FCC COVID-19 Telehealth Program and Connected Care Pilot Program: Funding to Assist Health Care Providers and Patients (IF11553, Version 1)
Summary
A Congressional Research Service In Focus report, IF11553 (Version 1), dated May 19, 2020, by Victoria L. Elliott, on the Federal Communications Commission's COVID-19 Telehealth Program and Connected Care Pilot Program. The COVID-19 Telehealth Program, authorized by the CARES Act (P.L. 116-136) with a $200 million appropriation, funds telecommunications services, information services and connected devices for eligible health care providers, with no more than $1 million awarded to each recipient. The Connected Care Pilot Program makes $100 million available over three years from the Universal Service Fund, subsidizing up to 85% of qualifying costs with a 15% nonfederal match, for projects serving low-income individuals and veterans.
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May 19, 2020
FCC COVID-19 Telehealth Program and Connected Care Pilot
Program: Funding to Assist Health Care Providers and Patients
Introduction Overview of the COVID-19
Health care providers are leveraging telehealth, which Telehealth Program
generally refers to a health care provider’s use of The COVID-19 Telehealth Program is a temporary funding
information and communication technology to provide a program that supports health care providers with purchasing
health care service, to meet patients’ health care needs telecommunication services, information services, and
during the Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-19) connected devices to combat the pandemic. The overall
pandemic. However, some providers do not have the goal of the program is to help health care providers reach
infrastructure to offer, nor do some patients have the their patients and to complement the Department of Health
broadband access or connected devices to access, telehealth and Human Services’ (HHS’s) temporary expansion of
services. To address these gaps, the Federal telehealth. The Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic
Communications Commission (FCC) is administering the Security (CARES) Act (P.L. 116-136) authorizes this
COVID-19 Telehealth Program and Connected Care Pilot program.
Program. The goal of both programs is to assist health care
providers with providing connected care services, which Applications
the FCC refers to as “a subset of telehealth that uses The FCC is accepting applications on a rolling basis.
broadband internet access service-enabled technologies to Applicants will be selected until funding is expended or
deliver remote medical, diagnostic, patient-centered, and until the current pandemic ends, whichever occurs first.
treatment-related services directly to patients outside of Preference is given to health care providers that target
traditional brick and mortar medical facilities—including geographic areas experiencing the greatest burden, and
specifically to patients at their mobile location or residence” where program funds will result in the greatest impact,
(https://go.usa.gov/xvGG8). during the COVID-19 pandemic.
The FCC is an independent federal regulatory agency Qualifying Costs
charged with regulating interstate and international Health care providers can request funding for
communications by radio, television, wire, satellite, and telecommunication and broadband connectivity services,
cable. On April 2, 2020, the FCC released the Report and information services, and connected devices and equipment.
Order on both programs (https://go.usa.gov/xv79v), which
was subsequently published on April 9, 2020, as a final rule Telecommunication and broadband connectivity
in the Federal Register (https://go.usa.gov/xvGGe). This In services include voice services for health care
Focus provides an overview of both programs. providers and their patients.
Eligible Applicants for the COVID-19 Telehealth Information services include internet connectivity
Program and Connected Care Pilot Program services for health care providers and their patients,
asynchronous store-and-forward and synchronous live
Under both programs, eligible applicants are limited to the video platforms, and patient reported outcome
nonprofit and public health care providers codified in platforms.
Section 254(h)(7)(B) of the Communications Act of 1934,
as amended: (1) post-secondary educational institutions Connected devices and equipment include tablets,
offering health care instruction, teaching hospitals, and smartphones, kiosks, and carts at health care provider
medical schools; (2) community health centers or health sites, and broadband-enabled medical devices that
centers providing health care to migrants; (3) local health patients can take home, such as blood pressure
departments or agencies; (4) community mental health monitors and pulse oximetry monitors. The medical
centers; (5) not-for-profit hospitals; (6) rural health clinics; devices for patients must attach to their bodies and
(7) skilled nursing facilities; or (8) consortia of health care transmit results directly to health care providers.
providers consisting of one or more entities falling into the
first seven categories. Eligible health care providers may be Funding
located in rural and nonrural areas. Each health care The CARES Act, among other things, authorized an
provider must have an eligibility determination from the appropriation of $200 million for FCC to prevent, prepare
Universal Service Administration Company (USAC), for, and respond to coronavirus. Using the appropriation,
which is an independent not-for-profit corporation that the FCC established the COVID-19 Telehealth Program.
administers universal service funds, to receive funding. Program funds will remain available until expended or until
the current pandemic ends, whichever occurs first. The FCC
is awarding no more than $1 million to each recipient.
https://crsreports.congress.gov
FCC COVID-19 Telehealth Program and Connected Care Pilot Program: Funding to Assist Health Care Providers and
Patients
Health care providers that have exhausted their funds Patient broadband internet access services consist of
during the pandemic can request additional support, until mobile or fixed broadband internet access services for
program funds are expended or until the current pandemic participants who do not currently have or who lack
ends. sufficient broadband internet access.
Report to the FCC Health care provider broadband data connections
Health care providers are required to submit a report to the consist of data connections between provider and
FCC on program outcomes six months after the COVID-19 patient, not from one health care provider to another
Telehealth Program ends. provider. Broadband data connections currently funded
through the Healthcare Connect Fund Program are not
Overview of the Connected Care qualifying costs.
Pilot Program
The Connected Care Pilot Program is a three-year funding Other connected care information services consist of
program that supports health care providers with purchasing services that health care providers use to provide
infrastructure for themselves and their patients, particularly connected care services other than broadband
eligible low-income individuals and eligible veterans. The connectivity. Information services is not enumerated
program aims to help health care providers improve health because the FCC does not want to unintentionally
outcomes and reduce health care costs for patients, health exclude information services that the FCC has the
care facilities, and health care systems. The goal of the pilot authority to and may seek to include as an eligible
program is to gain data on and examine how the Universal service. However, the program will not fund medical
Service Fund (USF) can be useful in supporting the professional review of data and images (transmitted or
advancement of connected care initiatives through pilot stored) or services that are not designed to capture,
projects. USF provides ongoing subsidies to keep the transmit, and store data with the goal of facilitating
operation of telecommunications and broadband networks connected care services.
in high-cost areas economically viable for providers. Pilot
projects will primarily focus on public health epidemics, Certain network equipment consists of network
opioid dependency, mental health conditions, high-risk equipment that is necessary to provide connected care
pregnancies, and chronic or reoccurring medical conditions. services such as routers and servers. Award recipients
The Telecommunications Act of 1996 (P.L. 104-104, as may not apply for or receive funding for network
amended) authorizes the Connected Care Pilot Program. equipment through any other federal program.
Recipients may not use USF funds to purchase end-user
Eligible Low-Income Individuals and Veteran devices and medical equipment.
Participants
An eligible low-income individual, for the purpose of this Health care providers have up to six months from the date
program, must either (1) be eligible to receive Medicaid of their initial funding commitment letter to organize and
assistance or (2) have a household income that is at or implement their pilot projects. During the administration of
below 135% of the HHS federal poverty guidelines their projects, health care providers must notify FCC within
(https://go.usa.gov/xvG62). For calendar year 2020, the 30 days of any material change such as the closure of a
poverty guideline for an individual is $12,760 for the 48 health care provider site or the termination of a pilot
contiguous states and the District of Columbia, $15,950 for project. Health care providers are to have up to six months
Alaska, and $14,680 for Hawaii. An eligible veteran, for after the funding end date to close out their pilot projects.
the purpose of this program, is a person, regardless of
income level, who is eligible to receive health care services Funding
through the Department of Veterans Affairs. The FCC is making available $100 million over a three-
year period from general USF monies to administer and
Applications fund the Connected Care Pilot Program. The program
Preference is given to health care providers that are provides funding to help subsidize (up to 85% of)
experienced in providing telehealth services or participate qualifying costs of providing connected care services. There
in a network that assists providers with implementing their is a cost-matching requirement of 15% that must be met
pilot projects such as a Regional Telehealth Resource with nonfederal funds. There is no set limit on award
Center. Applicants must demonstrate that their proposed amounts per pilot project. Health care providers who have
projects will address the connected care service needs of a exhausted their funds can apply for additional funds.
high percentage of low-income individuals and veterans
within their participant populations. Health care providers Report to the FCC
that receive funding must notify the USAC within 30 days Health care providers must submit a report to the FCC on
of when their participating patient population decreases by program outcomes, within six months of the end dates of
5% or more. their pilot projects.
Qualifying Costs Victoria L. Elliott, Analyst in Health Policy
Health care providers can request funding for patient
broadband internet access services, health care provider IF11553
broadband data connections, other connected care
information services, and certain network equipment.
https://crsreports.congress.gov
FCC COVID-19 Telehealth Program and Connected Care Pilot Program: Funding to Assist Health Care Providers and
Patients
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