NCRHTP Initiative Six: Digital Health
The NC Rural Health Transformation Program has six core initiatives. Initiative six is focused on digital health and technology. This work includes improving health information sharing, deploying cutting-edge artificial intelligence to support rural providers and ensuring digital literacy for all residents.
The digital health and technology initiative includes multiple programs including partnership with the NC Department of Information Technology. Learn more about these programs using the drop down below.
The Rural Health Innovation Fund (RHIF) will serve as a kickstart investment to help rural health care providers modernize operations and health IT infrastructure. This fund will enable providers to access funding to assess existing data systems and identify technology needs.
Eligible investment projects include telehealth expansion, AI-enabled clinical decision support, electronic health record upgrades, cybersecurity enhancements and more. NCDHHS will work with partners to ensure that RHIF investments are scalable, sustainable and aligned with broader statewide goals to improve quality of care for rural communities
Funds will be available through a competitive application process beginning in September 2026 and will be posted on the Rural Health Transformation Program Grant Opportunities webpage.
This project supports rural providers in adopting AI and emerging digital technologies by establishing the NC Rural Digital Health Collaborative (NCRDHC). The Collaborative will serve as a centralized resource to guide rural providers through the fast‑changing digital health landscape and help providers evaluate which AI and digital tools are safe, effective and sustainable for their care settings.
The NCRDHC includes two core components: a Rural Community of Practice and a Rural Technical Assistance Center. The Community of Practice will foster shared learning, collaboration and centralized support across rural health organizations. The Technical Assistance Center will offer hands‑on education, implementation guidance and real-time support to help providers adopt and monitor digital tools responsibly.
The NC Health Information Exchange Authority oversees and administers North Carolina’s Health Information Exchange (HIE) Network also known as NC HealthConnex. NC HealthConnex is a tool to link different systems and existing HIE networks together to deliver a holistic view of patient records. It allows providers to access patients’ comprehensive records across multiple providers, as well as review labs, diagnostics, history, allergies, medications and more.
Currently, only 41% of rural provider facilities with signed participation agreements are actively exchanging data. NCRHTP is focused on increasing rural provider participation in NC HealthConnex by addressing operational, technical and financial barriers that prevent providers from fully participating. This project will offer capacity‑building, tailored connection solutions, technical assistance, and strategic planning support to help providers implement and sustain high‑quality data exchange.
The project also upgrades existing rural connections to meet data quality standards for accuracy, timeliness and completeness. Over time, this infrastructure will establish the foundation for rural precision medicine by enabling more targeted, data‑driven care.
Digital health literacy is critical for ensuring rural residents can fully benefit from technology enabled health services. Because in-person care is often limited in rural areas, this project focuses on helping patients confidently use telehealth, patient portals, health information exchange tools and digital questionnaires.
The project is in partnership between the NCDIT Division of Broadband and Digital Opportunity and the United Way of North Carolina’s NC 211 program, which already provides multilingual, 24/7 digital navigation support. Together we will offer personalized, one-on-one training on essential digital health skills, provide digital health skills assessments and help connect residents to in-person digital health literacy support. This support will be available beginning July 1, 2026.
This project’s goal is to strengthen rural health care by integrating Remote Patient Monitoring (RPM), Chronic Care Management (CCM), Hospital‑at‑Home and virtual‑first care models. It targets high‑risk patients with chronic conditions to improve access, patient flow and workforce efficiency in underserved areas.
This activity will deliver RPM and CCM services that are fully integrated with NC HealthConnex. The program will begin with a pilot in a few rural provider settings before scaling statewide. Long‑term sustainability will be supported through reimbursement, optimized workforce models and standardized care pathways. This project also promotes patient-centered chronic disease management that empowers individuals to better manage their health.
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