What You Should Know:
- In a significant move for the "tele-prescribing" landscape, the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) and the Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) have announced a fourth temporary extension of telemedicine flexibilities.
- This extension allows practitioners to prescribe controlled medications—including Schedule II–V drugs—via audio-video encounters without a prior in-person medical evaluation through December 31, 2026.
A Transitional
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Technology
Beyond Reactivity: Integrating AI-Driven Home Safety for Aging in Place
Aging in America isn’t a niche issue—it’s a seismic shift. Within five years, one in five Americans will be 65 or older. By 2034, older adults will outnumber children for the first time in U.S. history.1 This demographic flip is already reshaping households, businesses, and public policy.
One of the most urgent—and solvable—challenges is housing safety, particularly falls. Nearly 90% of older adults want to remain in their homes as they age.2 Yet, fewer than 10% of U.S. homes are
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The MAHA Paradox: How Medical Device Tariffs Undermine “Make America Healthy Again
The Trump Administration’s Make America Healthy Again agenda recognizes a simple truth: the best way to improve our health is to empower people to understand and help manage their own care. Affordable medical devices make that possible.
Every day, Americans use this technology to check their blood pressure, track sleep, monitor heart rhythms, manage hearing loss, and more. These devices bring care into our homes, extend the reach of doctors, and help millions of people stay healthy
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CMS Launches $50B in Awards to Strengthen Rural Health in All 50 States
What You Should Know:
- The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) is deploying a massive $50 billion investment across all 50 states to overhaul the nation's rural healthcare infrastructure starting in 2026.
- Under the guidance of HHS Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. and CMS Administrator Dr. Mehmet Oz, the program prioritizes not just workforce expansion, but a significant technological shift toward AI adoption, cybersecurity resilience, and "food-as-medicine"
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Surviving the One Big Beautiful Bill Act: Technology Strategies for Safety-Net Providers Facing Medicaid Cuts
Financial challenges are not new to healthcare. A perfect storm of converging trends has left many organizations operating within razor-thin margins in recent years.
For safety-net providers, the latest financial uncertainties introduced by the One Big Beautiful Bill Act present yet another hurdle. Many financial executives may fear making the wrong move and choose to “freeze” in response to Medicaid funding cuts that will equate to nearly $800 million.
Yet inaction is likely
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Top Affordable Telemedicine Solutions for Hospitals: Features and Pricing Compared
Telemedicine has become indispensable to hospital systems seeking to enhance patient care and operational efficiency. For providers, the challenge lies in recognizing the need for virtual care and navigating the market to find the best solutions. The right partner can unlock efficiencies and improve patient outcomes. Here are the best value telemedicine software platforms for hospital systems that help secure a competitive advantage.
What Are the Best Value Telemedicine Software
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Advanced Primary Care 2026: Top 6 Investments for Health Systems According to Harvard Medical School
What You Should Know
- Harvard Medical School’s Center for Primary Care has released a comprehensive "Primary Care Investment Guide," providing the first evidence-based roadmap for deploying capital into team-based care models.
- The report identifies six critical "Advanced Primary Care" (APC) services—including behavioral health integration and e-consults—that demonstrate measurable ROI through reduced hospitalizations and improved equity.
- With the U.S. spending only 4.6% of
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CMS Launches WISeR Model: New Medicare Prior Authorization Rules Start Jan. 1
Earlier this year the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services introduced the "Wasteful and Inappropriate Service Reduction" model, a series of prior authorization requirements designed to ensure timely and appropriate Medicare payment for select items and services in six states (New Jersey, Ohio, Oklahoma, Texas, Arizona, and Washington) that take effect Jan. 1.
As part of the “WISeR” requirements, CMS selected tech vendors to implement enhanced technological models to
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Cornell Survey: Experts Warn HSA Conversion and Small Premiums Threaten ACA Affordability
What You Should Know:
- A new survey from the Cornell Health Policy Center reveals that 70% of health policy scholars believe converting ACA subsidies into Health Savings Accounts (HSAs) would worsen affordability for enrollees.
- Additionally, 81% of experts agree that ending automatic renewals—a policy slated for 2028 under the "One Big Beautiful Bill Act"—will substantially reduce Marketplace enrollment. These findings come as policymakers scramble to find alternatives to enhanced
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Why Rural Health Transformation Must Include Maternal Health
Congress’ most recent budget reconciliation bill included controversial cuts to Medicaid spending. The legislation slashed hundreds of billions of dollars from the program over the next decade, a move that is likely to disproportionately affect rural hospitals and safety-net providers.
To offset the cuts, lawmakers introduced the $50 billion Rural Health Transformation Program (RHTP), a five-year initiative (2026-30) meant to
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