FCC Adopts Final Rules for Connected Care Pilot Program
On April 2, 2020, the FCC issued a Report and Order adopting the final rules for the Connected Care Pilot Program. Support is not limited to rural health care providers (HCPs).
For purposes of the Report and Order, the Commission defined “connected care services” as “a subset of telehealth that uses broadband Internet access service-enabled technologies to deliver remote medical, diagnostic, patient-centered, and treatment-related services directly to patients outside of traditional brick and mortar medical facilities—including specifically to patients at their mobile location or residence.”
Examples of connected care services delivered to patients at their residence or mobile location rather than a health care provider’s physical location include, but are not limited to, remote patient monitoring, patient health education, store and forward services (e.g., asynchronous transfer of patient images and data for interpretation by a physician), and synchronous video consultations and visits.
• The three-year Pilot Program will provide $100 million from the Universal Service Fund to help defray health care providers’ costs of providing connected care services.
• Eligible applicants include non-rural and rural nonprofit and public health care providers. Eligible HCPs include: (1) postsecondary educational institutions offering health care instruction, teaching hospitals, and medical schools; (2) community health centers or health centers providing health care to migrants; (3) local health departments or agencies; (4) community mental health centers; (5) not-for-profit hospitals; (6) rural health clinics; (7) skilled nursing facilities; and (8) consortia of health care providers consisting of one or more entities falling into the first seven categories.
• Eligible HCPs can receive support for qualifying service from any broadband provider.
• The Pilot Program will fund 85% of the eligible costs of broadband connectivity, network equipment, and information services necessary to provide connected care services. Specifically, these costs include: (1) patient broadband Internet access services, (2) health care provider broadband data connections, (3) other connected care information services, and (4) certain network equipment. The Pilot Program will not fund end-user devices or medical equipment.
• Funding priority for the Pilot Program will be given to services that primarily benefit low-income or veteran patients. The Commission expressed a strong preference for HCPs that have experience with providing telehealth services to patients or have a partnership with another HCP, government agency, or designated telehealth resource center with such experience.
• Pilot projects can receive funding for three years, with transition periods of six months before and after.
• HCPs cannot receive funds from both the pilot program and the existing RHC program. Unlike the COVID-19 program, competitive bidding requirements apply to the Pilot Program.
• Application Process. The application deadline for the Pilot Program will be 45 days from the effective date of the Pilot Program rules (the effective date will be the date the rules are published in the Federal Register) or 120 days from the release date of the Report and Order, whichever is later. See paras. 67-71 for further details.
For purposes of the Report and Order, the Commission defined “connected care services” as “a subset of telehealth that uses broadband Internet access service-enabled technologies to deliver remote medical, diagnostic, patient-centered, and treatment-related services directly to patients outside of traditional brick and mortar medical facilities—including specifically to patients at their mobile location or residence.”
Examples of connected care services delivered to patients at their residence or mobile location rather than a health care provider’s physical location include, but are not limited to, remote patient monitoring, patient health education, store and forward services (e.g., asynchronous transfer of patient images and data for interpretation by a physician), and synchronous video consultations and visits.
• The three-year Pilot Program will provide $100 million from the Universal Service Fund to help defray health care providers’ costs of providing connected care services.
• Eligible applicants include non-rural and rural nonprofit and public health care providers. Eligible HCPs include: (1) postsecondary educational institutions offering health care instruction, teaching hospitals, and medical schools; (2) community health centers or health centers providing health care to migrants; (3) local health departments or agencies; (4) community mental health centers; (5) not-for-profit hospitals; (6) rural health clinics; (7) skilled nursing facilities; and (8) consortia of health care providers consisting of one or more entities falling into the first seven categories.
• Eligible HCPs can receive support for qualifying service from any broadband provider.
• The Pilot Program will fund 85% of the eligible costs of broadband connectivity, network equipment, and information services necessary to provide connected care services. Specifically, these costs include: (1) patient broadband Internet access services, (2) health care provider broadband data connections, (3) other connected care information services, and (4) certain network equipment. The Pilot Program will not fund end-user devices or medical equipment.
• Funding priority for the Pilot Program will be given to services that primarily benefit low-income or veteran patients. The Commission expressed a strong preference for HCPs that have experience with providing telehealth services to patients or have a partnership with another HCP, government agency, or designated telehealth resource center with such experience.
• Pilot projects can receive funding for three years, with transition periods of six months before and after.
• HCPs cannot receive funds from both the pilot program and the existing RHC program. Unlike the COVID-19 program, competitive bidding requirements apply to the Pilot Program.
• Application Process. The application deadline for the Pilot Program will be 45 days from the effective date of the Pilot Program rules (the effective date will be the date the rules are published in the Federal Register) or 120 days from the release date of the Report and Order, whichever is later. See paras. 67-71 for further details.
