US Urged to Expedite Connected Health Pilot, Cover Telehealth Broadly, Amid COVID-19
As fears about the spreading coronavirus increase, stakeholders are upping requests (see 2003060036) for additional government actions on telehealth and remote patient monitoring. Gov. Gretchen Whitmer (D) said Thursday Michigan plans to give Medicaid patients easier access to telehealth services during the pandemic. That will expand "opportunities for safe, quality care through telemedicine," she said.
Others want the federal government to make broadband more widely available to patients who would be monitored at home during the COVID-19 outbreak. They said that can include expediting the FCC Connected Care in-home patient monitoring pilot. Commissioner Jessica Rosenworcel urged the commission to make more USF support available to deal with extra demand for telehealth and online education that's expected from the infection's outbreak.
Elements of the proposed Connected Care program "should start immediately under a national emergency provision," emailed Jonathan Linkous, CEO of the Partnership for Artificial Intelligence and Automation in Healthcare. He wants the FCC to accelerate the proposed 85% discount for broadband connectivity between patients and doctors. The rulemaking process could continue as planned, but for an emergency program, the FCC should "immediately review and eliminate any regulations in the proposed program that may be barriers to residents who are self-quarantining" as a result of potential virus infections to be able to communicate with health professionals, he said. The FCC and office of Commissioner Brendan Carr, who championed the $100 million proposed pilot program, didn't comment.
"We need all the tools we have to go through this emergency," said Alexandra Fernandez Navarro, commissioner on the Public Service Regulatory Board of Puerto Rico. "Certainly, telehealth is a great tool." She said it "would be a great idea" to expedite the Connected Care program and move USF money for telehealth use now. She recommended such support be focused on cities that are experiencing the most impact from spread of the coronavirus.
Virginia Telehealth Network Chair Karen Rheuban supports expediting Connected Care to address the virus. The healthcare system needs sufficient bandwidth to residential customers to manage in-home quarantined patients, emailed the physician. "Remote monitoring, home telehealth and remote examination tools will be key." She shared such views with Wireline Bureau staff during a Feb. 24 ex parte visit, she noted. The docket for the program is 18-213 (see 1908300042).