Writing this while surrounded by the fall colors on Election Day! I’m breathing a sigh of relief at the prospect of a mailbox, phone, and inbox finally free of campaign messages. Now comes the waiting—for election results and, in the telehealth world, a few consequential policy decisions.

We’re watching for the final Medicare Physician Fee Schedule, hopeful that CMS heard the concerns about proposed changes to remote patient monitoring reimbursement and requirements. We’re also awaiting clarity from the DEA about what comes next for telehealth prescribing of controlled medications, with the current temporary flexibilities set to expire at the end of the year. For clinicians and patients alike, these decisions have very real implications for access and continuity of care.



But while we wait for policy answers, there is plenty we can move forward together. At MATRC, we’re developing practical resources, creating opportunities to share expertise, and planning #MATRC2027. Here's a look at what's underway - and how you can get involved!

Help shape #MATRC2027! It takes a village to create a great Summit—and we’d love for you to be part of ours. We’re finalizing our planning committees, and there’s still time to join:

• Program Committee, including Behavioral Health and Rural Health track subgroups
• Outreach Committee
• Collaborator/Exhibitor Committee
• Breaking Barriers Award Review Committees

Bring your ideas, experience, and perspective to the planning table. Learn more or sign up here or click on the graphic!

Help grow the MATRC Project ECHO Library! Have ECHO recordings that could benefit from a wider audience? We're pilot testing a simple submission form for ECHO teams across our region. Submit your session title, a brief description, and a link to your cloud-hosted recording. Submissions will be reviewed before being added to the Library.


Interested in becoming a Project ECHO Partner or learning more? Contact Kathy Wibberly to get involved.

More accessible telehealth starts with better understanding. By the end of the grant year, we expect to have new video resources to help patients who are Deaf, hard-of-hearing, or DeafBlind navigate telehealth - and help providers deliver accessible, effective care for them.

Have a personal telehealth experience you'd be willing to share - the good, the challenging or the "we can do better"? We'd love to feature a few personal stories alongside the videos. Contact Kathy Wibberly if you're interested.

And for our public health and population health colleagues - we haven't forgotten you! An AI & Emerging Technology Toolkit focused on public and population health is in development. I'm grateful to the UVA medical student, MPH student and two public health faculty mentors helping bring this resource to life. I'm also grateful for our sister Telehealth Resource Center in New England for taking the content we develop and bringing it to life.

As the leaves - and the policy landscape - keep changing, thank you for helping us turn ideas into practical tools, stronger connections, and better access to care.

Our Remote Patient Monitoring (RPM) Toolkit is getting an update! We're updating and expanding the toolkit, including new guidance on RPM vendor selection that will complement both our RPM Toolkit and Vendor Selection Toolkit. There are two of our most frequently accessed and downloaded resources, and we're making them even more useful.