Situation Report | September 21, 2020
The Federal Communications Commission is launching the Connected Care Pilot Program, a $100 million project aimed at improving telehealth access for low-income Americans and veterans.
The Pilot Program includes up to $100 million over three years for selected pilot projects. It will provide universal service support for 85 percent of the cost of eligible services and network equipment.
The Pilot Program will not provide funding for devices, medical equipment, health care provider administrative costs, personnel costs, or other miscellaneous expenses. It also will not fund network deployment, the construction of networks between health care providers, or connectivity services between health care provider sites.
While home care is not directly listed as an eligible provider for the Pilot Program, it appears that there are some potential avenues for home care participation. For instance, local health departments are eligible, and these entities may be able to work with their home care divisions in a pilot. Also, home care may be able to participate as part of “a consortia of health care providers.” That consortia must “consist of one or more entities” from a list of seven organizations directly eligible for the program, as defined in the FAQs here.