Resources & Reports

In December, the Department of Health and Human Services released its long-anticipated Artificial Intelligence Strategy, outlining a unified, department-wide approach to integrating AI across internal operations, research, public health, and health care delivery. The Strategy represents the next phase of HHS’s efforts to modernize federal health programs under President Trump’s January executive order directing federal agencies to develop tailored AI plans. It also implements elements of the Administration’s broader AI Action Plan, as well as Office of Management and Budget (OMB) Memoranda M-25-21 and M-25-22 released earlier this year, which establish federal requirements for AI governance, risk management, and transparency.

As we head into a new year, CCHP would like to thank each of you for your unwavering trust and collaboration in all of the work that we do. Wishing you endless fresh opportunities and continued success in the year ahead. Below, CCHP highlights recent and upcoming resources to help you stay informed about the current telehealth policy landscape nationwide during the CCHP office closure over the holiday season.  But please don’t fret, as we will be back, hitting the ground running on January 5, 2026.

As 2025 begins to wind down, we, at CCHP, like to take a look back and make note of the major changes that have occurred in telehealth policy throughout the year.  Upon reflection, we again find ourselves in a very similar place to where we were in December of 2024, when the Medicare telehealth waivers were set to expire on March 30, 2025. This year again leaves us in a state of uncertainty as, unless further action is taken, the Medicare telehealth waivers will now expire on January 30, 2026. Readers may unsurprisingly feel some anxiety around this rapidly approaching deadline, as the last time we were this close to an expiration date, the waivers actually expired and we found ourselves in the midst of the longest federal government shutdown in history, as well as a reversion back to the much more restrictive permanent Medicare telehealth policy.  In the deal that ultimately ended the shutdown, the Medicare telehealth waivers were again extended, this time to January 30, 2026.

As 2025 nears its end, the Center for Connected Health Policy (CCHP) is releasing its annual roundup of state telehealth legislation.  This year, states continued refining telehealth policy across multiple areas, including Medicaid coverage, private payer requirements, licensure, prescribing, and professional practice standards. Increased attention to remote patient monitoring, clearer parameters for when audio-only is appropriate, data transparency, and artificial intelligence reflects a shift toward more detailed and clearly defined telehealth frameworks.

The Center for Connected Health Policy (CCHP) has developed several new telehealth resources created specifically for the Intellectually/Developmentally Disabled (IDD) community.  Made possible through generous funding from the WITH Foundation, this series of resources aims to improve IDD patients and caregivers’ awareness and knowledge of telehealth including how it can be used to receive health services.  Resources were also developed to assist providers in providing IDD patients with a positive experience in their telehealth visits.