Connecting Rural America to Better Health

Across America, broadband technology is being used to link major hospitals with rural or suburban clinics and community health centers through networked programs, such as the Federal Communications Commission’s (FCC) Rural Health Care Pilot Program.  The links often use dedicated high-speed lines or the Internet for telecommunication between sites.  Currently, approximately 200 telemedicine networks exist in the U.S., involving 2,000 medical institutions.

Telemedicine & Telehealth are Making a Difference in Rural Health Care Delivery

The use of telemedicine and telehealth is making an important impact on improving access to health care in rural communities.  Telemedicine is being used to exchange medical information from one site to another via electronic communications to improve patient health.  Along with telehealth, which more broadly describes remote health care that does not always involve clinical services, these services are expanding access to specialists and the expertise of modern urban medical centers.

Examples of both include videoconferencing, transmission of still images, e-health including patient portals, remote monitoring of vital signs, continuing medical education and nursing call centers.  By utilizing telemedicine and telehealth, patients who live in rural areas have better and timely access to critical care through medical specialists, such as cardiology, pediatrics, and radiology.  Video conferencing and other tools allow these specialists and other providers who are not always present in the rural community to effectively care for patients from hundreds of miles away.

Developing a Rural Health Care Pilot Program to Expand Access to Telehealth

In an effort to increase access to quality health care in rural and underserved areas of the U.S., FCC Chairman Kevin J. Martin and Health and Human Services (HHS) Secretary Mike Leavitt have announced more than $400 million in federal funding to create broadband telehealth networks.  Expanding the current network by one-third, the 69 new networks will be constructed in 42 states and three U.S. territories under the Rural Health Care Pilot Program (Pilot). 

The Pilot’s goal is to deliver services to rural America in a manner that is efficient, reduces costs and travel time for patients, decreases medical errors, and allows providers to share information electronically.  The networks will also be utilized to respond to public health emergencies such as bioterrorism, pandemics, and disease-related outbreaks, through coordination with HHS’ Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and other public health officials. 

Reflecting President Bush’s goal of ensuring most Americans have access to interoperable electronic health records by 2014, participants in the Pilot will be expected to implement voluntary, consensus-based health information technology standards that have been recognized by the HHS Secretary.  Health care facilities that will participate in the Pilot include hospitals, clinics, universities and research centers, community health centers, correctional facility clinics and behavioral health sites.

Selected participants will be eligible for funding to support up to 85 percent of the costs associated with the design, engineering and construction of the networks.  They will use this funding to leverage existing telehealth networks or build new, comprehensive systems.  More information about the Pilot is available at http://www.fcc.gov/cgb/rural/rhcp.html.