General Session (All-Access): The Rural Tech Catalyst Fund: Innovation at the public/private sector intersection

As part of CMS’s Rural Health Transformation (RHT) Program, the agency has created an opportunity for states to set aside a portion of their funding to support technology and digital health innovation projects for rural communities. Referred to as “Rural Tech Catalyst Funds,” this committed portion of a state’s RHT funding is designed to support consumer-facing, technology-driven solutions that improve access to and/or quality of care in rural areas. States are proposing a variety of goals for this financing, from improving digital infrastructure to expanding telehealth services to facilitating new public-private collaborations. This panel will discuss the landscape of approaches that states are proposing and the opportunity ahead to accelerate technological innovation in rural communities.