The Federal Communications Commission has voted unanimously to push ahead with Connected Care, a pilot program to promote the use of telemedicine, to the tune of some $100 million.

Modern Healthcare reports that the three-year pilot program would support a limited number of projects with that $100 million. The focus would be “on pilots that help providers 'defray' the broadband costs of bringing telemedicine to low-income Americans and veterans.”

It would differ from existing FCC health care programs like the Rural Health Care Program in that it would involve projects that connect patients with health care services directly and outside of a hospital.

Public comment will be sought on which types of health care and broadband service providers should be eligible, as well as appropriate goals and metrics and how data should be gathered.

FCC Commissioner Brendan Carr has said that telemedicine has been helpful for diabetics, those with an opioid dependency and those suffering from post-traumatic stress disorder. He also credited Veterans Affairs Department data that found a remote patient-monitoring program had reduced days of inpatient care by 25 percent and hospital admissions by 19 percent, saying in the report that the program cost $1,600 per patient, compared with $13,000 per patient for traditional care.

“Given the significant cost savings and improved patient outcomes associated with these pilots, we should align public policy in support of this movement in telehealth,” Carr said. “It's the health care equivalent of moving from Blockbuster to Netflix.”

Despite the enthusiasm for the project, there are concerns. FCC Commissioner Michael O'Rielly questioned budgeting for the program, which as written would be funded by the Universal Service Fund. The FCC collects fees from telecommunications companies for the USF, which subsidizes services for low-income and rural areas. O'Rielly pointed out in the report that the FCC hasn't assigned the pilot program to any of the existing programs currently getting money from the USF.

According to Modern Healthcare, O'Rielly suggested that telecommunications companies might end up being asked to kick in higher contributions to the USF to finance the pilot.

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FCC approves $100 million telemedicine pilot

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