NEWS October 15, 1996 TELEMEDICINE REPORT RELEASED; Telecommunications and Health Care Advisory Committee Makes Recommendations on the Expansion of Telemedicine Today the FCC's Advisory Committee on Telecommunications and Health Care released a report that will help the FCC implement sections of the Telecommunications Act of 1996 that impact telemedicine. "Telemedicine" encompasses any use of communications technology for the delivery of health care -- everything from consumer education on the Internet to treatment and consultation among health care providers through electronically- exchanged images or video. The report issued by the Committee will be used by members of a Federal-State Joint Board charged with making recommendations to the FCC in this area. The 1996 Act calls on federal and state communications commissioners to encourage the expansion of telemedicine. Under the Act, health care providers in rural areas are to pay rates for telecommunications services used in the delivery of health care that are comparable to rates for similar services in urban areas. Congress recognized that telecommunications rates in rural areas, which are frequently much higher than rates in nearby cities, are a significant barrier to telemedicine's growth. In June, the FCC appointed members to the Committee to ensure that telecommunications policy affecting telemedicine reflects input from experts in this new but quickly expanding field. Among the Committee's recommendations in the report released today is that health care providers in rural areas have access to communications services at bandwidths up to and including 1.54 Mbps at rates comparable to those in urban areas. These rates would assure that eligible health care providers avoid high rates resulting from their distance from urban areas. The 1.54 Mbps level of service is enough to support a wide-range of activities including accessing databases and the Internet and transmitting high-quality images and full- motion video. The Committee notes that in many rural areas a lack of communications infrastructure makes it impossible for health care providers to get the services they need at any rate. The Committee recommends that funding be made available to help develop the necessary infrastructure. The Committee further suggests that, because the field of telemedicine is so new, there needs to be a way to share information. The Committee highlights in particular the health care services industry's need for better information concerning standards and interoperability of equipment. It suggests the formation of an advisory body which would include representatives from the FCC, the FDA, and HHS. The Committee also notes a need for coordination of international telemedicine projects. The Committee notes that there are several categories of health care providers that do not appear to be eligible for funding under the 1996 Act, but that should also be given incentives to use telemedicine. Among these groups are for-profit providers in rural areas and providers in under-served urban areas. Finally, to keep pace with the quick evolution of the telemedicine field and the technology on which it depends, the Committee recommends that a review of its report and policy recommendations be made every two years. The report has been submitted directly to the Federal-State Joint Board and to the FCC, and has been placed on the public record for comment. The Federal-State Joint Board is required to make its recommendations to the FCC no later than November 8, 1996, and the FCC is required to act on those recommendations no later than May 8, 1997. The report of the Advisory Committee on Telecommunications and Health Care is available through the FCC's web site, http:\\www.fcc.gov or by calling 202/218-0260. - FCC - News Media contacts: Patricia A. Chew and Rochelle Cohen at (202) 418-0500. Office of Plans and Policy contact: Lygeia Ricciardi at (202) 418-2672.