Articles

Telehealth offers rural communities a comprehensive gift spanning access, continuity, innovation, communication, and care coordination. The key to unwrapping this blessing lies in systematic implementation that turns proven solutions into sustainable outcomes rather than falling into vendor-driven technology traps.

This article breaks down four common RHTP implementation approaches and reveals why only two deliver sustainable results. Provides strategic frameworks for rural organizations to assess their capabilities and avoid vendor reliance traps that lead to costly failures.

As states prepare to deploy $50 billion in RHTP funding, this article challenges the fragmented approach that lets each rural organization independently navigate telehealth implementation. We present the SORTOS blueprint — a coordinated state-led model that eliminates vendor duplication while maintaining local autonomy and ensuring systematic, measurable outcomes.

Selecting the right telehealth service requires more than a good demo — it demands strategic, financial, and clinical verification up front. This article outlines a practical, three-lens framework RHTP teams can use to ensure the services they choose are worth the investment and built to succeed.

In support of states’ RHT applications, this article explores why real success under RHTP depends on building systems — not just buying solutions — through structured, organization-wide implementation.

Most telehealth programs fail not at launch, but in the months after — because sustainability was never designed in. This article outlines seven essential ingredients that transform telehealth from a one-time initiative into a durable, high-value care model.

Rural emergency systems face critical gaps in triage, specialty access, and transport decision-making that put patients at risk. This article outlines 11 proven telehealth models — from EMS-based consults to virtual ED coverage — that stabilize care at every stage and align directly with CMS’s RHTP priorities.

Improving access to hospital care is at the heart of the CMS Rural Health Transformation Program, yet rural hospitals often lack the workforce or specialty coverage to admit, treat, and safely transition patients. This first article highlights 13 proven telehealth-enabled solutions across inpatient, acute, and post-acute care that strengthen local capacity, reduce transfers, and keep rural hospitals viable.

Chronic disease management in rural communities demands more than office visits—it requires continuous diagnosis, treatment, and timely intervention. This fourth article in the series highlights nine proven telehealth solutions, anchored in Chronic Care Management (CCM), that improve adherence, reduce avoidable hospitalizations, and strengthen RHTP proposals.

Rural primary care is stretched thin by workforce shortages, long travel distances, and rising chronic disease rates. This third article in the series highlights 16 proven telehealth solutions that expand access, strengthen care continuity, and align directly with CMS’s RHTP goals.

Closing maternal care gaps in rural America requires more than new funding — it demands strategic, evidence-based use of telehealth across every stage of pregnancy. This article outlines 18 proven maternal health interventions that are helping providers deliver connected, equitable care for mothers and babies.

This final installment in our RHTP-focused series highlights 18 proven telehealth solutions — from virtual psychiatry and crisis consults to digital tools and integrated care — that are already helping rural systems close behavioral health gaps.

Access to care and social services in rural America is fragmented and challenging for many who need it.

However, when deployed properly and in agnostic ways, Telehealth can make a real difference in the health of rural residents.

Read about this multi-pronged systems approach to innovatively improve access to care for this rural population in a large area in Washington state.

Telehealth can transform rural healthcare when implemented as a comprehensive, community-centered system. This article outlines how rural providers can use telehealth to improve access, retain staff, and keep local hospitals operational while meeting evolving patient needs.