Telehealth and Health Information Technology in Rural Healthcare – Funding & Opportunities

AHRQ Safety Program for Telemedicine
Free learning cohorts of healthcare professionals who use telemedicine as a care delivery model. The 2024 cohort will begin in June 2024 and will focus on appropriate antibiotic use while maintaining patient satisfaction and reducing potential side effects in patients seen via telemedicine. Providers and practices from rural communities are encouraged to apply.

Addiction Technology Transfer Centers Cooperative Agreements
Grants to develop and strengthen the specialized behavioral healthcare and primary healthcare workforce that provides substance use disorder treatment and recovery support services.

Telehealth Implementation Bootcamp
A 36 week cohort of healthcare organizations and professionals committed to participating in an ongoing program for support, technical assistance, and training to implement telehealth programs.

Rural Economic Development Loan and Grant Program (REDL and REDG)
Loans and grants to assist in the economic development of rural areas, including funds for healthcare facilities and equipment, telecommunications networks, and job creation projects.

Notice of Special Interest (NOSI): Telehealth Strategies for Individuals with HIV and Substance Use Disorders
Notice of Special Interest for research to explore and develop telehealth methods and strategies for diagnosis, prevention, treatment, and population analysis in individuals living with HIV and substance use disorder.

Foundation for Rural Service Community Grant Program
Grants to support a variety of local efforts to build and sustain a high quality of life in rural communities across America. Focus areas include business development, community development, education, and telecommunications.

Medicare Promoting Interoperability Program Hardship Exception Application
CMS eligible hospitals and Critical Access Hospitals (CAHs) may be exempted from the Medicare Promoting Interoperability payment adjustment if they can show that compliance with the requirement for being a meaningful EHR user would result in a significant hardship. Eligible hospitals and CAHs may submit a hardship exception application each year for a maximum of 5 years.

Quality Payment Program Exceptions
The opportunity to apply for exceptions to meeting Merit-Based Incentive Payment System (MIPS) program requirements. The 2 exceptions include extreme and uncontrollable circumstances and promoting interoperability hardship.

Leveraging Health Information Technology (Health IT) to Address Minority Health and Health Disparities (R01 Clinical Trial Optional)
Grants for research that examines how health information technology adoption impacts minority health and health disparity populations in access to care, quality of care, patient engagement, and health outcomes.

Notice of Special Interest (NOSI): Assessing Real-World Effectiveness and Implementation of Telehealth-Guided Provider-to-Provider Communication among Rural Communities
Notice of Special Interest for research that generates evidence on the real-world effectiveness of telehealth collaboration among healthcare providers for consultation, second opinions, and other purposes, referred to as provider-to-provider telehealth (PPT). PPT offers remote access to critical health expertise that might not exist locally in some rural communities.