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Rural Health Information Hub
Rural Health Information Hub

Telehealth and Health Information Technology in Rural Healthcare – News

News stories from the past 60 days.

Jul 2, 2024 - A policy brief from the National Rural Health Association notes that cyberattacks at healthcare facilities have increased more than 125% since 2023. Rural hospitals typically have an older IT infrastructure and inadequate IT staffing, which makes them particularly vulnerable. Microsoft and Google are offering free or discounted services to rural hospitals to help them prevent cyberattacks.
Source: The Daily Yonder
Jul 1, 2024 - Notice of final rule from the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) and Office of the National Coordinator for Health Information Technology (ONC) implementing the provision of the 21st Century Cures Act specifying that a healthcare provider determined by the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) Inspector General to have committed information blocking shall be referred to the appropriate agency to be subject to appropriate disincentives. This rule also establishes disincentives for certain healthcare providers that have been determined to have committed information blocking. This rule is effective July 31, 2024.
Source: Federal Register
Jun 26, 2024 - Discusses Pennsylvania legislation which will require public and private insurers to cover telehealth services. Notes the importance of telehealth for ensuring access to healthcare services in rural Pennsylvania, where 15 hospitals have closed in the last 5 years.
Source: The Center Square
Jun 23, 2024 - Highlights the impacts of a tele-ICU program connecting patients and providers at Whitfield Regional Hospital in rural west Alabama to providers at the University of Alabama at Birmingham. Describes how the program has reduced the need to transport patients out of the community for care, which can strain rural families and complicate follow-up care.
Source: AL.com
Jun 17, 2024 - Notice of final rule from the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) revising the Medicare Prescription Drug Benefit (Part D) and Office of the National Coordinator for Health Information Technology (ONC) regulations to implement changes related to required standards for electronic prescribing and adoption of health information technology (IT) standards for Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) use. Among other things, CMS will require Part D sponsors, prescribers, and dispensers of covered Part D drugs for eligible individuals to comply with standards CMS has either adopted directly or is requiring by cross-referencing ONC standards for electronically transmitting prescriptions and prescription-related information. These regulations are effective July 17, 2024.
Source: Federal Register
Jun 11, 2024 - Describes the use of virtual reality tools in telehealth to accommodate rural veterans, among others, in pain management.
Source: VA News
Jun 5, 2024 - Presents overview of a New York state program that offered reimbursement for school-based telehealth services from 2017 through 2021. Describes the impact of the program on rural students and school districts, and current efforts by legislators to secure additional funding for the program.
Source: New York Focus
May 28, 2024 - PCORI invites organizations and individuals to submit comments on draft reports regarding the evidence base for audio-based care by July 11, 2024. The three draft reports cover audio-based care for diabetes, mental health, and other chronic conditions, with implications for rural populations.
Source: Patient-Centered Outcomes Research Institute (PCORI)
May 28, 2024 - The U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) Rural Utilities Service (RUS) will hold virtual listening sessions to obtain feedback from stakeholders and other interested parties about the Distance Learning and Telemedicine (DLT) program. The purpose of the Distance Learning and Telemedicine (DLT) program grant program is to encourage and improve telemedicine services and distance learning services in rural areas through the use of telecommunications, computer networks, and related advanced technologies by students, teachers, medical professionals, and rural residents. Listening sessions will be held on June 11, 2024, and June 18, 2024, from 1:30 – 3:00 p.m. Eastern each day. Registration is required.
Source: Federal Register
Related funding: Distance Learning and Telemedicine Program Grants
May 23, 2024 - Highlights a college class project that developed a method for sharing health data through a Low Power Wide Area Network (LPWAN), a form of low-frequency radio that could allow remote monitoring for patients in areas without cellular or broadband access. Discusses implications for rural patients, the need for patient privacy, and the value of students working with community partners to innovate solutions to real-world problems.
Source: Cornell Chronicle
Last Updated: 7/2/2024