6 Health Systems Receive Funding From FCC's COVID-19 Telehealth Program

Six health systems across the US will receive funding from the Federal Communications Commission’s new COVID-19 Telehealth Program to expand their connected health platforms to tackle the ongoing pandemic.

The awards are the first to be doled out from the $200 million program created by the Coronavirus Aid, relief and Economic Security (CARES) Act, signed into law last month. The FCC began accepting applications just four days ago.

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The COVID-19 Telehealth Program is not a grant program. To receive disbursements, healthcare providers will be required to submit an invoicing form and supporting documentation to receive reimbursement for eligible expenses and services.

The awards, totaling $3.23 million, are as follows:

• The Ochsner Clinic Foundation in New Orleans will get $1 million to expand telehealth and mHealth services to high-risk and vulnerable populations in Louisiana and Mississippi;
• Hudson River HealthCare in Peekskill, NY, is getting $753,367 to expand its telehealth platform for low-income, underinsured and uninsured patients in southeastern New York, including New York City;
• Grady Memorial Hospital in Atlanta is getting $727,747 to launch a telemedicine platform that includes virtual visits and check-ins, remote patient monitoring and e-visits to hospital rooms;
• Mount Sinai Health System in NYC is getting $312,500 to expand its telehealth and mHealth programs to high-risk geriatric and palliative care patients in the city;
• Neighborhood Health Care in Cleveland is getting $244,282 to expand a telehealth program that includes RPM platforms and mHealth devices to low-income patients with chronic care needs in the city’s West Side neighborhoods; and
• UPMC Children’s Hospital in Pittsburgh is getting $192,500 to provide telehealth services to children who have received organ transplants and are thus at high risk for the virus.

“Telehealth has emerged as a critical service for health care providers and patients alike during the coronavirus pandemic,” FCC Chairman Ajit Pai said in a press release, adding that more awards will be announced soon. “It promotes social distancing, protects the safety of health care professionals and patients, and frees up space in health care facilities for those who now need it most. I am confident that the funding we approved today will allow the selected health care providers to expand their telehealth efforts, and I look forward to seeing the positive impact they will have in their communities in New York, Louisiana, Pennsylvania, and elsewhere.”

“This will help ensure that patients can receive high-quality care without having to leave their homes, which is particularly important with social distancing recommendations in place,” FCC Commissioner Brendan Carr said in a separate release.