MTA

Overview

Multicultural Telehealth Alliance (MTA) vision – In this highly unregulated area of healthcare delivery our vision is to ensure culturally competent, accessible, and affordable care to all communities in the US and Abroad.

What is Multicultural Telehealth Alliance (MTA)?

The Multicultural Telehealth Alliance (MTA) is a research and professional development program that considers issues of race and ethnicity, class, gender, and sexual orientation as they influence the development of telehealth and telemedicine services.

MTA’s mission is to educate, and empower consumers and healthcare providers about the value of cultural competence in telehealth care, through research, training programs, and the creation of best practices.

Program Structure

MTA’s leadership consists of organizational, institutional, and community leaders who volunteer time and lend their expertise to ensure sustainability of MTA’s educational and research programs.

For further questions please contact office for a consultant or to join membership 1-888-515-AHCP (2427).

What is Telemedicine/Telehealth?

Telemedicine — the U.S. Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services define telemedicine, for purposes of Medicaid, as a system to improve a patient’s health by permitting two-way, real time interactive communication between the patient, and the physician or practitioner at the distant site. This electronic communication means the use of interactive telecommunications equipment that includes, at a minimum, audio and video equipment. Telemedicine is viewed as a cost-effective alternative to the more traditional face-to-face way of providing medical care (e.g., face-to-face consultations or examinations between provider and patient) that states can choose to cover under Medicaid.

Telehealth — the U.S. Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services define telehealth as: the use of telecommunications and information technology to provide access to health assessment, diagnosis, intervention, consultation, supervision and information across distance. Telehealth includes such technologies as telephones, facsimile machines, electronic mail systems, and remote patient monitoring
devices, which are used to collect and transmit patient data for monitoring and interpretation. While they do not meet the Medicaid definition of telemedicine they are often considered under the broad umbrella of telehealth services. Even though such technologies are not considered “telemedicine,” they may nevertheless be covered and reimbursed as part of a Medicaid coverable service, such as laboratory
service, x-ray service or physician services (under Section 1905(a) of the Social Security Act).