Center for Connected Health Policy

10/30/2026

With nearly 300,000 virtual encounters in a year, the cancer center is testing how telemedicine can expand specialist access without compromising hands-on care.

With nearly 300,000 virtual encounters in a year, the cancer center is testing how telemedicine can expand specialist access without compromising hands-on care.

10/29/2026

The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) has announced nearly $219 million in federal funding to strengthen rural healthcare across Georgia, supporting workforce development, technology upgrades, and expanded access to care.

Funding will support mobile clinics, telehealth, expanded maternal and behavioral care, clinician recruitment, and technology upgrades for rural providers

10/28/2026

For Army Veteran Bernard Williams, VA’s virtual care options have made his healthcare significantly easier to access and fit into daily life.

Williams, who is in his 60s, had his first telehealth appointment in December 2025 through VA Video Connect, VA’s secure videoconferencing app. He has since used virtual care for several types of VA appointments, including general surgery, nutrition and VA’s MOVE!® Weight Management program.

Army Veteran Bernard Williams uses telehealth to save time, avoid long travel and stay connected to his care team from home.

10/27/2026

As the healthcare community anticipates the release of the finalized Medicare Physician Fee Schedule (PFS) for 2027 (typically issued in November), the Medicare Payment Advisory Commission (MedPAC)’s October 2026 public meeting included a timely presentation regarding “Issues affecting the payment accuracy of the physician fee schedule.”

PFS payment accuracy was one of the key focus areas of MedPAC’s informational session, including a presentation structured around three main topics: 1) Medicare payments for global surgical services, 2) incident-to billing, and 3) telehealth.

10/26/2026

The use of tele-ICU in a system of urban safety net hospitals resulted in shorter hospital stays, stable ventilator use, and stable median ICU stays 18 months after the program was launched, according to a retrospective cohort study presented on October 20 at the American College of Chest Physicians (CHEST) 2026 Annual Meeting in Phoenix, Arizona.

While upfront costs of implementing a tele-ICU program must be considered, some hospitals may leverage existing telehealth resources for lower initial investment.

10/23/2026

Final guidance from the U.S. Food & Drug Administration clarifies several key elements for distributing and labeling apps related to prescription medications, says ATA Action.

Final guidance from the U.S. Food & Drug Administration clarifies several key elements for distributing and labeling apps related to prescription medications, says ATA Action.

10/22/2026

A patient leaving home for vacation does not necessarily leave their clinician behind, but continuing telehealth care across state or international borders can create licensing questions that depend on both the clinician’s profession and the patient’s physical location. While the situation may be addressed by certain compacts, not every clinician is participating in one.

The Center for Connected Health Policy (CCHP) describes telehealth as generally occurring where the patient is physically located. As a result, clinicians typically need legal authority to practice in the patient’s physical jurisdiction, unless an applicable exception, registration pathway, or other authorization exists.

State statutes and professional board rules in several states explicitly address what their licensees must do when providing care to patients located outside the state. The provisions vary by profession. Some use the broader term “jurisdiction” while others refer specifically to another state. Such a distinction may become particularly important when a patient is traveling outside the United States.

Explore state telehealth licensure rules, cross-state practice exceptions, and key compliance requirements when providing telehealth to traveling patients.

10/21/2026

Central to ATA Action’s argument is an urgent call for the FDA to recalibrate how it conceptualizes clinical risk. In standard regulatory reviews, an investigational device is traditionally evaluated against an idealized clinical encounter led by an attentive physician.

In modern virtual care, however, that baseline is often a fiction. Across thousands of rural zip codes and underserved inner-city neighborhoods, the realistic alternative to an AI-supported screening or triage tool is not a prompt, high-touch consultation with a top academic specialist; it is a six-month waiting list, hours of travel, or no clinical care at all.

ATA Action submits comments on the FDA's generative AI discussion paper, calling for manufacturer accountability, federal-state sandboxes, and PCCPs.

10/20/2026

The CCHP Policy Finder - Key Telehealth Policy Developments This Month ⚖️

10/20/2026

An Albany judge has struck down the Department of Health’s 2025 cuts to telehealth payments for early intervention therapy, ruling that the agency cut rates by as much as 22% without a formal methodology to justify them.

The judge ruled that the Department of Health failed to justify a decision to slash telehealth rates by up to 22%.