Executive Order 13941: Improving Rural Health and Telehealth Access
President: Donald J. Trump
Directed HHS and other agencies to develop rural-health payment options and expand lawful telehealth access, including infrastructure and provider support.
Status: In effect. Sources: Federal Register: Executive Order 13941 · Federal Register 2020 executive order disposition table · CMS rural health initiative announcement, August 11, 2020.
Is Executive Order 13941 still in effect? Yes. Executive Order 13941, signed August 3, 2020, remains an unrevoked rural-health and telehealth directive. It called for changes beyond the public health emergency and has no expiration clause; completion of individual reports or model decisions does not itself revoke the order.
What does Executive Order 13941 do?
The order assigned these duties: Federal agencies named in the signed order — Directed HHS and other agencies to develop rural-health payment options and expand lawful telehealth access, including infrastructure and provider support.
Later evidence reviewed September 24, 2026: EO 13951 expressly referred to EO 13941 and announced additional work to make certain rural telehealth policies permanent. The successor statement is a later presidential action, not proof that all proposed policies became permanent. EO 13951 healthcare plan.
Before and after
Before the order
The order addressed improving rural health and telehealth access. The prior legal and administrative context is identified in its linked full text; this review does not assume every prior policy was displaced.
After the order
The signed order’s directions are explained above.
EO 13951 expressly referred to EO 13941 and announced additional work to make certain rural telehealth policies permanent. The successor statement is a later presidential action, not proof that all proposed policies became permanent.
Who had to do what
| Agency / official | What the signed order directed | Deadline / timing |
|---|---|---|
| Secretary of Health and Human Services | Announce a rural-provider payment model with predictable payments, Medicare flexibility and value-based care; report initiatives addressing clinician-access barriers, disease/mortality, maternal outcomes and mental health through Domestic/Economic Policy assistants; jointly develop infrastructure strategy with Agriculture; review emergency telehealth and rural provider flexibilities and propose appropriate extension rules. | Model, policy report and infrastructure strategy within 30 days of August 3, 2020; flexibility review and proposed regulation within 60 days. |
| Secretary of Agriculture | Develop and implement with HHS a rural-health physical/communications-infrastructure strategy, coordinating FCC and appropriate agencies. | Within 30 days of August 3, 2020. |
| Federal Communications Commission | Coordinate with HHS and Agriculture on the rural-health infrastructure strategy. | Strategy within 30 days of August 3, 2020. |
| Other appropriate executive departments and agencies | Coordinate with HHS and Agriculture on the rural-health infrastructure strategy. | Strategy within 30 days of August 3, 2020. |
Source: Signed Federal Register text.
What happened next
EO 13941 signed; its Federal Register publication followed.
EO 13951 expressly referred to EO 13941 and announced additional work to make certain rural telehealth policies permanent. The successor statement is a later presidential action, not proof that all proposed policies became permanent.
Legal and source detail
How it works legally
The Federal Register record identifies EO 13941, its title and signing date. EO 13951 expressly referred to EO 13941 and announced additional work to make certain rural telehealth policies permanent. The successor statement is a later presidential action, not proof that all proposed policies became permanent. The linked source supports this particular later event; it does not establish every present legal or operational effect.
Sources by type
If a source is unavailable, first check the cited publisher or another official repository. The cited publisher remains the authority.
Primary and official sources
Orders, laws, court records and official implementation material.
How we checked this
Last checked against the sources above on September 24, 2026. How we research →