Input Sought on National Broadband Plan Regarding Health & Long-term Care Delivery Needs

In the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009 (ARRA), Congress directed the Federal Communications Commission (FCC), in its development of a National Broadband Plan, to include "a plan for use of broadband infrastructure and services in advancing...health care delivery." The FCC is seeking input from providers on a number of health information technology applications that offer promising ways to use broadband and other advanced communications to promote better health outcomes and more efficient delivery of care. HIT applications include, but are not limited to, electronic health records (EHRs), remote patient monitoring, and real-time video consultations.

The FCC has identified several delivery settings where they seek to better understand the needs and gaps in current connectivity for providers in providing care, as well as HIT value and use cases. "Long-term care facilities" and "home" are two of the settings identified.