FCC moves forward on $100 million telehealth program

THE FEDERAL COMMUNICATIONS COMMISSION is a step closer to allocating $100 million for a pilot program promoting telemedicine services. The panel unanimously approved a notice of proposed rulemaking for its Connected Care Pilot.

“The future of healthcare is connected care, and this is the future that I want the FCC to support,” FCC Chairman Ajit Pai said last week. “The $100 million budget … for the Connected Care Pilot program is a smart investment for us and the country.”

A year ago, FCC Commissioner Brendan Carr unveiled plans for the three-year program that would support a limited number of projects, focusing on pilots that help providers “defray” the broadband costs of bringing telemedicine to low-income Americans and veterans.

Unlike existing FCC healthcare programs, such as the Rural Health Care Program, the pilot would focus on projects that connect patients with healthcare services directly and outside of a hospital. The FCC will seek public comment on what kinds of healthcare and broadband service providers should be eligible for the program.

Telemedicine has provided benefits for patients with diabetes, opioid dependency and post-traumatic stress disorder, among other conditions, Carr said during the meeting. He cited data from the Veterans Affairs

Department, which found a remote patient-monitoring program had reduced days of inpatient care by 25% and hospital admissions by 19%. The VA’s remote patient-monitoring program cost $1,600 per patient, compared with $13,000 per patient for traditional care, Carr said.

Despite the unanimous vote, commissioners did raise some concerns.

FCC Commissioner Michael O’Rielly questioned budgeting for the program. As written, the proposed Connected Care Pilot would be funded by the Universal Service Fund, which collects fees from telecommunications companies. The FCC uses these fees to subsidize services for low-income and rural areas. O’Rielly said the FCC has not proposed including the Connected Care Pilot within any of the USF’s existing programs.

“However, $100 million in funding must come from somewhere,” he said, suggesting the program will result in telecom companies being asked to pay larger contributions to the USF. ●