|
Dear Colleagues,
Telehealth is expanding fast this summer with new funding, policy changes, and opportunities to scale programs. In this month's edition, we highlight actionable updates you can use, including federal funding opportunities, regional policy changes, and a hands-on RPM workshop.
Three things to do this month:
- Register for the RPM workshop
- Review the latest funding opportunities
- Submit a conference proposal/abstract
As always, we're here to support you. Thanks for the work you do, and for taking a few minutes to stay current with us!
On behalf of the entire NETRC Team, be well,
Reid Plimpton, MPH - Program Manager
| | |
From Monitoring to Meaningful Impact:
Practical Strategies for Implementing Remote Patient Monitoring
to Improve Access, Outcomes, and Sustainability
| | |
Location: Simmons University, Boston, MA or Virtual
The NETRC and the New England Rural Health Association invite you to a one-day interactive workshop focused on practical strategies for implementing and scaling remote patient monitoring (RPM) programs.
We’ll do a deep dive into:
- Revenue cycle management,
- Technology assessment and selection,
- Clinical and operational considerations,
- and more!
Presenters will share successes and lessons learned from their organization’s implementation and expansion journeys, and we’ll have RPM technology partners on site for device demonstrations.
No cost for regional healthcare providers and partner organizations and we welcome interested telehealth champions and healthcare professionals to join us.
| | Getting Ready for RHTP Funding | | |
RHTP Corner
We encourage you to watch the Rural Health Transformation Fund: Workforce Trends and Implications for Rural Care webinar hosted by the Telehealth Technology Assessment Center (TTAC). This webinar explores an emerging challenge: the workforce needed to support technology-enabled care in rural settings.
Participants will gain a better understanding of workforce trends across state RHTP plans and the potential implications for rural health organizations, telehealth programs, and workforce development efforts.
Please don’t hesitate to reach out to the NETRC team with any telehealth related questions – we’re here to help!
| | Federal Funding Opportunities | | |
Open Federal Funding Opportunities Supporting Telehealth
Recent announcements and forecasts across federal agencies reflect a continued emphasis on digitally enabled care models. These opportunities range from large-scale innovation models and behavioral health system transformation grants to research funding and broadband infrastructure programs. Below are upcoming federal opportunities that include a telehealth component.
| | Distance Learning and Telemedicine (USDA) | |  | |
Telehealth Nutrition Services
Network Grant Program (HRSA)
| | Technology-enabled Collaborative Learning Program (HRSA) | | | Rural Communities Opioid Response Program (RCORP)-Planning (HRSA) | | |
Rural Northern Border Region Network Planning Program (HRSA)
| | | |
Digital Health Technology Derived Biomarkers and Outcome Assessments for Remote Monitoring and Endpoint Development (NIH)
| | Although many legislatures within the states in our region are on break or at the end of their annual cycle, the end of the various sessions resulted in passage of several telehealth related bills, see below to learn more. | | | | | |
Connecticut
SB5 CT An Act Concerning Online Safety
Establishes various requirements concerning artificial intelligence systems, including having the Office of Health Strategy create a program to use artificial intelligence systems to enhance health outcomes for state residents.
To learn more, click here.
| | |
Maine
LD 765 ME An Act to Amend the Laws Governing The Controlled Substances Prescription Monitoring Program
Provides definition for telehealth within the controlled substance prescription monitoring program statute.
To learn more, click here.
| | | |
Massachusetts
S 763 MA - An Act Relative To Telehealth And Digital Equity For Patients.
The legislation focuses on expanding telehealth services and enhancing digital equity by ensuring access to affordable broadband and digital health technologies.
To learn more, click here.
| | |
New Hampshire
HB 1735 NH Permitting Treatment of Certain Severe Illness Under The Right To Try Act
Amends the definition of "telehealth prescreening' to include a person with a qualifying severe illness (as opposed to only a terminal illness).
To learn more, click here.
| | | |
New York
A949- NY Requires Mental Health Evaluations For Participants In Substance Use Disorder Treatment Programs
Permits telemedicine services for mental and behavioral health issues under the workers' compensation system; permits one in-person visit within twelve months unless such in-person visit causes undue hardship on a patient.
To learn more, click here.
| | |
Rhode Island
HB 7538 RI An Act Relating To Health and Safety-Use of Artificial Intelligence By HealthCare Providers Notification Act
The act mandates that healthcare providers and facilities must notify patients when artificial intelligence is used to document their visits, whether in-person or via telehealth. This requirement applies to all professionals and facilities that utilize AI for such purposes. The purpose of the act is to ensure transparency and inform patients about the involvement of AI in their healthcare interactions. The law takes effect immediately upon passage.
To learn more, click here.
| | | |
Vermont
S 126 VT- An Act Relating To Health Care Payment And Delivery System Reform
Requires the Agency of Human Services to award grants to hospitals in FY 2026 that actively participate in health care transformation efforts to assist them in building partnerships, reducing hospital costs and expanding Vermonters' access to health car services including those delivered using telehealth.
To learn more, click here.
| | |
Telehealth Specific
US HR 1614: To Amend Title XVIII Of the Social Security Act To Expand Practitioners Eligible To Furnish Telehealth Services Under The Medicare Program
The amendment aims to broaden the range of healthcare practitioners permitted to offer telehealth services under Medicare. This involves modifying the Social Security Act to include additional categories of healthcare providers in the telehealth framework. To learn more, click here.
| |
US HR 185: Responsible Legislating Act
Provides an additional amount of money for the Telehealth Resource Centers to provide technical assistance for telehealth in skilled nursing facilities. To learn more, click here.
| |
Behavioral Health
US HR 5357 College Students Continuation Of Mental Health Care Act Of 2025
The proposed legislation seeks to establish limited licensing reciprocity, allowing college mental health providers to offer telehealth services to their students, regardless of the state the students reside in. It requires verification of student identity, acknowledgment of telehealth service intent, and ensures technological reliability before service delivery. The bill also mandates that mental health providers must act within the scope of their primary state's licensing and meet malpractice insurance requirements. Additionally, it encourages interstate compacts to support telehealth services for college students across state lines. To learn more, click here.
| |
Medicare Payment Policies
US HR 193: Maintaining Innovation and Safe Technologies Act
Directs the Secretary of Health and Human Services to issue guidance on payment under the Medicare program for certain items involving artificial intelligence, including remote monitoring devices such as continuous glucose monitors.To learn more, click here.
| | |
NCTRC Webinar - Value-Based Care Integration: Using RPM Data to Succeed in Alternative Payment Models
June 18, 2026 2:00 pm ET
Hosted by: South Central Telehealth Resource Center (SCTRC)
Presented by: Jason C. Goldwater, MA, MPA, PMP, LSSBB - President and Chief Operating Officer, Laurel Health Advisors, LLC
This session explores how RPM supports value-based care goals including identifying high-risk patients before costly complications occur, reducing avoidable emergency department visits and hospitalizations, improving quality measure performance through better chronic disease control, and documenting care coordination and patient engagement activities.
| | |
📢 Call for Breakout Submissions: Deadline Extended to June 30th!
Have a program, research project, or innovative idea to share? Don't forget to submit a breakout session or poster and contribute your voice to this year’s conference. This year’s theme, "Weaving Transformation into the Rural Fabric", invites us to explore how innovation, collaboration, and shared knowledge are shaping the future of rural health across New England.
Important Dates
-
NEW! Breakout Session Submission Extended Deadline: June 30th
- Notification of Session Acceptance: Mid-July
- Poster Submission Deadline & Acceptance: Rolling
| | Upcoming Event: North Country Leadership Summit (NY) | |
NORTH COUNTRY LEADERSHIP SUMMIT
"Partners in Progress"
September 30 - October 1, 2026
Lake Placid, New York
| | |
Join us in celebrating National Rural Health Day (NRHD) on November 19, 2026!
Download and share these free resources to help spread the word and be part of the #PowerOfRural celebration.
National Rural Health Day (NRHD), founded in 2011 by the National Organization of State Offices of Rural Health (NOSORH), honors the individuals and communities working every day to support and strengthen rural health across America.
To learn more about National Rural Health Day and the Power of Rural, visit powerofrural.org.
| | Project ECHO Series: Meaningful MOUD Care | |
|
Meaningful MOUD Care: A Team-Based Approach
This ECHO is designed for the entire care continuum, whether you’re a prescriber, pharmacist, peer or recovery coach, social worker, PT/OT, or play another vital role in supporting individuals with opioid use disorder.
You’ll join a collaborative, supportive learning community focused on delivering more meaningful, team-based MOUD care in real-world settings. We especially encourage participation from individuals with lived experience - your voice is incredibly valuable in shaping this work.
Up to 12.0 FREE hours of CEUs pending for physicians, nurses, and social workers, and ADCs. This program also meets the state-required opioid CMEs for physicians.
| | | | |
Expanding Mental Health Support for Children and Families through Teleconsultation
When a child is struggling with anxiety, depression, or behavioral changes, parents often turn first to someone they already know and trust—a pediatrician, family doctor, or other primary care provider.
| | |
How Dartmouth Health Is Using Telehealth to Keep Complex Births Close to Home
By connecting with Dartmouth Health neonatologists virtually, moms and their babies can stay at rural hospitals after emergent deliveries.
| | |
Telehealth adoption did not drive up healthcare visits, costs
Telehealth adoption was not linked to increased healthcare utilization or spending, according to a new study. The findings suggest that extending Medicare telehealth flexibilities beyond their current 2027 expiration date has low near-term spending risk.
| | |
Telehealth Prescribing Laws in 2026: Navigating Controlled Substance Rules
Despite rapid telepsychiatry expansion, access to mental healthcare in rural and underserved areas remains limited, underscoring the need for workforce and policy solutions beyond telehealth alone.
| | |
Top Telehealth News Just For You
Every month, we curate the most recent and relevant news stories for telehealth so you can stay up to date. Find these and more on our website's news library.
| | Other Research + Resources | | Have telehealth questions? | | |
NETRC | netrc@mcd.org | 800-379-2021 | netrc.org
| | | The Northeast Telehealth Resource Center has been made possible by award number U1U42523 from the Office for the Advancement of Telehealth: HRSA / DHHS. | | | | |
