Spring 2026 Newsletter

Don’t Miss the First RHAU Tech Summit on April 9–10

Registration is still open for the inaugural Rural Health Association of Utah (RHAU) Tech Summit. This event will bring together rural Utah stakeholders and technology innovators to exchange ideas, strengthen connections, and spark momentum toward the future of healthcare. RHAU has partnered with Vasion, a global leader in digitization, automation, and AI, to host this event.

“The Rural Health Association of Utah’s Tech Summit is a critical catalyst for empowering rural healthcare providers,” said Sarah Bauman, Director of Telehealth Services for UTN. “By bringing together informed and practical insights on cybersecurity, AI in healthcare, technology procurement, and emerging digital tools, the summit will help ensure that rural organizations have access to the knowledge and resources they need to protect their systems, improve patient care, and strengthen the future of healthcare in their communities.”

This event will be the first of its kind in Utah, giving rural healthcare professionals a unique opportunity to learn about transformative technologies and build knowledge to learn about transformative technologies that can improve their quality of care and patient outcomes.

Update on Utah’s Rural Health Transformation Program

Utah’s Rural Health Transformation Program (RHTP) continues to advance, following the state’s successful award of $195.7 million in first‑year funding from Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS). This award is part of a historic five‑year, $50 billion national initiative designed to strengthen rural health systems nationwide. 

Utah’s plan outlines a multi‑year strategy centered on four pillars—Making Rural Utahns Healthy, Workforce Development, Innovation and Access, and Technology Innovation. The strategy will use seven statewide initiatives—PATH, RISE, SHIFT, FAST, LIFT, SUPPORT, and LINCS—to expand access to care, modernize rural health infrastructure and technology, support the rural workforce, and advance telehealth and data‑sharing capabilities.

More updates will follow as timelines for sub‑awards, implementation milestones, and statewide coordination activities continue to develop.

2026 Legislative Session Telehealth Recap

This year’s legislative session brought several meaningful updates that help strengthen telehealth access across Utah: 

H.B. 71, the Health Provider Directory and Access Amendments

• Improves the accuracy and transparency of insurer provider directories. These changes directly affect how telehealth options are listed, labeled, and updated. Patients will now have a clearer picture of which virtual providers are available and how quickly they can be seen. 

H.B. 572, the Behavioral Health, Mental Health, and Social Services Amendments

• Reorganizes parts of the state’s behavioral health system and shifts key responsibilities to the Office of Substance Use and Mental Health. While not telehealth‑specific, these structural updates influence how virtual mental health and substance‑use services are funded and integrated statewide. 

H.B. 383, the Department of Health and Human Services Amendments

• Streamlines internal agency operations, including those involving telehealth, behavioral health, and public health services, by ensuring the department’s internal structure is aligned with current needs and priorities. These changes indirectly support the smoother implementation of digital health and telehealth initiatives. 

Together, these bills ensure that telehealth can adapt to Utah’s evolving healthcare landscape, expanding access for patients across the state.

Updated NRTRC Telehealth Training Online Courses

The Northwest Regional Telehealth Center (NRTRC) a federally funded program housed within UTN, has a catalog of free Telehealth Training Online Courses you can access. All the courses have been updated for 2026, so you can keep your skills current. Courses include:

• NRTRC Telehealth 101—An introduction to telehealth basics for professionals
• 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

Upcoming Events

RHAU Tech Summit | Apr 9–10 | See our main story for details about this event!

The Telebehavioral Health Summit: Artificial Intelligence (AI) in Behavioral Health: Promise, Practice and Responsibility | Apr 23–24 | This two-day, accredited, virtual conference will focus on the growing role of artificial intelligence and digital innovation in behavioral health care.

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