Recap - $200 million COVID-19 Telehealth Program
$200 million emergency COVID-19 Telehealth Program to implement the CARES Act and ensure access to connected care services and devices in response to the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic and surge in demand for connected care services.
We also establish a longer-term Connected Care Pilot Program (Pilot Program) within the Universal Service Fund (USF or Fund) that will make available up to $100 million over three years to examine how the Fund can help support the trend towards connected care services, particularly for low income Americans and veterans. The Pilot Program will help defray eligible health care providers’ costs of providing connected care services, with a particular emphasis on supporting these services for eligible low-income Americans and veterans.
Wireline Competition Bureau (Bureau) to review the COVID-19 Telehealth Program applications, select participants, and make funding awards on a rolling basis until the funding is exhausted or until the current pandemic has ended, consistent with the criteria outlined in this Report and Order.
“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.
The COVID-19 Telehealth Program will only fund monitoring devices (e.g., pulse-ox, BP monitoring devices), that are themselves connected
Two programs: COVID-19 Telehealth Program, separate from the longer application process for the broader Connected Care Pilot Program
Competitive bidding will not be required it there is an existing Master Services Agreements (MSAs) negotiated by federal, state, Tribal, or local government entities on behalf of such health care providers and others
Opportunities for the following companies in the market category below
End-user device and wearables company
Telemedicine hardware solutions
Telemedicine software platforms. How will the telemedicine software vendors below compete?
Telecom companies providing broadband
Interoperability platforms
IT networking vendors
More to come..
