Should the FCC Spend $100 Million on a Telehealth Pilot? Its Commissioner Thinks So

The Federal Communications Commission is considering a $100 million pilot program to expand the use of telemedicine for low-income Americans in rural areas. Your belief that it’s either an investment in the future of healthcare or yet another boondoggle likely rests on your opinion about telemedicine itself. If you read the point-counterpoint discussion on the subject in the June issue of JUCM, you know there are strong arguments on both sides of the question. Either way, though, FCC Commissioner Brendan Carr is very clear in his support. Calling the rise of telemedicine “the healthcare equivalent of moving from Blockbuster to Netflix,” Carr stated that his vision of the Connected Care Pilot Program (CCPP) is that it “will focus on ensuring that low-income Americans and veterans can access this technology. Particularly in rural communities…where the nearest hospital is in a different state, access to telehealth can make a life-saving difference.” The FCC is scheduled to vote on the initiative on July 10, but it seems its approval is a foregone conclusion, as the agency is quoting various studies showing that remote patient monitoring has resulted in a 20% reduction in all-cause mortality; a 15% reduction in heart failure-related hospitalizations; a 25% drop in length of hospital stays; a 46% decrease in emergency room visits; and a 53% reduction in hospital admissions. For an analysis of how telemedicine might play out from an urgent care practice management perspective, read Using Telemedicine to Improve Throughput and Build Market Share in our archive.