Greetings Northwest Region:

Telehealth Flexibilities Extended and More!

The Consolidated Appropriations Act, 2026, includes funding for rural health programs and reinstates key telehealth flexibilities for multiple years. This bipartisan legislative package includes several critical telehealth provisions:

  • An extension of Medicare telehealth flexibilities through December 31, 2027
  • A five-year extension of the Acute Hospital Care at Home Program through September 30, 2030
  • An extension of in-home cardiopulmonary rehabilitation flexibilities through January 1, 2028
  • A requirement that HHS issue guidance within one year on furnishing telehealth services to individuals with limited English proficiency
  • Expands the Medicare Diabetes Prevention Program model to allow distance learning or online delivery models (across state lines if needed) through December 31, 2029

These extensions provide critical stability and certainty for the delivery of telehealth services; however, it is important to note that they are not permanent. 

NEWS

Three Pathways, One Direction: ACCESS, TEMPO, and RHTP

Three federal programs will accelerate technology-enabled healthcare in the near future with each program targeting a different aspect of healthcare:


ACCESS (Advancing Chronic Care with Effective, Scalable Solutions)—This CMS payment and care-delivery model encourages providers to use technology-enabled, integrated approaches, such as telehealth and remote monitoring, to manage chronic conditions and improve outcomes.

TEMPO (Technology-Enabled Meaningful Patient Outcomes) Pilot—This FDA-led initiative allows selected digital health technologies to be used in real-world clinical care for chronic conditions while generating evidence on their safety and effectiveness. 

RHTP (Rural Health Transformation Program)—Federal funding and technical support to help rural healthcare organizations adopt and sustain technologies such as telehealth, remote monitoring, and modern health IT systems. Check here for program summaries for states supported by the NRTRC region.

Initiative

Primary Approach to Tech

Key Impact

ACCESS Model

Payment incentives for tech-enabled chronic care

Encourages providers and patients to adopt digital care tools.

TEMPO Pilot

Regulatory pathway for digital health devices

Promotes access to certain digital health devices while safeguarding patient safety.

RHTP

Foster use of innovative technologies

Supports access to remote care, improve data sharing, strengthen cybersecurity, and invest in emerging technologies.

NRTRC recently held a webinar on ACCESS; if you missed it, you can find the recording here

Updated NRTRC Telehealth Training Online Courses

All NRTRC Telehealth Training Online Courses have been updated for 2026 and all courses are free of charge. Brush up on your skills and take a course today! Courses include:

  • NRTRC Telehealth 101—An introduction to telehealth basics for professionals
  • Washington State Healthcare Professional Telemedicine Training—A training for professionals to meet Washington State law
  • Navigating the Telehealth Neighborhood—A course that builds your knowledge of telehealth and your skills in navigating it
  • Patient Portal Training—Specific guidance for navigating patient portals and helping patients use them

REGIONAL NEWS

NRTRC, in partnership with the University of Washington Behavioral Health Institute, are bringing together national experts, clinicians, policy stakeholders, and thought leaders to examine how AI is shaping behavioral health practice today and how providers can engage with these tools safely, ethically, and effectively. The full agenda is coming soon, and registration is open. This event is completely free and will be presented virtually!


Stay tuned for more details, including featured speakers and session topics. We look forward to seeing you there!


Rural Health Association of Utah logo

Register Now for the RHAU Tech Summit

Registration is open for the first-ever Rural Health Association of Utah Tech Summit. This summit will bring together rural Utah stakeholders and technology innovators to exchange ideas, strengthen connections, and spark momentum toward the future of rural healthcare. Healthcare partnerships and technology innovations will have an impact throughout the Intermountain West, so consider joining us even if you’re not in Utah!

NRTRC Board Member Highlight: Cara Towle of Washington State

Cara Towle, RN, MSN, MA, has more than 30 years of experience in telehealth. In 1996, she established UCSF International Medical Services, offering telehealth programs reaching Asia, Europe, and the Middle East. From 2001 until 2015, she served as the founding Director for Telehealth Services at the University of Washington (UW), and in 2016, moved to the UW Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences to develop innovative telepsychiatry services. She joined the Behavioral Health Institute (BHI) at Harborview in 2021, and is currently the Program Director for Training Workforce and Policy Innovation. She is a founding board member and former Board Chair for NRTRC, as well as a board member of the Washington State Telehealth Collaborative. NRTRC is looking forward to partnering with Cara and her team at the University of Washington and the BHI to present the upcoming TeleBehavioral Health virtual summit, “AI in Behavioral Health - Promise, Practice, and Responsibility,on April 23 and 24, 2026. 

Events to Bookmark

February


TeleBehavioral Health 2026: Digital Literacy across Healthcare Systems

Feb 20 @ 12 p.m.–1 p.m.

Organizer: University of Washington Behavioral Health Institute


The TeleBehavioral Health 2026 Training Series is a free, twelve-part webinar series open to anyone providing services to individuals who live with mental health and substance use issues. This Zoom-based series takes place on the third Friday of each month, January through December 2026, from 11 a.m.–12 p.m. (PT). You are invited to attend all webinars, but you will need to register for each webinar separately.


Center of Excellence Webinar Series: AI and Dementia

Feb 24 @ 11 a.m.–12 p.m.

Organizer: University of Mississippi Medical Center


UMMC is thrilled to share the lineup of webinars coming your way this grant year! Both COEs will be hosting a variety of sessions that highlight the incredible work and dedication of our teams.


Center of Excellence Webinar Series: Measuring Telehealth Using Publicly Available Data

Feb 25 @ 11 a.m.–12 p.m.

Organizer: University of Mississippi Medical Center


UMMC is thrilled to share the lineup of webinars coming your way this grant year! Both COEs will be hosting a variety of sessions that highlight the incredible work and dedication of our teams.


March


Center of Excellence Webinar Series: Virtual Nursing

Mar 18 @ 12 p.m.–1 p.m.

Organizer: University of Mississippi Medical Center


UMMC is thrilled to share the lineup of webinars coming your way this grant year! Both COEs will be hosting a variety of sessions that highlight the incredible work and dedication of our teams.


TeleBehavioral Health 2026: Virtual Care for Eating Disorders: Screening, assessment, and brief interventions.

Feb 20 @ 12 p.m.–1 p.m.

Organizer: University of Washington Behavioral Health Institute


The TeleBehavioral Health 2026 Training Series is a free, twelve-part webinar series open to anyone providing services to individuals who live with mental health and substance use issues. This Zoom-based series takes place on the third Friday of each month, January through December 2026, from 11 a.m.–12 p.m. (PT). You are invited to attend all webinars, but you will need to register for each webinar separately.


Center of Excellence Webinar Series: Building and Sustaining a Statewide Telepsychiatry Program (NC-STeP)

Mar 25 @ 11 a.m.–12 p.m.

Organizer: University of Mississippi Medical Center


UMMC is thrilled to share the lineup of webinars coming your way this grant year! Both COEs will be hosting a variety of sessions that highlight the incredible work and dedication of our teams.


April


Center of Excellence Webinar Series: Telepalliative Care Program Outcomes: Leveraging KPIs and Propensity Score Mating to Analyze Length of Stay

Apr 8 @ 1 p.m.–12 p.m.

Organizer: University of Mississippi Medical Center


UMMC is thrilled to share the lineup of webinars coming your way this grant year! Both COEs will be hosting a variety of sessions that highlight the incredible work and dedication of our teams.


RHAU Tech Summit

Apr 9 - 10

Organizer: Rural Health Association of Utah


The Rural Health Association of Utah (RHAU) is proud to present the inaugural RHAU Tech Summit. In partnership with Vasion, a global leader in digitization, automation, and AI, this event will bring together rural Utah stakeholders and technology innovators to exchange ideas, strengthen connections, and spark momentum toward the future of healthcare. 

The 2026 RHAU Tech Summit will take place on April 9th and 10th at Vasion’s headquarters in St. George, Utah.


Center of Excellence Webinar Series: Integration of Decentralized Pragmatic Studies and Learning Health System to Accelerate Meaningful Implementation and Investigation of Digital Health Technologies

Apr 16 @ 1 p.m.–12 p.m.

Organizer: University of Mississippi Medical Center


UMMC is thrilled to share the lineup of webinars coming your way this grant year! Both COEs will be hosting a variety of sessions that highlight the incredible work and dedication of our teams.


TeleBehavioral Health 2026: Dialectal Behavioral Therapy over Telehealth

Apr 17 @ 12 p.m.–1 p.m.

Organizer: University of Washington Behavioral Health Institute


The TeleBehavioral Health 2026 Training Series is a free, twelve-part webinar series open to anyone providing services to individuals who live with mental health and substance use issues. This Zoom-based series takes place on the third Friday of each month, January through December 2026, from 11 a.m.–12 p.m. (PT). You are invited to attend all webinars, but you will need to register for each webinar separately.


The Telebehavioral Health Summit: Artificial Intelligence (AI) in Behavioral Health: Promise, Practice and Responsibility

Apr 23 - 24

Organizer: University of Washington Behavioral Health Institute


The TeleBehavioral Health Summit (TeleBH Summit) is a two-day, CME-accredited virtual conference focused on the growing role of artificial intelligence and digital innovation in behavioral health care. The Summit is offered at no cost.

Over two days, participants will gain foundational understanding of AI concepts, exploring real-world clinical applications and risks, and developing skills for responsible integration into everyday workflows. Sessions address clinical use cases, legal and ethical considerations, patient communication, policy and regulatory trends, and strategies for sustaining high-quality, person-centered care.


Do You Provide Healthcare or Services via Telehealth? 

NRTRCFind Telehealth helps patients and providers find in-person care, telehealth care, and locations to have telehealth visits. Turn on the maps Telehealth Access Points (TAPs) button to view sites. 


Click Here to Update Information on Your Practice

Click Here to Add a TAP

Do You Provide Healthcare or Services via Telehealth? 

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Telehealth Resources



Northwest Regional Telehealth Resource Center

This publication was made possible by grant number UiUTH42531-04 from the Office for the Advancement of Telehealth, Health Resources and Services Administration, DHHS