See how specialty telemedicine can help your hospital address workforce shortages, reduce transfers, and care for more patients close to home.
Rural Health Transformation
Supporting Strong Rural Communities
Major goals of the Rural Health Transformation Program include improving healthcare access, quality, and outcomes by transforming the healthcare delivery ecosystem. That’s what Access TeleCare has done for more than 20 years.
Access TeleCare builds specialty telemedicine programs specifically designed for rural hospitals to:
what access telecare delivers
Clinical Excellence in Acute Care Telemedicine
Specialty Coverage
24/7
On-demand access to board-certified specialists across all major inpatient and outpatient service lines.
programs Built for Rural Hospitals
Custom programs that align with your staffing model, workflows, patient demand, and community needs.
Care that stays Local
Support for more higher-acuity patients so more care can happen close to home.
A Long-Term
Partner
We build, scale, and sustain programs, not one-size-fits-all deployments.
Specialty Coverage
24/7
On-demand access to board-certified specialists across all major inpatient and outpatient service lines.
programs Built for Rural Hospitals
Custom programs that align with your staffing model, workflows, patient demand, and community needs.
Care that stays Local
Support for more higher-acuity patients so more care can happen close to home.
A Long-Term
Partner
We build, scale, and sustain programs, not one-size-fits-all deployments.
Endorsed by TORCH
We maintain the longstanding designation of endorsed partner by TORCH Management Services.
Why it Matters
“The Rural Health Transformation Program is a once-in-a-generation investment in rural healthcare. Hospitals have an unprecedented opportunity to expand their services, care for more patients, and build a solid foundation for financial stability and operational longevity. Access TeleCare has done just that for more than 20 years and is rural hospitals’ reliable, proven partner in achieving the ambitious, but essential goals, laid out in the RHTP.”
Joshua deTillio
Chief Executive Officer
Access TeleCare
Transforming small-town care with specialty telemedicine
- Reduced transfers of critically ill patients
- Strengthened the hospital’s reputation in the community
- Began with teleCritical care and with its success, added inpatient teleInfectious disease and cardiology and outpatient teleNeurology
- Supported its on-site physicians, APPs, and nurses
A hospital model of the future with eight telemedicine specialty service lines, all provided through telemedicine
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Began with teleCritical Care and added numerous other service lines to meet local specialty care needs Faster access to specialty care
- Achieved and maintained the Joint Commission’s Primary Stroke Center and Acute Stroke Ready Hospital certifications with teleNeurology
- High satisfaction from on-site nurses, therapists, and allied health professionals.
CAH becomes regional leader with teleHospitalist service
- Kept more patients in-house for hospitalizations
- Reduced burnout among community family medicine physicians
- Preserved outpatient primary care capacity
- Delighted nurses and other on-site clinicians with ease of use and responsiveness of the hospitalists
Access TeleCare Telemedicine Specialties
Access TeleCare Telemedicine Specialties
FAQs
The Rural Health Transformation Program (RHTP) is a landmark $50 billion federal initiative authorized under the One Big Beautiful Bill Act. It is designed to modernize the rural healthcare delivery ecosystem over five years (2026–2030), providing states with $10 billion annually to improve health outcomes, sustainable access, and workforce development in rural communities.
Funds are awarded directly to state health departments (or designated state agencies), which then distribute them to local providers. Rural hospitals can access this funding by participating in their state’s approved Rural Health Transformation Plan. Providers should engage with their state’s lead agency—such as a State Department of Health—to apply for sub-awards or pilot programs.
Statutorily approved uses include:
- Workforce Development: Recruiting and retaining clinical talent.
- Infrastructure: Upgrading IT, cybersecurity, and advanced medical equipment.
- Care Innovation: Expanding mental health, substance use disorder (SUD) services, and value-based care models.
Chronic Disease Management: Implementing technology-driven solutions for prevention.
Specialty telemedicine directly fulfills several RHTP goals, including “Sustainable Access” and “Innovative Care”. By bringing specialist expertise into rural facilities, it helps keep patients local, reduces unnecessary transfers, and fosters strategic partnerships between rural hospitals and regional care systems.
Yes. Funding can be utilized for the purchase of technology-enabled solutions, including remote monitoring, diagnostic software, and hardware necessary for IT advancements. CMS prioritizes “data and technology-driven solutions” that enable high-quality care to be furnished as close to the patient’s home as possible.
The RHTP requires states to identify causes driving standalone rural hospitals toward closure and develop strategies for long-term financial solvency. While funds generally cannot be used for “direct stabilization” or bailouts, they support “right-sizing” delivery systems and creating more sustainable operating models to ensure facilities remain viable.
Clinicians recruited or retained using these funds must commit to serving in a rural area for a minimum of 5 years. This requirement applies to direct, career-enabling training or incentives and typically requires the clinician to be physically located in the rural community.
Hospitals can leverage funds to shift toward value-based care and alternative payment models. By investing in preventative care and chronic disease management through Remote Care Services, hospitals can improve patient outcomes while building more efficient, technology-driven business models.
No. States are not required to provide matching funds to receive their allotments. This removes financial barriers for states with limited budgets, allowing them to focus entirely on implementing the approved transformation activities.
