Telehealth & Covid-19
The Five Layers of Extraordinary Telehealth
Why most programs plateau — and what it takes to reach the top Rural health systems across the country are now sitting on a significant opportunity. The CMS Rural Health Transformation Program has made [...]
The Telehealth Access Point Trap:
Why Building the Booth Is the Easy Part
Somewhere in America right now, there is a beautifully designed telehealth access point sitting largely unused in a library corner, a community center hallway, or a pharmacy waiting room. The lighting is warm. The room [...]
Virtual Care Sustainability Isn’t a Technology Problem
Virtual care is no longer a novelty. Direct-to-consumer platforms like Ro and BetterHelp, along with retail entrants like Amazon's One Medical, are proving that convenient, on-demand care has real consumer demand — and real competitive [...]
Preparing for RHTP RFPs:
What Rural Health Leaders can do NOW
The Rural Health Transformation Program has set a remarkable amount of activity into motion — 50 state applications submitted, awards issued, revised budgets under review, and RFPs at the state level are beginning to take shape. For most rural [...]
When Telehealth Gear Gathers Dust:
Why Equipment Funding Isn’t Enough
This article is based on a webinar presented by Jen Donathan, Shari Snyder, Ryan Baker, and Christian Milaster for Generation West Virginia’s Broadband Technical Assistance Webinar Series. There is a pattern we have seen play out across community health [...]
Consumer-Facing Digital Health Is Coming:
Are States and Rural Providers Ready?
When CMS designed the Rural Health Transformation Program, it made a deliberate bet: consumer-facing digital health technology — symptom checkers, remote monitoring devices, AI chatbots, chronic disease apps, digital navigation tools — could meaningfully address rural healthcare access barriers if [...]
RPM Works — If You Do It Right:
What the Evidence Actually Shows
When CMS started reimbursing Remote Physiological Monitoring in 2019, a gold rush mentality swept through healthcare. Overnight, vendors promised small clinics easy revenue through RPM billing codes. Large health systems invested millions in platforms and devices, expecting outcomes to follow [...]
What Successful Consumer-Facing
Health Tech Actually Looks Like
When CMS released the NOFO for the Rural Health Transformation Program last year, there was one category that stood out: “consumer-facing digital health”. It’s a welcome, albeit unexpected move in the right direction. However, I'm not sure that eight weeks [...]
RHTP & Consumer-Facing Digital Health:
Why Most Will Fail (And How Yours Won’t)
December 29, 2025 changed everything for rural health transformation. CMS awarded $50 billion across all 50 states through the Rural Health Transformation Program. States submitted their revised budgets. Now comes the hard part: Execution. For states that included consumer-facing [...]