The Office for the Advancement of Telehealth (OAT) improves access to quality health care through integrated telehealth services. OAT provides telehealth funding and administers programs focused on direct services, research, and technical assistance.
Which programs focus on technical assistance?
Program Cycle: 9/1/2021 – 8/31/2025
The Telehealth Resource Centers (TRCs) deliver telehealth technical assistance.
There are two types of HRSA Telehealth Resource Center (TRC) programs:
- Two National Telehealth Resource Center Programs (NTRC) focus on policy and technology.
- Twelve Regional Telehealth Resource Center Programs (RTRC) host activities and provide resources to rural and underserved areas.
The HRSA Telehealth Resource Centers:
- Provide training and support
- Publicize information and research findings
- Support collaboration and partnerships
- Promote effective partnerships
- Promote the use of telehealth by providing health care information and education to the public and medical specialists
The TRCs share expertise through individual consults, training, webinars, conference presentations, and the web. For more information, visit the Telehealth Resource Centers page.
How can I contact you about the TRCs?
Louise Nott
Email: LNott@hrsa.gov
Phone: 301-443-0614
Program Cycle: 1/4/2021 – 12/31/2024
This pilot program aims to improve access to healthcare and telehealth. The program examines broadband capacity in four state communities: Alaska, Michigan, Texas, and West Virginia.
The TBP Program links communities to existing funding to address identified gaps in broadband.
An evaluation will be done on the TBP Program to determine program outcomes and effectiveness.
The TBP Program is the result of a joint effort between the Federal Communications Commission (FCC), HHS, and U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA). This created the Rural Telehealth Initiative that works to expand broadband and increase telehealth access.
How can I contact you about TBP?
LCDR Jenna Cope
Email: JCope@hrsa.gov
Phone: 301-443-5503
Which programs focus on research?
Program Cycle: 9/30/2021 – 9/29/2026
The program examines how effective telehealth services are in rural areas. The Telehealth COEs are part of two public academic medical centers. These centers:
- Have a successful telehealth program with a high annual volume of telehealth visits
- Have a reimbursement structure for telehealth services to be financially self-sustaining
- Provide telehealth services in medically underserved areas with high chronic disease and high poverty rates
How can I contact you about COE?
LCDR Jenna Cope
Email: JCope@hrsa.gov
Phone: 301-443-5503
Program Cycle: 9/1/2020 – 8/31/2025
There are two Telehealth Focused Rural Health Research Centers. One focuses on evaluation and the other on evidence.
The Evaluation-focused TF RHRC:
- Explores the impact of telehealth investments for the public and medical experts.
- Creates assessments of access, cost, experience, and success.
- Conducts clinically informed and policy-relevant health services research. This will expand the evidence base for rural telehealth services.
The Evidence-focused TF RHRC:
- Conducts clinically informed and policy-relevant health services research. This will expand the evidence base for rural telehealth services.
Both Centers directly inform advances in health care access and population health for rural areas.
How can I contact you about the TF RHRC?
Whitney Wiggins
Email: wwiggins@hrsa.gov
Phone: 301-443-4966
Which programs focus on direct services?
Program Cycle: 9/1/2020 – 8/31/2024
The program uses telehealth networks to improve healthcare services for medically underserved people in urban, rural, and frontier communities.
This program expands and improves:
- Access, coordination, and quality of health care services
- Training of health care providers
- Quality of health information
The current TNGP promotes the use of rural tele-emergency services through telehealth networks. This helps networks deliver 24-hour Emergency Department (ED) consultation services for rural providers without emergency care specialists.
How can I contact you about the TNGP?
Carlos Mena
Email: cmena@hrsa.gov
Phone: 301-443-3198
Program Cycle: 9/1/2021 – 08/31/2026
The program uses telehealth networks to:
- Increase access to behavioral health care services in rural and frontier communities.
- Evaluate those efforts to establish an evidence-base for assessing the effectiveness of tele-behavioral health care for patients, providers, and payers.
The 2021 EBTNP focuses on direct-to-consumer telehealth. It will use direct-to-consumer telehealth to address three clinical areas: primary care, behavioral health care, and acute care.
How can I contact you about EBTNP?
April Kinyua
Email: AKinyua@hrsa.gov
Phone: 301-287-0160
Which programs focus on workforce?
Program Cycle: 9/30/2021 – 9/29/2026
This program connects specialists at academic medical centers with primary care providers in rural and underserved areas. It provides evidence-based training and support to providers to help treat patients with complex conditions. The TTELP creates and teaches models of professional education that can be adapted for diverse populations.
How can I contact you about TTELP?
Melody Williams
Email: MWilliams1@hrsa.gov
Phone: 301-287-2616
Program Cycle: 7/1/2019 – 6/30/2024
The Licensure Portability Grant Program supports partnerships between states to make telehealth more accessible. It supports professional licensing boards in carrying out programs under which licensing boards of various states cooperate to develop and implement state laws and related policies that will reduce statutory and regulatory barriers to telemedicine.
How can I contact you about the LPGP?
LCDR Jenna Cope
Email: JCope@hrsa.gov
Phone: 301-443-5503