Rural Health
News by Topic: Technology for health and human services
Oct 29, 2026 - Notice from the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) announcing that it will hold an open meeting on October 29, 2026, at 10:30 a.m. Eastern. Agenda items include a discussion of notices of proposed rulemaking that would seek comment on proposals for implementing the Rural Broadband Protection Act (RBPA) and would modernize the FCC's accessibility rules to keep pace with the rapidly changing communications landscape, promote innovation, better match consumer expectations, and remove barriers to accessibility. The meeting can be viewed on the FCC website.
Source: Federal Register
HHS: Health Data, Technology, and Interoperability: ONC Deregulatory Actions To Unleash Prosperity
Federal Register
Oct 28, 2026 - Notice of a final rule from the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) Office of the National Coordinator for Health Information Technology (ONC) making deregulatory actions related to health information technology standards, implementation specifications, and certification criteria and certification programs for health information technology. Summarizes and responds to comments received in response to the December 29, 2025, proposed rule. This final rule is effective December 28, 2026.
Source: Federal Register
Oct 27, 2026 - Announces Project Lifeline 250, a new 6-month pilot program
from the Office of the National Cyber Director and the U.S.
Department of Health and Human Services that connects rural
hospitals in South Carolina with free cybersecurity
hardware and services. Participating hospitals will be
connected with resources to identify cybersecurity
vulnerabilities as well as implement a response that
maintains operations in the event of an attack.
Source: Cybersecurity Dive
Oct 26, 2026 - Rural hospitals with limited resources can benefit from AI, but this carries with it privacy and cybersecurity risks. Human expertise is needed to manage AI concerns, but rural health systems often have small teams working at capacity.
Source: Digital Health Insights
Oct 16, 2026 - Announces newly awarded Department of Labor funding to support job training for a variety of industries in rural communities including healthcare, information technology, and more. Funding was offered through the Appalachian Regional Commission, Delta Regional Authority, and Northern Border Regional Commission.
Source: U.S. Department of Labor
Oct 9, 2026 - A Maine health center has avoided bankruptcy after receiving funds from Maine's Rural Health Transformation Program. The funding will allow the facility to use a new medical records system and alternative payment models.
Source: Maine Public
Oct 8, 2026 - Offers guidance for optimizing existing technology as learned by a rural chief information officer in a New Hampshire nonprofit health system. Discusses planning for the future, evaluating organizational workflows, process improvement, understanding full costs, and piloting programs, particularly artificial intelligence technology.
Source: Healthcare IT News
Oct 8, 2026 - Notice of proposed rule from the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) and Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) that would amend the Clinical Laboratory Improvement Amendments of 1988 (CLIA) regulations. This proposed rule would allow for virtual access under the CLIA certificate of the primary testing laboratory that generated the data and the use of digital images for gynecologic cytology proficiency testing, make changes to personnel qualification requirements, and more. Comments are due by December 7, 2026.
Source: Federal Register
Oct 6, 2026 - Highlights U.S. Department of Agriculture rural-focused programs funded in fiscal year 2026. Funding addressed housing, disaster recovery, small business, community facilities, and community infrastructure.
Source: USDA Rural Development Newsroom
Oct 5, 2026 - Describes a recent test to see whether human blood can remain stable when delivered by drone in Alaska. The technology could improve healthcare access for remote areas of the state during winter or emergency situations.
Source: Public News Service