Bridge’s Guide To The FCC Telehealth Fund

What is the FCC Telehealth Fund?

Federal Communications Commission (FCC) COVID-19 Telehealth Program authorized by the CARES Act will provide $200 million in funding to support healthcare providers in offering telehealth services to patients during the coronavirus pandemic. The COVID-19 Telehealth Program aims to fully fund telecommunications services for eligible healthcare providers. Funds can be used to purchase devices and software needed to provide vital telehealth services in response to the COVID-19 pandemic. This support will continue until the program’s funds have been depleted or the COVID-19 pandemic has ended.

Who qualifies for the FCC Telehealth Fund?

The COVID-19 Telehealth Program is open to healthcare providers/organizations that treat patients within the USA. The FCC Telehealth Program is limited to nonprofit and public healthcare providers, including:

1. Post-secondary educational institutions offering healthcare instruction, teaching hospitals, and medical schools
2. Community healthcare centers or healthcare centers providing healthcare 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
8. Associations of healthcare providers consisting of one or more entities falling into the first seven categories  

The goal is to allocate funding to providers that serve areas which have been the most affected by COVID-19, and where support will be the most impactful on addressing the current healthcare challenge. 

Participants are chosen based on responses to the following criteria: 

• Conditions to be treated
• Goals and objectives to be achieved with the funding
• Timeline for the deployment of the proposed service(s) or devices
• Metrics that the applicant will use to help measure the impact of the funded services and devices
• Geographic area and population served by the applicant
• Whether funding will help high-risk and vulnerable patients

What products qualify for the FCC Telehealth Program?

The FCC Telehealth Program will support eligible healthcare providers to purchase telecommunications, information services, and connected devices required to provide telehealth services at this time.  

Eligible services and connected devices for funding include: 

• Telecommunications and broadband connectivity services for healthcare providers or their patients.
• Information services and online connected platforms for remote patient monitoring, patient-reported outcomes, the transfer of patient images and data, and video consultation. 
• Connected devices/equipment such as tablets, smartphones, or other devices to receive care at home (e.g., broadband-enabled blood pressure monitors, pulse monitors, oxygen monitors), or telemedicine kiosks/carts for healthcare providers.

Vendors of eligible services and devices are not eligible to apply for funding. The program is also not intended to fund the development of new websites, systems, or platforms.  

How to acquire funding?

1. Obtain an FCC Registration Number (FRN) from the Commission Registration System (CORES), as well as a CORES username and password. 
2. Obtain an eligibility determination from the Universal Service Administrative Company (USAC) by filing FCC Form 460 through My Portal on USAC’s webpage. 
3. Register with the federal System for Award Management (SAM)
4. Submit an application 
5. The FCC will review your request and may ask for additional information; from there, they will issue a funding decision.
6. After purchasing services and or devices, healthcare providers that receive funding through the program will submit invoicing forms and supporting documentation monthly to the Commission.  
7. After the reimbursement request is approved, payment will be issued electronically to the healthcare provider.

Contact us to discover how the Bridge Patient Portal can solve your remote patient monitoring and or patient-reported outcomes needs.