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COVID Relief: FCC COVID-19 Telehealth Program

 
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    CFDA#

     

    Funder Type

    Federal Government

    IT Classification

    A - Primarily intended to fund technology

    Authority

    Federal Communications Commission (FCC)

    Summary

    The FCC COVID-19 Telehealth Program has been refunded through stimulus package that is part of the 2021 Consolidated Appropriations Act. Since there many unfunded applications in the queue when CARES funding was exhausted, the FCC may prioritize funding those who previously submitted application before soliciting new applications. The legislation requires the FCC to issue a public notice seeking comment on the metrics they should use to evaluate applicants under the program and how they should treat applications filed as a result of the CARES-funded application window that opened in April 2020. The FCC must allow applicants that filed applications in the first round the opportunity to update or amend their applications. The FCC is required to update applicants on status of applications and rationale for final funding decisions. If they choose to deny an application they must issue notice to the applicant and provide 10 days for the applicant to submit supplementary information, which the FCC must consider before issuing a final determination on the application.


    Below is a summary of the program that occurred in 2020 as a result of CARES Act funding:


    The COVID-19 Telehealth Program will quickly distribute the $200 million that Congress appropriated to the FCC in the Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security (CARES) Act for connected care services and devices, whether for treatment of coronavirus or other health conditions during the coronavirus pandemic.

    Eligible expenses include:

    • Telecommunications services
    • Information services such as Internet access, including access for patient use.
    • Devices necessary to enable the provision of telehealth services, including services and/or devices (e.g., smartphones or tablets) that generate and transmit patient-reported outcomes from patients to health care providers. Monitoring devices are only funded if they are themselves connected. 
    • Services or devices need not be used to treat patients with COVID-19, but must be used to prevent, prepare for, and respond to coronavirus,” such as to treat non-COVID-19 patients remotely to free up hospital beds for COVID-19 patients or to facilitate physical distancing to prevent spread of COVID-19. 
    • Supported services and devices must be integral to patient care.” Administrative costs of program participation are not supported.

    NOTE: The FCC will award support to eligible applicants based on the estimated costs of the supported services and connected devices they intend to purchase, as described in each health care provider's respective application. However, in order to give each health care provider maximum flexibility to respond to changing circumstances during the pandemic, they will not require applicants to purchase only the services and connected devices identified in their applications. They may rather use awarded support to purchase any necessary eligible services and connected devices. In addition, applicants that have exhausted initially awarded funding may request additional support.


    The second round of the Program (Round 2), will provide immediate support to eligible health care providers responding to the COVID-19 pandemic by fully funding their telecommunications services, information services, and devices necessary to provide critical connected care services until the Program's funds have been expended or the COVID-19 pandemic has ended.

     

    History of Funding

    None is available.

    Additional Information

    Round 2 Application Evaluation Metrics:

    • Hardest Hit - Whether the lead health care provider listed on the application, or an eligible health care provider that the applicant is applying on behalf of, is located in a hotspot or a sustained hotspot county.
    • Low-Income Area - Whether the lead health care provider listed on the application, or an eligible health care provider that the applicant is applying on behalf of, is located in a low-income area.
    • Round 1 Unfunded Applicant - Whether the applicant applied for, but did not receive, funding during Round 1 of the Program.
    • Tribal Community - Whether the lead health care provider listed on the application, or an eligible health care provider that the applicant is applying on behalf of, is a health care provider that qualifies under the Tribal Community metric
    • Critical Access Hospital - Whether the lead health care provider listed on the application, or an eligible health care provider that the applicant is applying on behalf of, qualifies as a Critical Access Hospital (CAH).
    • Federally Qualified Health Center / Federally Qualified Health Center Look-Alike / Disproportionate Share Hospital - Whether the lead health care provider listed on the application, or an eligible health care provider that the applicant is applying on behalf of, qualifies as a Federally Qualified Health Center (FQHC), as a FQHC Look-Alike (LAL), or as a Disproportionate Share Hospital (DSH).
    • Health Care Provider Shortage Area - Whether the lead health care provider listed on the application, or an eligible health care provider that the applicant is applying on behalf of, is located in a Healthcare Provider Shortage Area (HPSA).
    • Round 2 New Applicant - Whether the applicant is applying to the Program for the first time.
    • Rural County - Whether the lead health care provider listed on the application, or an eligible health care provider that the applicant is applying on behalf of, is located in a rural county.

    Contacts

    Emergency Telehealth Support Team

    Emergency Telehealth Support Team
    445 12th Street SW
    Washington, DC 20554

    Rashann Duvall

    Rashann Duvall
    445 12th Street SW
    Washington, DC 20554
    (202) 418- 1438
     

  • Eligibility Details

    Eligible applicants are nonprofit and public eligible health care providers, whether located in rural or non-rural areas. This includes the following:

    1. Post-secondary educational institutions offering health care instruction, teaching hospitals, and medical schools;
    2. Community health centers or health centers providing health care to migrants;
    3. Local health departments or agencies;
    4. Community mental health centers;
    5. Not-for-profit hospitals;
    6. Rural health clinics;
    7. Skilled nursing facilities; or
    8. Consortia of health care providers consisting of one or more entities falling into the first seven categories.  

    NOTE: Eligibility extends to connected care services being provided to patients by eligible health care providers even when provided from a temporary or mobile location operated by the eligible health care provider.


    Health care providers seeking to participate in Round 2 of the Program must obtain an eligibility determination from the Universal Service Administrative Company (USAC) for the lead health care provider site that they include in their application. Health care provider sites that USAC has already deemed eligible to participate in the Commission's existing Rural Health Care Programs or to participate in the initial round of the Program (Round 1) may rely on that eligibility determination for Round 2 of the Program. Interested health care providers that do not already have an eligibility determination may obtain one by filing an FCC Form 460 (Eligibility and Registration Form) with USAC. Applicants must have obtained a health care provider number to submit an application for Round 2 of the Program. However, applicants that do not yet have an eligibility determination from USAC can still file an application for Round 2 of the Program while their FCC Form 460 is pending with USAC.

    Deadline Details

    Applications were accepted and reviewed on a rolling basis until funding was expended. On June 25, 2020, the FCC stopped accepting applications to the program. 

     

    The application filing window for the second round of the COVID-19 Telehealth Program opened on Thursday, April 29, 2021 at 12:00 PM ET. The filing window lasted seven calendar days and closed on Thursday, May 6, 2021 at 12:00 PM ET.

     

    Future rounds of funding are subject to Congressional appropriations.

    Award Details

    $249,950,000 in additional funds is being made available through this program as result of stimulus funding included in the Consolidated Appropriations Act of 2021. The FCC has many applications that could not be funded from the initial CARES-funded application cycle and may prioritize funding these before opening a new solicitation.

    Up to $200,000,000 is available in total funding as a result of the 2020 CARES Act, which has been exhausted. Individual awards are not expected to exceed $1,000,000 each. Cost sharing/matching is not required.

    Related Webcasts Use the links below to view the recorded playback of these webcasts


    • Highlights of Grants to Manage and Expand Access to Health Data - Sponsored by NetApp - Playback Available
    • Funding for Healthcare Technology to Connect Providers and Patients - Sponsored by Panasonic - Playback Available
    • Funding Technology-Enabled Transformation in Healthcare to Achieve the 3-Part Aim: Improved Health Status, Better Health Care Delivery, and Reduced Costs – Sponsored by NetApp - Playback Available

 

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