Evaluating Telehealth Services

The Oregon Office of HIT www.oregon.gov/oha/ohit/pages/index.aspx contracted with the Telehealth Alliance of Oregon (TAO) www.ortelehealth.org to evaluate telehealth services available in the state.

TAO, a non-profit membership organization is open to telehealth service providers, suppliers of equipment, software, healthcare insurance providers, or anyone interested in improving healthcare through telecommunications.

The TAO provides resources to healthcare providers to help evaluate and select equipment and software needed to provide services, planning, developing and managing telehealth programs. Plus information is provided on telehealth policies along with information on regulations at the State and Federal levels.

TAO also works with providers, payers, telecommunications providers, planning agencies, and policy makers in order to promote collaborations to improve access to services and the delivery of telehealth services.

TAO’s www.ortelehealth.org/content/Oregon-telehealth-services-inventory-portal Inventory Portal includes an inventory of available providers and services in Oregon now available through a searchable web portal along with an assessment of the current status of telehealth in the state. The Inventory Portal also presents a review of state and national laws and policies for telehealth.

The portal is searchable by provider, service types, geographic regions, reimbursement methods, and also allows the user to refine their search to meet specific needs. The portal has a data display page and a geographic display.

The portal assists both those providing telehealth services as well as those seeking services. Telehealth providers can use the portal to determine where their services might be needed and then market to that specific area and population.