Summary:

The Connected Care Pilot will provide funding for selected pilot projects to cover 85% of the eligible costs of broadband connectivity, certain network equipment (e.g., network equipment needed to make a support broadband service functional, such as a router), and information services necessary to provide connected care services to the intended patient population. The FCC has a strong preference for pilot projects that will primarily benefit low-income Americans or veterans.

Eligible Recipients:

Anchor Institution; For-Profit Business; Local Government; Non-Profit Organization

Eligible Recipients Detail:

Public or non-profit entity and be a post-secondary educational institution offering healthcare instruction; community health center; local health department or agency; community mental health center; not-for-profit hospital; rural health clinic; emergency room of a for-profit hospital; skilled nursing facility; consortium of health-care providers with one of the previous facilities.

Eligible Purpose:

Broadband Enabled Devices; Building Infrastructure; Anchor Institution Infrastructure

Eligible Purpose Detail:

The FCC defines “connected care services” as “a subset of telehealth that uses broadband Internet access service-enabled technologies to deliver remote medical, diagnostic, patient-centered, and treatment-related services directly to patients outside of traditional brick and mortar medical facilities—including specifically to patients at their mobile location or residence.” This includes:

-patient broadband Internet access services,
-HCP broadband data connections,
-other connected care information services, and
-certain network equipment (e.g., equipment necessary to make a supported broadband service functional such as routers).

The Connected Care Pilot will not provide funding for devices, including end-user connected devices (e.g., tablets, smart phones or remote patient monitoring equipment), medical equipment, HCP administrative costs, personnel costs (including, but not limited to medical professional costs), or other miscellaneous expenses. The Connected Care Pilot will also not fund network deployment, the construction of networks between HCPs, or connectivity services between HCP sites.