Telehealth’s strategic impact on care delivery
Virtual care has evolved into a core component of modern healthcare, enabling health systems to improve access and streamline operations. Hospitals that leverage telehealth solutions seeing faster access to specialists, reduced travel burdens for rural communities and better engagement in preventive and chronic care.
Telehealth is also proving to be a smart financial investment, especially in service lines such as behavioral health, primary care and other specialty services— delivering cost savings while improving the overall patient experience.
Telehealth in 2025: Transforming Healthcare Through Innovation and Policy — CTeL.org
2026 Medicare PFS: A leap forward for virtual care
The CY 2026 Medicare Physician Fee Schedule (PFS) proposed rule signals a major step toward modernizing virtual care delivery. The rule simplifies the process for adding services to the Medicare Telehealth List, and permanently redefines “direct supervision” to include real-time audio/video oversight, expanding flexibility for care teams. By lifting frequency limits on inpatient, nursing facility and critical care telehealth visits CMS is positioning virtual care as an essential facet of value-based care.
However, the omission of updates to Box 32 leaves provider address reporting requirements unresolved, highlighting ongoing administrative hurdles that must be addressed to fully unlock telehealth’s potential. Read on ATAaction.org
Telehealth in rural primary care: Insights from the field
A new report from the Rural Telehealth Research Consortium highlights how rural health clinics (RHCs) and federally qualified health centers (FQHCs) are leveraging telehealth solutions in rural settings. Leaders emphasized telehealth’s potential to expand access, especially for underserved populations, while noting persistent challenges such as connectivity, reimbursement disparities and provider adoption of new tech and processes.
The study demonstrates the importance of organizational readiness, patient-centered design and clear telehealth policy to sustain innovation. As telehealth continues to mature across numerous settings, rural providers are calling for equitable funding and infrastructure support to ensure that it remains a viable and high-quality care option. Read the PDF
