Category Archives: Healthcare

OPPORTUNITY: USDA Accepts Distance Learning and Telemedicine Grant Applications open to improve access to remote education and health care in rural communities

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USDA Rural Development announces...

U.S. Department of Agriculture Rural Development invites grant applications to improve access to remote education and health care in rural communities.
USDA is making approximately $27 million in funding available under the Distance Learning and Telemedicine (DLT) Grant Program.
This program funds distance learning and telemedicine equipment, including audio and video equipment, to
improve access to educational and health care opportunities in rural communities. These funds will help
digitally connect people to education, training and healthcare resources that are otherwise unavailable or limited in remote parts of the country.
For example, DLT funding expands opportunities for:
• Students to participate in classes that may be in locations too far to access in person;
• Teachers to provide their expertise, trainings and educational services to students across the country; and
• Patients to seek specialized care and treatment from medical professionals without needing to leave their
homes or communities.
Eligible applicants include state and local governmental entities, federally recognized Tribes, nonprofits and for
profit businesses.
Applications must be submitted electronically through grants.gov no later than June 30, 2026. Additional program information is available on the DLT Program website. Interested applicants are encourage to contact their Telecom Program General Field Representative (GFR) and may submit questions using the Contact Us Form.
To subscribe to USDA Rural Development updates, sign up at the GovDelivery subscriber page.

Some rural pharmacies looking at AI‐Enabled Telehealth Solutions

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Voice of Alexandria reports..

Independent Pharmacy Cooperative (IPC) announces a strategic partnership with Doctronic to help independent pharmacies expand access to AI‐enabled telehealth. Building on IPC’s Digital Health investments, this collaboration supports care models that prioritize convenience, speed, and trusted support close to home, while keeping pharmacies central to the patient relationship.

Through this partnership, IPC and Doctronic will offer member pharmacies a practical on-ramp to digital care. Doctronic’s platform streamlines AI-assisted intake and connects patients to licensed clinicians, helping pharmacies expand access to care without losing the community connections patients rely on. For more, visit: https://www.ipcrx.com/digital-health-for-independent-pharmacies-2.

” AI is everywhere, and it can feel overwhelming,” said Kate Helf, VP of IPC Digital Health. “We see AI‐enabled telehealth as a foundational tool, we’ll continue to build on, supporting independent pharmacies as they expand access to care while staying central to the patient relationship.”

In many rural and underserved communities, independent pharmacies are often the most accessible healthcare touchpoints. Enabling digitally supported care options through the pharmacy, IPC and Doctronic aim to help close gaps in availability, strengthen continuity of care, and expand the support patients can receive, regardless of geography.

Minnesota is Tops for Hospital telehealth adoption by state

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Becker Health IT reports…

Here is the percentage of hospitals that offer telehealth in each state, according to an April analysis by Definitive Healthcare using its proprietary hospital data:

1. Minnesota: 80.8%
2. Michigan: 80.3%
3. Wisconsin: 80.2%
4. South Dakota: 79.2%
5. North Carolina: 78.7%
6. Iowa: 78%
7. Vermont: 76.5%
8. Pennsylvania: 76.4%
9. Oregon: 76.1%
10. Indiana: 73.5%
11. New York: 73.1%
12. Illinois: 72.8%
13. Ohio: 71.9%
14. District of Columbia: 71.4%
15. West Virginia: 71.1%
16. Virginia: 69.7%
17. New Jersey: 69%
18. Massachusetts: 68.7%
19. Missouri: 68.7%
20. Maryland: 67.6%
21. Connecticut: 67.3%
22. Delaware: 66.7%
23. Utah: 64.3%
24. Montana: 64.2%
25. Kentucky: 63.8%
26. Nebraska: 62.7%
27. Washington: 57.5%
28. Arizona: 57.4%
29. North Dakota: 57.1%
30. South Carolina: 55.8%
31. Rhode Island: 55.6%
32. California: 55.1%
33. Oklahoma: 55%
34. Maine: 55%
35. Tennessee: 52%
36. Alaska: 51.7%
37. New Hampshire: 51.4%
38. Texas: 51.4%
39. Idaho: 50%
40. Colorado: 48.8%
41. Mississippi: 48%
42. Florida: 47.8%
43. Georgia: 47.7%
44. Wyoming: 47.2%
45. Arkansas: 47.1%
46. Alabama: 46.5%
47. Nevada: 45.1%
48. Louisiana: 43%
49. New Mexico: 42.6%
50. Kansas: 40%
51. Hawaii: 32.3%

 

REPORT:BRIDGING THE BROADBAND HEALTHGAP: How High Speed Internet Access is a ‘Super’ Social Determinant of Health

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The Benton Institute for Broadband & Society and Center for Health Law  and Policy Innovation have released a report that looks at the impact (and potential) of broadband on health care. They report…

This brief explores the ways broadband and healthcare stakeholders can work together to close the broadband health gap.

The make the case for connection between broadband and health…

The outline numerous ways broadband facilitates healthcare and the benefits. Here’s one example:

Remote Patient Monitoring
Digital devices are increasingly used to monitor patient health,12 including blood pressure cuffs, glucometers (to test blood sugar), pulse oximeters (to check blood oxygen levels), ECGs (to capture heart function), wearable activity trackers, Bluetooth thermometers, and scales.13
Remote patient monitoring can improve diabetes care, hypertension, cancer treatment, and chronic obstructive pulmonary disease.14 The American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists (ACOG) advocates for remote patient monitoring for pregnant and postpartum women due to similar outcomes but fewer higher risk in-person visits.15
In some instances, a remote patient monitoring device is equipped with its own independent network, allowing patients without general internet access to send data from their homes to their care team in real time.16 However, this practice is rare.

There’s a nice chart on how Broadband Impacts All Other Social Determinants of Health…

The offer some high level actions and include a more detailed plan. I’ve included just the high level points – but the detailed plan is worth checking out.

Key Action 1: Screening for Broadband Access and Digital Literacy

Key Action 2: Collaboration with Community Anchor Institutions

Key Action 3: Establish a Broadband-Healthcare Working Group

And a conclusion – but the power in this report is really in the visually presented details…

High-speed internet enables a wide range of healthcare services, from telehealth to hospital at-home programs. By influencing other key social determinants of health—including housing, transportation, education, employment, and access to food—broadband serves as a ‘super’ social determinant of health. Efforts that improve access while prioritizing patients, empowering communities, strengthening the role of anchor institutions, and enabling stakeholder collaboration are winning solutions that build a stronger foundation to close the broadband health gap.

EVENT April 7: Webinar on Telehealth Access Points and Digital Navigation

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For a niche crowd, but sounds like a great resource…

Upper Midwest Telehealth Resource Center April 7, 2026 webinar session Digital Navigation and TAPs: Tools and Partnerships for Increasing Healthcare Access. Join us from 1PM-2PM (EST) as they host myself, Jaleen Johnson with the Northwest Regional TRC, and Abi Waldrupe of the National Digital Inclusion Alliance as they share about Digital Health Navigation.  Highlighting tools and relationships that will benefit your organization as you seek to increase access to healthcare within your communities. 1 (one) Category I CEU will be made eligible for this session for Ohio and Indiana partners who attend.

Register here, if you are interested in attending.

Study finds that telehealth has supports older adults, even post-pandemic

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Grand Rapids Herald Review reports…

In just a few years, telehealth has become a central part of how health care is delivered in the United States – and it is likely to continue to play an important role in the health care system.

Before 2020, patients rarely got their health care virtually. About 1.7% of Medicare patients – 910,490 people – used telehealth for medical appointments in 2019. These were mostly patients in rural areas, and only certain clinics were authorized to offer it.

But during the COVID-19 pandemic, the federal government expanded telehealth coverage for people insured by Medicare to make it easier for patients to maintain access to health care. Many insurance companies did, too. The number of Medicare patients using telehealth services jumped to 53% in 2021, corresponding to nearly 28.3 million telehealth users at the peak of the pandemic.

While telehealth appointments overall – not just for people with Medicare coverage – have dropped since the height of the pandemic, they remain much higher than pre-pandemic levels, according to data from Epic, the largest electronic medical record company in the U.S.

Legislation passed in 2021 made Medicare’s coverage of telehealth permanent for mental health services. But coverage for accessing care via telehealth for other types of health conditions, such as respiratory infections or diabetes, is set to expire in 2027 – and policymakers are still deciding whether to continue it.

Our findings underscore the important role that telehealth has come to serve in enabling older adults to access health care for all types of acute and chronic medical conditions. Emerging research suggests it can help them see their providers more consistently without compromising the quality of care compared to in-person visits.

Limiting access to telehealth services could reverse recent gains in access for older adults – particularly for patients who have geographical or health limitations that can make getting to in-person appointments challenging.

EVENT March 11: Upcoming Webinar | Broadband and Healthcare: Collaboration, Funding, and Policy

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From the Benton Institute for Broadband & Society…

Join the Benton Institute for Broadband & Society on March 11 at 3:00 p.m. ET for a webinar about the intersections of health, broadband access, and digital inclusion. The relationships tying technology access and use to access to health care, quality of care, and health outcomes have become more visible than ever. As health care and digital inclusion organizations alike recognize that connectivity, devices, and digital skills shape our health, collaboration across sectors is essential.

This webinar will offer ideas for how organizations can collaborate, illustrated with real-world examples. The conversation will also address how health care funding sources can be marshaled to support patients’ and providers’ access and use of technology, as well as the policy considerations associated with expanding technology-enabled healthcare.

Available on the Benton Institute for Broadband & Society’s YouTube page, the webinar will feature Benton Opportunity Fund Fellow Sara Raza, discussing a series of issue briefs about broadband access and healthcare that she authored, published jointly by Benton and the Center for Health Law and Policy Innovation of Harvard Law School.

Sara Raza, currently Visiting Lecturer at the University of Washington School of Law, will moderate a discussion with:

  • Matt Christie works for the Washington State Health Care Authority in the office of the Medicaid Transformation Project. He oversees the development and implementation of the Health-Related Social Needs (HRSN) services under the state’s 1115 Medicaid waiver. Prior to this work, Matt led the state’s Foundational Community Supports program, which delivers crucial supportive housing and supported employment services to the state’s most vulnerable Medicaid recipients.
  • Jon Morrison Winters is the Digital Equity Program and Broadband Manager for the City of Seattle. Prior to coming to Seattle IT in 2022, Jon was a planner with Aging and Disability Services, the Area Agency on Aging for King County, Washington. He holds a Master of Urban Planning degree from the University of Washington.
  • Amy Sheon is a Digital Health Equity Consultant in Rockville, Maryland, helping ensure that all individuals are able to use technology for health and health care. Amy holds adjunct faculty positions at Case Western Reserve University School of Medicine and Arizona State University. She co-authored Digital Inclusion is a Social Determinant of Health (2021, NJP Digital Medicine) and two recent Policy Briefs for Health Affairs. Amy holds a PhD in Public Health from Johns Hopkins University.
  • Jamila McLean is the Director of Health Equity for the State Health and Values Strategies program at Princeton University. She supports states in their efforts to transform healthcare systems to be more affordable, equitable, and innovative. Throughout her career, she has championed policy and practice innovations that improve access to Medicaid and other healthcare-related benefits, providing technical assistance to state agencies and their partners. She also conducted research at the Rutgers Institute for Health focused on understanding the role of race, ethnicity, and nativity status on the physical and mental health outcomes of African Americans and Black Caribbeans. She holds a Master of Public Health from the Rutgers School of Public Health and a B.S. from the Rutgers Edward J. Bloustein School of Planning and Public Policy.
  • Dr. Pablo Buitron de la Vega is a general internist and preventive medicine physician with a longstanding interest in health professional education and the impact of patients’ attitudes, health beliefs, and social determinants of health (SDOH). He provides clinical care to a majority of Hispanic and Latino patients, an underserved population in healthcare. He is also Program Director of the Boston University Chobanian & Avedisian School of Medicine (BUSM) Preventative Medicine Residency and an Assistant Professor of Medicine. Dr. Buitron de la Vega is the Medical Director for Boston Medical Center (BMC) THRIVE, a program that systematically screens patients for SDOH and refers them to resources when requested.

Tune in to learn more about the ways in which digital inclusion and healthcare organizations can join forces and contribute to healthy, connected communities.

Register here

MN Broadband Task Force meeting Feb 2026: Rural Health Research and Technologist Computers

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The Broadband Task Force met today. Their stated goal is to focus on education in the first few months of the year. Today they heard from folks at the Mayo on rural health research and from a Task Force member Ini Augustine who does digital equity work in Hennepin County through Technologist Computers. They also got an update from the Office of Broadband Development.

Meeting Agenda Continue reading →

EVENT Feb 18: MN Broadband Task Force February meeting – Rural Health Research

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From the Office of Broadband Development…

Agenda: Broadband Task Force, February Meeting

Date: 2/18/2026

Join the meeting now.

  • Meeting ID and Pass Code: 226 514 117 478 07 and mi9iF756
  • Dial in by phone: +1 651-395-7448,,802366705# Phone conference ID: 802 366 705#
  • Join on a video conferencing device: mn@m.webex.com Video ID: 114 382 750 2

Meeting Agenda

10:00 a.m. – 10:15 a.m.

Welcome from Teddy Bekele, Chair, Minnesota Governor’s Task Force on Broadband and approval of minutes from January Task Force meeting.

10:15 a.m. – 10:55 a.m.

Rural Health Research: Understanding Digital Access to Improve Community Health with Tabetha Brockman, Assistant Professor of Psychology, Program Manager, Mayo Clinic Center for Clinical and Translational Science (CCaTS) Rural Health Research Core and Ilaya Rome Hopkins, Community Engagement Coordinator, MCCCC & CCaTS Rural Health Research Core.

10:55 a.m. – 11:15 a.m.

Office of Broadband Development (OBD) overview and updates from Bree Maki (Executive Director, OBD).

11:15 a.m. – 11:30 a.m.

Open the floor to other business, no meeting in March, and meeting wrap-up.

Success of Mobile Health in State Rural Health Transformation Plans, including MN

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Georgetown University reports on Mobile Health in State Rural Health Transformation Plans…

Hundreds of rural hospitals across the country are operating on thin margins, and recent federal policy proposals threaten to exacerbate that strain. Provisions in H.R. 1 are projected to reduce federal funding to hospitals and other providers by more than $1 trillion, putting many rural facilities at risk of service reductions or closure. In an attempt to mitigate some of these challenges, H.R. 1 established the Rural Health Transformation Program (RHTP), allocating $10 billion annually over five years to assist states in modernizing rural health care infrastructure, expanding access to care, and improving patient outcomes.

Minnesota is mentioned…

Our research indicates that mobile health models can expand access to care in rural communities by reaching populations facing geographic and broadband barriers. Mobile health care can increase preventive care, support chronic disease management, and link patients to follow-up care. For instance, a program in rural Minnesota launched a mobile-telehealth hybrid model, allowing patients to avoid 30–60 mile trips for primary care.

Patients frequently report high satisfaction with the convenience and quality of mobile health services in rural areas. Some programs are also associated with reduced emergency department use and potential system-level cost efficiencies. For example, a rural South Carolina community paramedicine program helped patients lower their blood pressure and blood glucose levels while also reducing emergency department visits.

The sustainability of mobile health programs often depends on stable funding, strong community partnerships, and referral networks that allow mobile services to act as a gateway to additional care.

Minnesota’s Minnesota Rural Health Transformation is held up as a standout…

Minnesota stands out for its integration with Tribal health organizations and its focus on dental and primary care. Mobile medical and dental units provide preventive screenings, basic primary care, restorative dental services, and lab work, while telehealth links patients to specialty care. The state also positions mobile units as extensions of FQHCs and community clinics, embedding care within existing referral networks and using community sites such as schools for service delivery and workforce training.

Minnesota’s RHTP application and press release.

They are also hosting a virtual discussion on how state policymakers can better support mobile health clinics and improve access to care at 1pm ET on February 13. Register here.

Minnesota awarded almost all of requested $200M federal grant to boost rural health care

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The Minnesota Star Tribune reports…

Fearing political reprisals from President Donald Trump’s administration, Minnesota leaders were relieved late last month when they received almost all of the $200 million in federal grants they requested to boost rural health care in the state in 2026.

Now they have precious few months to invest the $193 million in areas such as telehealth and rural training and show progress before the 2027 funding application deadline hits this summer. The Minnesota Department of Health (MDH) is adjusting its health goals based on the actual award and soon will court hospitals, clinics, public health agencies and tribes to use the money and prove it makes a difference.

2025 Minnesota Rural Health Policy Summit Report: no mention of broadband

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The 2025 Minnesota Rural Health Policy Summit Report looks at five policy priority area definitions

  • Access: Ensuring all Minnesotans—regardless of geography—can obtain timely, affordable, and individually appropriate care.
  • Funding: Advocate for sustainable and equitable funding models that reflect the unique needs of rural providers and communities.
  • Innovation: Promoting rural-centered innovation in care delivery, technology, and community partnerships to ensure sustainability.
  • Regulation: Supporting regulatory frameworks that protect patient safety and reduce administrative burdens that build flexible rural health systems.
  • Workforce: Strengthening the rural health workforce by expanding education pathways, incentivizing rural practice, and embracing community-rooted solutions

I was expecting “access” to discussion access to broadband with an eye toward using telehealth. It didn’t. I don’t have a lot more to say about that, except that broadband – and telehealth – weren’t hot topics.

The exception was a mention of remote access under the umbrella of innovation…

Policy solutions focused on payment or incentive solutions that focus on prevention, address specific needs, or provide specific services, have controls for security, and means to monitor outcomes. The group emphasized that innovations should integrate environmental impacts. Policy suggestions include making the virtual visits telehealth extender permanent and aligning payments for virtual visit models with in-person visit models.

The extension of funding will help those who can access online visits but still leaves out those without adequate broadband.

EVENT April 7-9: Telehealth Everywhere 2026

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From the Midwest Telehealth Edition…

TELEHEALTH EVERYWHERE! is a regional telehealth conference for executives, providers, managers, staff engaged in the delivery of telehealth services.

April 7, – 9, 2026

Hyatt Regency at the Mall of America 3200 East 81st Street
Bloomington, MN 55425 United States

Hubbard County Veterans Service Officer telehealth program was nominated for two awards

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The Park Rapids Enterprise reports…

“Bjerke is the embodiment of ‘service over self’ and brings that level of commitment to his job every day, serving veterans,” wrote Hubbard County Administrator Jeff Cadwell.

The VSO’s Accessing Telehealth through Local Area Stations program was nominated for the AMC Outstanding County Achievement Award.

“The VSO jumped at the chance to create this unique service for area veterans. Assistant VSO Aaron Majors was instrumental in navigating the project’s requirements to get this service up and running,” Cadwell reported. “While not chosen for the awards for which they were nominated, we thank them, their entire department, and their dedicated volunteers, for their sacrifice and commitment to our country and to Hubbard County.”

Fewer headaches thanks to telehealth resources for Deer River students

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KAXE reports…

For some Deer River students, seeing the doctor means a full day out of school.

“Most of it is transportation and getting up to Cass Lake for an appointment, if they have one,” explained district employee Susan Nelson. “And that can be an all-day affair. You’re 60 miles up and 60 miles down.”

The Deer River Public Schools district overlaps with the Leech Lake Band of Ojibwe Reservation, including the communities of Ball Club and Inger, and Nelson said almost of half of Deer River students are Native American. Many are covered by the Indian Health Service, meaning getting care can present a significant travel burden.

There’s an Essentia Health clinic and hospital just a mile from Deer River High School, which can make appointments easy for some families. But even then, parents and guardians still have to take time away from work to get their kids to appointments — another barrier to health care.

A new program is trying to address those challenges with just an iPad and a quiet room.

Deer River launched its telehealth program with help from Essentia in October. Nelson is the project manager.

The process itself is pretty straightforward. On the iPad, Nelson has set up video conferencing apps like Microsoft Teams and Zoom and health care programs like MyChart.

If a student has an appointment, they log in on the iPad, which they can connect to a TV if they’d like. Then Nelson steps out of the room — which is also her office — until they’re done.