The FCC COVID-19 telehealth program completed its final awards today. The 100 application approvals in round two of the program total $47.89 million.
The program reimburses health care providers for information services, connected devices and other telecommunications services to enable them to help their patients stay connected during the pandemic. Round 2 of the program committed funds of $249.95 million. The first round of the program, which was created by the CARES Act, committed $200 million. In all, the program approved 986 awards in every state, territory and the District of Columbia.
“The pandemic has forced us to think differently about how to deliver health care services and the FCC has risen to the challenge through a number of telehealth programs, including our COVID-19 Telehealth Program,” FCC Chairwoman Jessica Rosenworcel said in a press release about the completion of the COVID-19 telehealth program. “From offering remote behavioral health services in Decatur, Illinois to supporting the underinsured and those living below the poverty line in Dade City, Florida, the health care providers announced today offer just a snapshot of the breadth of connected health care services this program has helped support in the past year. I want to commend the work of our team in the Wireline Competition Bureau for their dedication to this program that has made such an impact on our nation’s doctors, nurses, and their patients.”
The largest awards – of $1 million each – were made to Catholic Medical Center in Manchester, NH; The Dickinson County Healthcare System in Gaylord, MI and San Ysidro Health of San Diego. The smallest award was made to Premium Health in Brooklyn, NY. The firm will receive $29,438 to purchase laptops, VoIP services and a telemedicine platform.
The FCC’s fifth tranche of application approvals in the second round of the program was announced in December 2021. It totaled $42,702,383 and was made to 68 health care organizations.
