New federal rules are pushing health data to flow between organizations faster than ever. But connected doesn’t mean comparable. This session breaks down what TEFCA, CMS interoperability mandates, and upcoming HIPAA changes actually mean for telehealth and rural health programs, and how your organization can turn data compliance into better outcomes.

The CMS ACCESS Implementation Guide version 0.9.1 is publicly available on the Digital Services at CMS GitHub website. Please review this resource and share with your organization! This comprehensive guide covers all APIs for the CMS ACCESS (Advancing Chronic Care with Effective, Scalable Solutions) Model.

Please share your feedback on the Implementation Guide, including any suggestions for how to improve this resource, by emailing the ACCESS Model Team at ACCESSModelTeam@cms.hhs.gov.

The South Central Telehealth Resource Center (SCTRC) and the Rural Health Association of Arkansas (RHAA) have been long-time collaborators, uniting under the common goal of increasing health care access for every Arkansan! The SCTRC supports the RHAA in part each year by attending and exhibiting at their Annual Summit. This gives our team a chance to connect with our RHAA colleagues in-person and educate attendees on our valuable resources, assistance, and education!

The 2026 RHAA Annual Summit was held on February 26–27, 2026, at the Marriott Little Rock. This two-day event brought together state and national policy leaders to discuss the most pressing legislative and regulatory issues impacting rural providers and facilities. Attendees gained valuable insights into emerging policies, innovative solutions, and advocacy strategies driving healthcare access and equity across rural communities. The Summit provided a unique opportunity to connect with lawmakers, peers, and thought leaders dedicated to advancing rural health policy.

Our guest speaker, Hayley Prosser, Revenue Cycle Director with RuralMED joined us to guide attendees through the significant telehealth billing and coding changes for the South Central Region (Arkansas, Mississippi, and Tennessee).

Today, people with Original Medicare have limited access to technology-supported care services for managing their chronic conditions because of Medicare payment barriers. Through ACCESS (Advancing Chronic Care with Effective, Scalable Solutions) Model, CMS will test a new payment option that emphasizes outcomes over activities, enabling clinicians to offer innovative technology-supported care that improves patients’ health and complements traditional care. Patients will have more options to help them meet their health goals, providers will gain new partners to help them co-manage their patients’ health, and Original Medicare will have a way to pay care organizations developing technology-supported services. ACCESS supports disease prevention and health promotion by empowering people who have Medicare and clinicians with more choices.

ACCESS Model tests an outcome-aligned payment approach in Original Medicare to expand access to new technology-supported care options that help people improve their health and prevent and manage chronic disease. The voluntary model focuses on conditions affecting more than two-thirds of people with Medicare, including high blood pressure, diabetes, chronic musculoskeletal pain, and depression. It will run for 10 years beginning July 5, 2026.

To be considered for the model’s first performance period beginning July 5, 2026, applications must be submitted via the Participant Portal by April 1, 2026. Applications received after this date will be considered for a January 1, 2027 start.

Click the link below for more information on eligibility and important deadlines!

Part of the core assistance that we provide at the South Central Telehealth Resource Center is hands-on demonstrations and in-depth training about telehealth and telemedicine. This includes not just providing education and resources to established practitioners but also championing telehealth to the future of healthcare: students! 

On January 20, 2026, SCTRC Director, Dr. Melony Stokes, DNP, MSN, RNC-OB, and Nurse Educator, Chandra Smith, MNSc, APRN, CPNP-PC, kicked off the New Year with a telehealth training session at the University of Central Arkansas (UCA) School of Nursing! This training focused on several objectives such as defining essential telehealth terminology, identifying and understanding the advantages/disadvantages of telehealth, discover the benefits and discern the challenges of telehealth, and to participate in a demonstration of telehealth technology.

High blood pressure is a leading risk factor for heart disease and stroke, yet many people go undiagnosed or struggle to monitor their numbers consistently. The American Heart Association in collaboration with Blue and You plan to change that with their initiative to offer blood pressure kits at Southeast Arkansas Regional Library System locations. Brady Lacy, Senior Community Impact Director at the American Heart Association in Little Rock Arkansas joins us to share everything about this special program.

Listen on Spotify or LearnTelehealth.org:

Through innovative system-wide change, the The Rural Health Transformation (RHT) Program invests in the rural healthcare delivery ecosystem for future generations. The RHT Program empowers states to strengthen rural communities across America by improving healthcare access, quality, and outcomes by transforming the healthcare delivery ecosystem.

RHT Program funding is $50 billion to be allocated to approved States over five fiscal years, with $10 billion of funding available each fiscal year, beginning in fiscal year 2026 and ending in fiscal year 2030.

• 50% to be distributed equally amongst all approved States
• 50% will be allocated by CMS based on a variety of factors including rural population, the proportion of rural health facilities in the State, the situation of certain hospitals in the State, and other factors to be specified by CMS in the NOFO

We’re excited to share the 2025 Annual Report from the National Consortium of Telehealth Resource Centers — now available for download! This year’s report highlights how the NCTRC continued to drive innovation in telehealth across the U.S., strengthening telehealth delivery systems and supporting communities most in need.

In 2025, the NCTRC

• Provided expert technical assistance to thousands of healthcare organizations
• Developed and expanded practical telehealth resources and online toolkits
• Hosted workforce training opportunities including webinars and regional events
• Advanced telehealth technology adoption and guidance
• Delivered timely policy insights reaching tens of thousands of stakeholders

Plus, the report spotlights contributions from all 14 Telehealth Resource Centers and showcases collaborative work with national partners.

The University of Mississippi Medical Center,  Telehealth Center of Excellence has released their full lineup of webinars coming your way this grant year! Both of the Telehealth COEs will be hosting a variety of different sessions that highlight the incredible work and dedication of both the MUSC and UMMC Telehealth Centers of Excellence. Check out the full schedule listed below!

*Important note: each session has a different registration link