Blog

January 16, 2026 By Sylvia Trujillo, MPP, JD and Emilia Ochoa-Ruiz, MS, PMP Rural communities across California are facing a familiar pattern. When specialty access is limited and travel distances are long, patients often bypass local care to seek services elsewhere. This can result in delayed care, fragmented follow-up, or care that never happens at all.Read more

January 13, 2026 By Emilia Ochoa-Ruiz, MS, PMP Manager, California Telehealth Resource Center Maternal Health Day is more than a date on the calendar. It is a call to action to strengthen access to safe, high-quality care for mothers and families, especially those in rural and underrepresented communities. At the California Telehealth Resource Center (CTRC),Read more

January 5, 2026 By Jocelyn Jaime, MA Project Coordinator, California Telehealth Resource Center Effective January 1 – December 31, 2026 New Development The DEA and HHS have issued a fourth one-year extension of pandemic-era telehealth flexibilities for prescribing controlled medications. These flexibilities remain under the same requirements as previous extensions. Why This Matters This extensionRead more

Published December 10, 2025 By Emilia Ochoa-Ruiz, MS, PMP Manager, California Telehealth Resource Center Toolkit Spotlight: The AI C-Suite Overview Toolkit  Helping executives lead confidently into the future of healthcare innovation  If there’s one thing every healthcare executive can agree on right now, it’s this: the demands on leadership have never been higher. Shrinking workforces.Read more

Published November 18, 2025 By Jan Ileto, Policy and Regulatory Affairs Manager   With recent congressional action and evolving CMS guidance, providers may face confusion about what’s currently allowed and what is not. Please find the specific information you need below to navigate the current complexity. This table has been updated to account for updates, clarifications,Read more

Published November 14, 2025 By Sylvia Trujillo, MPP, JD A Message to C-Suite Leaders Facing Shrinking Resources, Workforce Strain, and Growing Demand Across rural and small-community health organizations, you’re facing a daunting combination: reimbursement pressures (including threats to Medicaid and 340B funding), rising administrative burden, persistent staff shortages, and increasing complexity of care. But it’s notRead more

By: Lydia Kotowski, JD, MHA, California Telehealth Resource Center Chronic disease remains one of the most persistent and costly challenges facing rural healthcare systems. In communities where long travel times, provider shortages, and economic barriers hinder timely access to care, rural hospitals are often left to manage complex, ongoing health conditions with limited resources. ButRead more

Authored By: Sylvia Trujillo, CTRC Executive Director Our State continues to see an unprecedented surge in natural disasters, from devastating wildfires in Los Angeles to extreme heat in the Central Valley to earthquakes. These catastrophic events don’t just leave physical destruction in their wake – they create a growing mental health crisis that our traditionalRead more

Telehealth is important for providing medical care during an emergency, such as a pandemic or natural disaster. Providers can use telehealth to perform quick assessments, triage patients, and deliver patient care. Integrating telehealth into emergency preparedness plans is essential. This best practice guide from Telehealth.HHS.Gov provides detailed information and resources on using telehealth for emergencyRead more

Authored by Sylvia Trujillo The American Relief Act of 2025: Keeping Telehealth Medicare Coverage and other Flexibilities on the Table — for Now Over the weekend, the President signed the American Relief Act of 2025, a significant piece of legislation aimed at continuing essential healthcare programs and extending telehealth flexibilities for Medicare beneficiaries through MarchRead more