Resources & Reports

As the federally designated National Telehealth Resource Center on Policy (NTRC-P), the Center for Connected Health Policy (CCHP) regularly responds to questions from providers, health systems, policymakers, and other stakeholders seeking clarification on telehealth policy and billing requirements.  Each month, CCHP features a frequently asked telehealth policy question in our newsletter.

With funding from the Health Resources Services Administration (HRSA), Office for the Advancement of Telehealth (OAT), the Center for Connected Health Policy (CCHP) has created a new resource, the CCHP RHTP & Telehealth Database [download only], which itemizes the initial telehealth elements included within each state’s submitted plan for the Rural Health Transformation Program (RHTP). The RHTP was authorized under HR 1 in 2025 and provides $50 billion over five years to be allocated to eligible states to strengthen rural communities by improving health care access, quality and outcomes.  The Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) oversees the program. All 50 states applied and were granted varying levels of funding for 2026. Future years of funding will be dependent upon meeting certain measures and goals over this first year.

Wearable technologies, from continuous glucose monitors and smartwatches to fitness trackers and smart rings, are increasingly capable of collecting health information outside traditional health care settings. As these technologies become more sophisticated, particularly with the incorporation of artificial intelligence (AI), questions are emerging about how the information they generate can be incorporated into clinical care.  A new technology assessment from the U.S. Government Accountability Office (GAO), Wearable Technologies: Potential Benefits and Challenges in Clinical Decision-Making, examines the potential benefits and challenges of using wearable devices to inform clinical decision-making and the role AI may play in expanding their capabilities.

Telehealth policy continues to evolve across the country, with states regularly updating requirements related to coverage, reimbursement, professional practice, and access to care. Each month, CCHP’s Policy Finder Update highlights recent changes identified through our ongoing 50-state telehealth policy tracking, providing a snapshot of key developments and emerging policy trends.  Since our last policy finder update newsletter on July 14, the following states have been updated: District of Columbia, Kansas, Nebraska, Oklahoma, South Carolina, Utah, and Vermont.

As many of our readers are already aware, last month, the Centers for Medicaid and Medicare Services (CMS) released their proposed CY 2027 Physician Fee Schedule (PFS), for which CCHP subsequently did a deep dive on the telehealth related proposals within our July 28 #TelehealthTuesday newsletter.  Among one of the non-telehealth specific proposals included in the PFS was a request for information (RFI) on potential alternatives to the Current Procedural Terminology (CPT) coding system and Relative Value Scale Update Committee (RUC). This is an important area to highlight for our readers, as both CPT codes and RUC’s recommendations and valuations have significant impact on what Medicare covers and how much is paid for a service, including those provided via telehealth.