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The U.S. Department of Health and Human Resources on Wednesday announced several investments aimed at strengthening telehealth services in rural and underserved communities and expanding telehealth innovation and quality nationwide. These investments, totaling more than $19 million, are being distributed to 36 recipients through the department's Health Resources and Services Administration to these programs:
1. Telehealth Technology-Enabled Learning Program. Approximately $4.3 million is being awarded to nine health organizations to build sustainable tele-mentoring programs and networks in rural and medically underserved communities.
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The funding will help specialists at academic medical centers provide training and support to primary care providers in rural, frontier and other underserved areas to help treat patients with complex conditions.
2. Telehealth Resource Centers. Another $4.5 million is being awarded to 12 regional and two national Telehealth Resource Centers, which provide information, assistance and education about telehealth to organizations and individuals who are actively providing or want to provide telehealth services to patients.
Each regional center will offer a wide range of assistance targeted to local community needs. The two national centers will provide expert resources on telehealth policy and technology.
3. Evidence-Based Direct-to-Consumer Telehealth Network Program. Eleven organizations will receive approximately $3.9 million to help health networks increase access to telehealth services and assess the effectiveness of telehealth care for patients, providers and payers.
The program will expand access to health services in primary care, acute care and behavioral health care.
4. Telehealth Centers of Excellence Program. Two organizations will receive $6.5 million to assess telehealth strategies and services to improve health care in rural and medically underserved areas that have high chronic disease prevalence and high poverty rates.
The centers will be located in academic medical centers and serve as telehealth incubators to pilot new telehealth services, track outcomes and publish telehealth research. The centers will establish an evidence base for telehealth programs and a framework for future telehealth programs.
"Telehealth is crucial to providing convenient and sustained care for patients," HHS Secretary Xavier Becerra said. "This funding demonstrates the Biden-Harris Administration's strong commitment to expanding access to quality health care for everyone, including in rural and underserved communities. I will continue to support innovative solutions that will strengthen our health-care system."
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Alan Goforth
Alan Goforth is a freelance writer in suburban Kansas City. In addition to freelancing for several publications, he has written a dozen books about sports and other topics.
