AHA comments on FCC proposal for low-income telehealth pilot

AHA today encouraged the Federal Communications Commission to provide sufficient funding for health care providers to manage pilot projects under its proposed Connect Care program, and to make it easy for them to apply and measure success. It also urged the commission to allow all providers in areas of need to participate in the program, including for-profit providers and rural consortia, and low-income patients who are not Medicaid enrollees. “Lastly, equipment (including end-user devices) should be eligible for funding, with the understanding that there is no ‘one-size-fits-all’ equipment solution for all HCPs,” AHA said. The comments were submitted in reply to initial comments on an FCC notice of inquiry regarding the proposed program. AHA encouraged the commission to proceed to a notice of proposed rulemaking in a manner consistent with both its reply and initial comments, calling the Connected Care Pilot Program “an important next step towards delivering affordable telehealth services to those Americans who need it the most.”