With the recent allocation of increased federal dollars, rural telehealth projects will soon be getting a significant boost. Last week, the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) announced that it had earmarked $46 million through its Rural Health Care Pilot Program for the further development of broadband telehealth networks.
There will be a total of five networks created, connecting hospitals and providers, as well as facilitating the sharing of electronic health records, in Iowa, Minnesota, Montana, Nebraska, North Dakota, South Carolina, South Dakota, Wisconsin, and Wyoming. Additionally, a telemedicine network in Alaska is currently in the early stages of design.
Acting FCC Chairman Michael Copps praised the projects, noting that they would have a positive impact on the lives of rural patients. “I am pleased with the progress that these rural health care initiatives are making to develop telemedicine programs, build highways for electronic medical records and, overall, increase patient access to health care in the regions they serve,” he said in a statement last Thursday. Copps hopes to see even further progress made in the future. “There is great potential to improve health care for those communities that currently have limited access to primary, specialty and preventive care,” he said, “As well as to enhance public safety by connecting health care providers, public health officials and first responders to these networks so that they can share crucial data during emergencies.”
Click here for more information on this FCC announcement.
