On April 14, the PCIA was joined by 10 other organizations and industry sponsors in providing comments to the Federal Communications Commission’s (FCC) proposed rule on promoting telehealth in rural America. The FCC seeks to revise the Rural Health Care Program by assisting rural healthcare providers with the cost of broadband and by building networks for healthcare providers to access broadband services.
In the letter, the PCIA strongly recommended that any data collection and analysis tools be evaluated through a health equity lens and agreed with the FCC’s plan to only apply an internal cap on multi-year commitments and upfront payments in the Healthcare Connect Fund when overall demand exceeds available funding.
The AUA remains committed to ensuring telehealth access for patients and providers alike and will continue to advocate for increased telehealth coverage with all stakeholders.
The letter is attached.
04_22_2022_FCC_Telehealth_Proposed_Rule_Comment_Letter_Final.pdf