Telemedicine Group: U.S. Failing in Rural Healthcare

Rural Americans still don’t have access to telemedical care, even though the FCC promised it would support remote healthcare as part of the National Broadband Plan.

That’s the gist of a sharply worded letter from the American Telemedicine Association to FCC chairman Julius Genachowski, regarding the Commission’s “continued mismanagement” of its Rural Health Care Program.

ATA chief Jonathan D. Linkous writes, “Despite the promises, the rhetoric and the official criticism, a great silence has settled over the Commission regarding these issues.”

In the letter, he invokes the General Accounting Office, which has sharply criticized the FCC’s management of rural healthcare, for which only one-fifth of the promised funds have been allocated.

The government’s investment in infrastructure for rural healthcare was expected to spawn private telemedicine enterprises -- live videoconferencing exchanges between patients and doctors -- funded largely by insurance agencies.

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Meanwhile, back in January, the USDA awarded 44 rural healthcare organizations with telemedicine grants as part of a $34.7 million giveaway for expanding rural healthcare services through the department's Distance Learning and Telemedicine Program.

The complete letter to the FCC is reproduced below.

The Honorable Julius Genachowski
Chairman
Federal Communications Commission
445 12th Street SW
Washington, DC 20554

In the Matter of:
Notice of Proposed Rulemaking,
Regarding the Universal Service Support Mechanism
For Rural Healthcare
(WC Docket No. 02-60)

Mr. Chairman:

This week marks the one-year anniversary of the FCC’s proposed rulemaking regarding the flawed Universal Support Mechanism for Rural Healthcare. Also, it has now been sixteen months since the Commission adopted the National Broadband Plan which included an entire chapter on healthcare policy proposals. Finally, eight months ago, the General Accounting Office issued a report sharply criticizing the Commission’s management of the Rural Health Care Program.

Despite the promises, the rhetoric and the official criticism, a great silence has settled over the Commission regarding these issues. Now, we also note the departure of every key professional staff from the Commission involved in healthcare policy. It is deeply troubling to see that the Commission is allotting practically no resources with no apparent plans to address the proposed rulemaking, the approved Broadband Plan or to respond to the GAO report.

This delay has not been without consequence. Despite the Commission’s stated goal to provide up to $400 million annually in support of telecommunications to improve healthcare delivery, only about $80 million will be spent this year (outside of a one-time pilot program commitment). Thus, the Commission annually leaves over $300 million in funds that could be used immediately to help improve Americans’ access to health services and help reduce the cost of healthcare. With the crisis America faces in healthcare, the Commission’s failure to take action is disturbing.

Over the past three years ATA has repeatedly asked the Commission to make changes in the Rural Healthcare program. We have submitted numerous comments in the proceeding and have publically supported the proposals in the Commissions’ Broadband Plan. We are now making this plea for the FCC to reach a decision in these matters quickly and to implement the approved changes without further delay.

Sincerely,

Jonathan D. Linkous
Chief Executive Officer
American Telemedicine Association