron Muzzall – 10th District, Washington
- Heidi Brown – Outreach and Digital Health Director, Providence Health Care
- Dr. Chris Cable – Senior Medical Director, Kaiser Permanente Washington
- Jae Coleman– Director of Product Development, Cambia Health Solutions/Regence BlueCross Blue Shield
- Stephanie Cowan – ARNP, DNP Clinical Care Director –Virtual Health, MultiCare Health System
- Stacia Fisher – MSW, LICSW, ACM, Director – Behavioral Health for Virtual Care & Digital Health – Providence Health Care
- Kai Neander – Director – Digital & Virtual Health – EvergreenHealth
- Dr. Kathy Li – Emergency Physician, UW Medicine, Washington American College of Emergency Physicians
- Amy Pearson – RN Operations Manager – Virtual Ambulatory, Virginia Mason Franciscan Health
- Dr. Frances Gough – Chief Medical Officer, Molina Healthcare of Washington
- Lisa Woodley – System Manager – Health IT Compliance Oversight, CommonSpirit Health
- Preet Kaur – Legislative Policy Manager – Congressional and Legislative Affairs – Premera Blue Cross
- Clark Hansen – Managing Director of Advocacy – ALS Association Northwest Territory
- Dr. Philip Reilly – Medical Director – Seattle Clinic, Sea Mar Community Health Centers
- Dr. Geoff Jones – Family Physician, Newport Community Hospital
- Dr. Scott Kennedy – Chief Medical Officer, Olympic Medical Center
- Dr. Mark Lo – Medical Director Telehealth and Digital Health, Seattle Children’s Hospital
- Adam Romney – Partner, David Wright Tremaine, LLP
- Cara Towle – RN MSN MA, Associate Director Integrated Care Training Program & Psychiatry Consultation Program, UW Medicine
- Lori Wakashige – Program Director, Regional Outreach & Telehealth, Legacy Health
Non-Voting Members
- Joelle Fathi, DNP, RN, ANP-BC, Clinical Associate Professor, School of Nursing; Program Director, Adult Gerontology Acute Care Nurse Practitioner Program, University of Washington
- Emily Stinson – Supervisor of Healthcare Policy and Payment Methods Health Services Analysis, Labor & Industries
Training Information
What does the state law require exactly?
State law requires all health care professionals, excluding physicians and osteopathic physicians, offering telemedicine services to complete telemedicine training, whose content is compliant with state guidelines.
Telemedicine is defined as “the delivery of health care services through the use of interactive audio and video technology, permitting real-time communication between the patient at the originating site and the provider, for the purpose of diagnosis, consultation, or treatment. “Telemedicine” includes the use of audio-only telephone, but does not include facsimile or email.” (RCW 70.41.020)
Health care professional is defined as “a person licensed, registered, or certified to provide health services.” (SB 6061) However, physicians and osteopathic physicians are excluded from the requirement.
What training options are available?
WA Health care professionals can either complete:
- A training developed internally by their own employers/institutions/hospitals etc. that covers the material laid out in the alternative training guidelines.
- The approved publically available training developed by the WA Telehealth Collaborative, or for Behavioral Health professionals, the telemedicine training by the Behavioral Health
Who is required to take the training?
Beginning January 1, 2021, all health care professionals offering telemedicine services must complete compliant telemedicine training, excluding physicians and osteopathic physicians. However, the Collaborative strongly recommends physicians complete training as well. For more guidance, please refer to your regulating body.
Health care professionals offering telemedicine services for the first time after June 30, 2021, are required to complete telemedicine training prior to offering those services.
How will this law be enforced?
It is up to the individual professional to remain compliant with their licensing requirements. The telehealth training requirement is similar to the Suicide Prevention training passed in 2017. A certificate of completion is available for trainees who choose to complete the WA State Telehealth Training and need proof of completion for their records or employers.
What constitutes an attestation?
The bill states the health care professional shall sign and retain an attestation. For the trainings developed by the Telehealth Collaborative and the Behavioral Health Institute, the certificate at the end of the training meetings this purpose. However, every health organization/system/clinic is responsible for creating their own tracking system for their health care professionals. For systems developing their own internal, or “alternative” training, the minimum requirement is to have proof an individual attested to completing telemedicine training in the event of litigation – this can be as simple as having the trainee check a box or having a sign in sheet.
The Medical Healthcare Professional Telemedicine Training is hosted by the Northwest Regional Telehealth Resource Center’s Canvas training platform. In order to access the training you will need to create a free Canvas account. The training should take approximately 30 – 45 min.
Instructions for how to set up your NRTRC Canvas Account to access the training
Commonly Asked Questions
Do I need to pay a fee to access the training? No, the training is free and publicly available. You will have to create a free account with NRTRC’s Canvas platform.
Who do I contact if I have technical issues during the training? There are support features built into Canvas. If you have difficulty setting up your NRTRC Canvas account, please call the Canvas Support Hotline at (877) 246-7456.
Is this training accessible in other language and to visually impaired trainees? Yes, the training content includes an “Immersive Reader” audio feature for visually impaired trainees that can be translated into a variety of languages. Unfortunately, this feature is not available for the quizzes and post-test, but they are compatible with screen reading software. Directions on how to use the Immersive reader can be found on the landing page on the Home page of the training.
The Telehealth Collaborative and UW’s Behavioral Health Institute collaborated to create the TeleBehavioral Health 101 Training. The training is divided into a six part series, and while professionals are encouraged to complete the entire series, completion of the first session alone will meet the State telehealth training requirements. As of December 2020, only one session has been posted to the training site.
Many hospitals and other health care organizations prefer to develop their own internal telemedicine training that includes their internal structures, workflows, and platforms. As long as the content listed in the Alternative Training Guidelines document are included and the institutions have a way to track who has completed the training, these internal trainings meet the requirement of the state law. Additionally, these are not restricted to digital learning management systems and can include but are not limited to: training offered by healthcare facilities, continuing education courses, or trainings developed by a health care professional board or commission.
Alternative Training Guidelines – This document outlines the minimum content that must be included in a health organization’s telemedicine training to be compliant with state law. Health organizations are welcome to add additional information to their trainings that would benefit their health care professionals.
Reference Copy of State Telemedicine Training – This document is a reference version of the WA State Telemedicine Training for organizations looking to develop their own internal trainings. If you are building out your own training, we recommend adding information relevant to your own institution and professional needs as the language and materials included in the state training are for a broad range of specialties.
Telehealth Resources
Washington State Hospital Association. The Washington State Hospital Association works to improve the health of all Washington state residents by being active on key issues of policy and quality. The Triple Aim guides our members and our work, as we strive to improve the patient experience, improve the health of populations and reduce the cost of health care.
Association of Washington Public Hospital Districts. The Association of Washington Public Hospital Districts has served as the trade association for Washington State’s public hospital districts since 1952. The Association’s activities can generally be divided into two categories: education and advocacy.
American Telemedicine Association. ATA is a non-profit association based in Washington DC with a membership network of more than 10,000 industry leaders and healthcare professionals. We are a leading telehealth association helping to transform healthcare by improving the quality, equity and affordability of healthcare throughout the world.
Northwest Regional Telehealth Resource Center. NRTRC provides technical assistance, program support, education and information to Telehealth Networks in our seven-state region. Our staff members have strong backgrounds in multiple aspects of Telehealth and access to a wide range of Telehealth experts throughout the United States. Our primary mission is to increase the use of Telehealth service throughout the region, especially to underserved populations. To achieve that goal, we provide no-cost assistance to Telehealth providers.
Idaho Telehealth Alliance. In March of 2014 HCR 46 was passed in the Idaho legislative session direction Health and Welfare to appoint a new Telehealth Planning Council. That legislation states: “…directing the Department of Health and Welfare to convene a Council to coordinate and develop a comprehensive set of standards, policies, rules and procedures for the use of Telehealth and Telemedicine in Idaho.”
Telehealth Alliance of Oregon. The Telehealth Alliance of Oregon (TAO) is a non-profit membership organization. Membership is open to anyone interested in supporting the mission and goals of the organization. TAO welcomes telehealth service providers, organizations interested in providing telehealth services,
Telehealth Resource Centers. Telehealth Resource Centers (TRCs) have been established to provide assistance, education and information to organizations and individuals who are actively providing or interested in providing medical care at a distance. Our simple charter from the Office for Advancement of Telehealth is to assist in expanding the availability of health care to underserved populations. And because we are federally funded, the assistance we provide is generally free of charge.
Agency for Healthcare Research & Quality (AHRQ). The Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality (AHRQ) is the lead Federal agency charged with improving the safety and quality of America’s health care system. AHRQ develops the knowledge, tools, and data needed to improve the health care system and help Americans, health care professionals, and policymakers make informed health decisions.
California Telehealth Network. CTN is California’s leading agency focusing on increasing access to healthcare, including telehealth, telemedicine and health information exchange, through the innovative use of technology.
Center for Telehealth & eHealth Law. The Center for Telehealth and e-Health Law (CTeL) has established itself as the “go-to” legal and regulatory telehealth organization – providing vital support to the community on topics such as: physician and nurse licensure; credentialing and privileging; Medicare and Medicaid reimbursement; and private insurance payment policies.
VA Telehealth Services. VA Telehealth Services uses health informatics, disease management and telehealth technologies to target care and case management to improve access to care, improving the health of veterans. Telehealth changes the location where health care services are routinely provided.
Center for Connected Health Policy. CCHP is dedicated to integrating telehealth virtual technologies into the health care system through advancing sound policy based on objective research and informed practices. CCHP actively researches and analyzes important telehealth policy issues, engages influential public and private sectors through analyses and reports, and provides key telehealth policy resources nationwide.
American Hospital Association. From emergency department care to remote patient monitoring for chronic care management and access to care from specialists, telehealth is changing the way health care is provided – both expanding patient access to routine and specialty care while improving patient satisfaction and outcomes. The AHA supports the expansion of patient access created by hospitals’ efforts to deliver high-quality and innovative telehealth services.
The Rural Health Hub. The Rural Health Information Hub, formerly the Rural Assistance Center, is funded by the Federal Office of Rural Health Policy to be a national clearinghouse on rural health issues. We are committed to supporting healthcare and population health in rural communities.
Federal Communications Commission. Connect2HealthFCC (#C2HFCC) is a senior-level, multi-disciplinary Task Force created by Chairman Tom Wheeler to move the needle on broadband and advanced health care technologies. Recognizing that technology innovations in clinical practice and care delivery are poised to fundamentally change the face of health care, C2HFCC is charged with exploring the intersection of broadband, advanced technology, and health. The Task Force will focus on further charting the broadband future of health and care. This will ensure that the FCC stays ahead of the health technology curve.
New Mexico TeleHealth Alliance. The NM Telehealth Alliance is a tax-exempt 501(c)(3) non-profit corporation dedicated to promoting telehealth solutions to deliver quality healthcare throughout the state. The Alliance is a network of members representing a broad spectrum of public and private healthcare organizations. We provide technical and program support to our members and enable them to effectively share resources. Our board members, officers, and executive director are all volunteers.
- Federal Telemedicine News
- Journal of Telemedicine & Telecare
- International Journal of Telemedicine & Applications
- Telemedicine & E-Health Journal
- Telemedicine.com
- Healthcare IT News
- Telehealth & Medicine Today
- mHealth Intelligence
- Home Health Technology News
- Health Policy
- Modern Healthcare
- Healthcare Informatics
While WSHA proudly hosts this website, the Telehealth Collaborative is an independent group, not affiliated with WSHA.