June 2025
You're invited to Connecting Rural Health: Telehealth Strategies for Chronic Disease Prevention. The Southwest Telehealth Resource Center and Summit Healthcare Regional Medical Center are excited to co-host this one-day conference.
 Date: Friday, August 15, 2025
 Time: 9:00 a.m. – 4:00 p.m.
 Location: Summit Healthcare Conference Center, Show Low, AZ
Join us in beautiful (and cool!) Show Low, Arizona for a dynamic, in-person event focused on advancing telehealth solutions for rural and medically underserved communities.
Conference Highlights Include:
- Telehealth-enabled chronic disease management
- Remote patient monitoring
- Behavioral health integration
- Digital tools for patient engagement
- Policy and reimbursement frameworks
- Sustainable funding strategies
This is a valuable opportunity to connect with healthcare professionals, policymakers, researchers, and technology leaders committed to shaping the future of rural health.
Register here
Colorado, we would love your input!
To help us plan a meaningful and relevant telehealth conference, please take a few moments to complete this short survey. Your feedback will guide our agenda and ensure the conference meets your needs and interests. The deadline to complete it is July 1st.
Survey link
New Telehealth Resources via the SWTRC Website
Below is a selection of resources thoughtfully curated to meet the diverse telehealth needs across our region.
Billing Guides & Resources: We’ve added a new section titled Billing Resources for SWTRC States, offering a comprehensive list of billing tools and guidance for each state in our region.
For Patients: How Can I Use Telehealth for Cancer Care?
For Healthcare Providers: Introduction to Telehealth and Cancer Care
Tools & Tips & For Healthcare Providers: International Association of Forensic Nurses TeleSAFE Toolkit
Previous & Upcoming Event Highlights
Upcoming Events
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Title: Arizona Telemedicine Council Meeting
When: July 16th I 11:00 a.m. – 1:00 p.m. (MST)
Register here |
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Title: Developing a Telemedicine Program Training
When: September 9th I 9:15 a.m. – 12:30 p.m. (MST)
Register here
Note: The University of Arizona College of Medicine – Tucson designates this live activity for a maximum of 3.0 CME. |
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2025 Healthcare AI Boot Camp
Harness AI’s Potential, Drive Change, Improve Patient Outcomes
Join us for the 2025 Healthcare AI Boot Camp, a national initiative led by a group of federally funded Telehealth Resource Centers from across the country, a Telehealth Center of Excellence, and additional regional partners. This foundational training is designed to equip participants with a clear understanding of core AI concepts and their practical applications in healthcare, setting the stage for engagement with real-world challenges.
Session 2 will take place on June 25 at 12:00 p.m. PST and will feature SWTRC’s Dr. Elizabeth Krupinski, PhD, and Jordan Berg from the National Telehealth Technology Assessment Center. The session, titled Foundations: What is AI?, will explore the fundamental concepts of artificial intelligence in healthcare. Register here. |
Recent Webinars
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In partnership with the National Consortium of Telehealth Resource Centers, the Arizona Telemedicine Program’s Scientific Advisor, Dr. Joseph Finkelstein, MD, presented The Future of Telemedicine and Digital Health to Catalyze Care Delivery on June 12th. He shared insights on emerging trends in telemedicine and digital health, and provided real-world applications of AI-driven solutions and their growing impact on how care is delivered. If you weren’t able to attend, you can view the webinar here. |
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On April 29th, we co-hosted a webinar with the American Indian Health-AHEC titled State of the Science on Therapeutic Alliance in Teens Using Telemental Health, presented by Alison Ercole, PhD candidate. The session explored how therapeutic alliance is established and maintained with adolescents receiving telemental health services. If you weren’t able to attend, you can view the webinar here. |
Recent Events
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From May 20-22, Carrie Foote attended the Net Inclusion conference and co-facilitated a workshop titled Building a Digital Health Navigator Program. The session focused on the growing role of digital health navigators in supporting patients’ ability to access and use telehealth and remote monitoring technologies. As virtual care becomes more integrated into healthcare delivery, digital health navigators offer practical assistance to help individuals participate in virtual visits, operate digital tools and devices, and engage more effectively in their care. For information on and resources for Digital Navigators, click here.
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From June 3-4, we attended, exhibited, and presented at the Center for Rural Health’s 51st Rural Health Conference. Michael Holcomb and Carrie Foote presented on, Telemedicine Optimization, Reimbursement, & Policy Updates. Access our presentation slides at this link.
From June 5-6, we attended and exhibited at the Western Region Flex Conference. It was a full week of reconnecting with partners and peers, building new relationships, and engaging in thoughtful conversations about the future of rural health and telemedicine. |
State-Specific Telehealth News & Resources
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Arizona: Did you know that the Arizona Health Care Cost Containment System (AHCCCS) just launched their Telehealth Utilization Dashboard? This telehealth dashboard allows users to explore and interact with AHCCCS member data pertaining to telehealth visits. This dashboard is built from AHCCCS claims and encounter data for telehealth and comparable in-person visits, and AHCCCS Member Months Enrollment data. Three full state fiscal years plus a six-month lookback of data are included within the dashboard. To learn more about this dashboard and see a live demonstration of its features, join us at the Arizona Telemedicine Program’s Council meeting on July 17. You can find the registration link above. Click here to view the dashboard. |
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Colorado: As of June 11, 2025, Colorado’s telehealth law, C.R.S. 10-16-123, reaffirms that private insurers must reimburse telehealth services (live video, store-and-forward, audio-only and remote patient monitoring) at the same rate as in-person services under medical necessity standards.
On June 3, 2025, Senate Bill 48, the Diabetes Prevention and Obesity Treatment Act, was officially signed into law. This bill includes telehealth as a means of delivery in definitions for intensive behavioral or lifestyle therapy and medical nutrition therapy within private payer reimbursement requirements. |
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Nevada: Nevada officially joined two interstate licensure compacts, expanding opportunities for healthcare professionals and access to care. On June 6, 2025, Assembly Bill 230 was signed into law, authorizing Nevada to join the Audiology and Speech-Language Pathology Interstate Compact. On June 16, 2025, Assembly Bill 163 was signed into law, making Nevada the 38th state to enter the Counseling Compact.
For those interested in learning more about interstate licensure compacts and their implications, we invite you to attend the Arizona Telemedicine Program’s Council meeting on July 17. Registration details are provided above. |
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New Mexico: The University of New Mexico Health Sciences Library recently launched a program that has placed four telehealth kiosks in libraries across the state, with plans to install ten more by early next year. These kiosks are soundproof, stand-alone rooms that are not visibly marked for healthcare use, allowing libraries the flexibility to use them for other purposes when not in use for telehealth. You can read more about it here: Reading, Writing and Wellness: Libraries Try Out Telehealth Kiosks.
On May 13, 2025, the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services announced that the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services approved Medicaid State Plan Amendments (SPA) aimed at expanding access to care for American Indian and Alaska Native communities. Under the approved amendments, Indian Health Service and Tribal clinics in New Mexico are now permitted to provide Medicaid clinic services outside of traditional clinic settings, including in homes, schools, and other appropriate community-based locations. This update allows Medicaid funding to support the delivery of clinic services in multiple settings for eligible members of the twenty-two tribes in New Mexico. For more information on New Mexico’s SPA approval, click here. |
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