Biden Administration Invests over $19 Million to Expand Telehealth Nationwide

The Biden-Harris Administration announced key investments that will strengthen telehealth services in rural and underserved communities and expand telehealth innovation and quality nationwide. These investments—totaling over $19 million—are being distributed to 36 award recipients through the Health Resources and Services Administration (HRSA) at the US Department of Health and Human Services (HHS). HRSA is making these key investments through the following telehealth programs:

• Telehealth Technology-Enabled Learning Program (TTELP): $4.28 million is being awarded to 9 health organizations to build sustainable tele-mentoring programs and networks in rural and medically underserved communities.
• Telehealth Resource Centers (TRCs): $4.55 million is being awarded to 12 regional and 2 national Telehealth Resource Centers. TRCs provide information, assistance, and education on telehealth to organizations and individuals who are actively providing or want to provide telehealth services to patients. Each regional TRC will offer a wide range of assistance targeted to local community needs, and the two national TRCs will provide expert resources on telehealth policy.
• Evidence-Based Direct to Consumer Telehealth Network Program (EB TNP): $3.85 million is being awarded to 11 organizations to help health networks increase access to telehealth services and to assess the effectiveness of telehealth care for patients, providers, and payers.
• Telehealth Centers of Excellence (COE) program: $6.5 million is being awarded to 2 organizations to assess telehealth strategies and services to improve health care in rural medically underserved areas that have high chronic disease prevalence and high poverty rates. The Telehealth COEs will be located in academic medical centers and will serve as telehealth incubators to pilot new telehealth services, track outcomes, and publish telehealth research.