This Veterans Day, the Department of Veterans Affairs announced that it is proposing a new program that would fund designated VA telehealth access points in non-VA facilities, with a focus on expanding telehealth access in rural and medically underserved communities. […]

The Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) announced last week that it is now offering tele-emergency care (tele-EC) nationwide. […]

The Government Accountability Office (GAO) said in an Aug. 1 report that the Department of Veterans Affairs’ Veterans Health Administration (VHA) component needs to do more work to set performance goals and assess the effectiveness of a program that provides telehealth services to veterans who lack internet services.   […]

With the COVID-19 public health emergency (PHE) set to end on May 11, the White House assured Americans this week that many major telehealth flexibilities will remain in place, particularly for people who live in rural areas and who struggle to find access to care. […]

The National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) is collaborating with companies to address the cybersecurity risks consumers face when they leverage smart home technologies for telehealth. […]

The Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) is looking for legislative assistance from Congress to ensure that the agency can continue to provide care to veterans via telehealth appointments. […]

In an ever-evolving threat landscape, mitigating ransomware attacks and expanding access to telehealth are main priorities for IT experts in the health sector, said Benjamin Koshy, chief information security officer (CISO) for the Department of Health and Human Services’ Indian Health Service. […]

President Biden’s State of the Union address delivered to Congress on Tuesday night featured a number of references to technology topics that touch Federal government operations and major tech-driven policy initiatives. […]

Widespread use of telehealth services proved their worth during the COVID-19 pandemic, and health experts and lawmakers are considering implementing telehealth provisions on a more permanent basis as they look beyond the pandemic, Rep. Cathy McMorris Rodgers, R-Wash., said during a Dec. 14 Axios webinar. […]

The Department of Health and Human Services’ (HHS) Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) component has not comprehensively assessed the quality of care patients have received through telehealth services, and lacks some key data on telehealth services delivered in patients’ homes or via phone, according to a recent report published by the Government Accountability Office (GAO).   […]

Fifth-generation (5G) wireless technologies will bring scale and speed to the Department of Veterans Affairs’ (VA) healthcare operations, but one VA official today said the focus must shift to closing the digital divide for veterans in rural communities – in parallel to the advanced 5G work. […]

The Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) Chief Information Security Officer (CISO) Paul Cunningham has announced his intent to retire, a VA spokesperson confirmed to MeriTalk. […]

A bipartisan, bicameral group of 45 lawmakers led by Sens. Brian Schatz, D-Hawaii, and Roger Wicker, R-Miss., is calling on congressional leadership to extend Medicare coverage of telehealth services in February. […]

The Federal Communications Commission (FCC) has approved an additional 100 funding applications totaling $47.8 million in the second round of its COVID-19 Telehealth Program. […]

Throughout the COVID-19 pandemic, access to care, specifically telehealth care, was increasingly important. However, the lack of broadband internet access or internet-connected devices, especially in rural areas of the country, created a significant barrier for Veterans looking to access these services, an official from the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) said during an FCW virtual event on Dec. 1. […]

The Federal Communications Commission (FCC) has allocated an additional $42 million in the second round of funding for its COVID-19 Telehealth Program, bringing the program total to $166 million in funding. […]

While the COVID-19 pandemic pushed forward massive advancements in telehealth, the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) has taken it one step – or more – further and is using virtual reality (VR) and augmented reality (AR) in nearly 50 sites for clinical care, an official said Nov. 8. […]

Senators and healthcare IT experts raised concerns this week that many in the United States cannot benefit from the recent boom in telehealth services because of a lack of affordable high-speed internet access across the country. […]

The FCC has announced a second set of awards for round two of its COVID-19 telehealth program, totaling more than $41.11 million to healthcare providers. […]

The Federal Communications Commission (FCC) has approved $41.98 million for Round 2 of its COVID-19 Telehealth Program. […]

The Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) is working on a remote telepresence technology that will transform the way veterans receive their healthcare and soon allow all veterans to receive the same level of care, no matter where they live, according to a top VA official and doctor. […]

The COVID-19 pandemic allowed the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) to accelerate its digital transformation efforts in a way that wasn’t possible before the public health crisis, a VA official said this week, while explaining how the agency quickly adapted to become more agile and take advantage of previous investments in digital transformation solutions. […]

A bevy of bills recently introduced in both the Senate and the House aim to help increase access to telehealth services, and establish a $50 million virtual health pilot program within the Department of Health and Human Services’ Health Resources and Services Administration (HRSA). […]

The Federal Communications Commission (FCC) announced Thursday the application window for the second round of its COVID-19 Telehealth Program is now open until May 6. […]

The COVID-19 pandemic has accelerated the adoption of telehealth dramatically, but there is still a long way to go in terms of broadband and infrastructure, experts say. […]

After a year of moving IT heaven and earth to enable a huge jump in telehealth services for veterans during the coronavirus pandemic, officials from the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) said March 23 that one of the biggest remaining obstacles to delivering telehealth is a lack of sufficient and/or affordable broadband service in areas where some veterans live. […]

Sen. Jon Tester, D-Mont., and Rep. Mark Takano, D-Calif., chairs of the Senate and House committees on Veterans’ Affairs, respectively, both predicted this week that the COVID-19 pandemic will have a lasting effect on veterans’ access to telehealth services. […]

Denis McDonough, the secretary of Veterans Affairs (VA), said his agency is leading the way in normalizing telehealth for annual visits and mental health services, and it’s not planning on stopping remote health care anytime soon. […]

The use of telehealth skyrocketed throughout 2020, and while helped stem the spread of COVID-19, its increased use laid bare the logistical and regulatory challenges facing telehealth. […]

The COVID-19 pandemic has led to the increased adoption of telehealth services, but that positive development for technology-delivered services comes with both benefits and community equity challenges, Federal leaders said this week. […]