As the pandemic continues, telehealth appointments have become essential to health care, including pain management. But there is still a lot of uncertainty about how to use telehealth, what services can be provided virtually, what telehealth costs, and more.
Despite the uncertainty, patients want and need access to telehealth. According to our August survey of 1,581 people with pain, about 90% would like telehealth to continue beyond COVID-19.
Below, we highlight a special telehealth event on Nov. 10 as well as a collection of telehealth-related resources and links.
Upcoming event
On Nov. 10 at noon ET, the Protecting Access to Pain Relief (PAPR) Coalition will host a webinar, “New Future of Pain Management Through Telehealth.”
Cindy Steinberg, U.S. Pain’s National Director of Policy and Advocacy, will speak alongside Mei Kwong, JD, Executive Director, Center for Connected Health Policy, National Consortium of Telehealth Resource Centers; Robert Blaser, Director of Public Policy, Renal Physicians Association; and Crozer Connor, Senior Legislative Assistant/Health Policy Lead, Office of Representative Mike Thompson (D-CA), Co-Chair, Congressional Telehealth Caucus.
The webinar will discuss the use of telehealth by providers to help patients with their pain; combating barriers to use of telehealth, especially for older Americans and vulnerable populations; the Department of Health and Human Services’ expansion of authorities related to telehealth in the COVID crisis; the future of telehealth during and after COVID; and more.
U.S. Pain telehealth resources
- A printable handout about what telehealth is.
- A webinar with Jeffrey Fudin, PharmD, “Pain care during COVID: A Q&A about telehealth.”
- A follow-up Q&A about telehealth in our blog, written by Dr. Fudin.
- A blog with tips for talking to your doctor via telemedicine by Gwenn Herman, LCSW, DCSW.
- A blog on four ways to maximize telehealth by Janet Jay.
- Our COVID-19 information page about treatment interruptions.
Additional telehealth resources
- Information about telehealth from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention
- Information about insurers’ response to COVID-19 from America’s Health Insurance Plans
- Information about prescriptions for controlled substances over telehealth from the Drug Enforcement Agency
- Information about Medicare and telehealth from the Centers for Medicaid and Medicare Services