Connected Care Pilot Program

The Connected Care Pilot Program is limited to public and nonprofit eligible health care providers that fall within the categories of health care providers in section 254(h)(7)(B) of the 1996 Act:

(1) post-secondary educational institutions offering health care instruction, teaching hospitals, and medical schools;
(2) community health centers or health centers providing health care 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; or
(8) consortia of health care providers consisting of one or more entities falling into the first seven categories.

Eligible health care providers located in rural or non-rural areas are eligible to apply. HCPs located in non-rural areas do not need to be part of a majority rural consortium in order to participate in the Connected Care Pilot.

Multiple health care providers can apply together on one application. Each health care provider site that intends to receive eligible items with Connected Care Pilot Program funding must have its own eligibility determination from the Universal Service Administrative Company (USAC). The entity applying on behalf of other eligible health care providers must have the necessary authorizations to file the application on behalf of the participating health care providers.

Health care provider sites that USAC has already deemed eligible to participate in the FCC’s Rural Health Care Program or COVID19 Telehealth Program may rely on that eligibility determination for the Pilot Program.

Applicants who received funding for the COVID-19 Telehealth Program may later submit applications to participate in the broader Connected Care Pilot Program, but may not request funding for the same exact services from both programs at the same time. Health care providers that participate in the existing Rural Health Care (RHC) Program may also apply for the Connected Care Pilot Program but may not receive duplicative funding across programs.

Private and for-profit entities are not eligible to receive funding through the Connected Care Pilot Program.

Lead entities that are not themselves eligible health care providers may not receive Pilot Program funding.

The Connected Care Pilot Program will not fund end-user devices (e.g., computers, cellphones, remote patient monitoring devices), medical equipment, or medical supplies.

Funding will not be provided for personnel costs (including but not limited to costs for IT staff, project managers, or medical professionals), marketing costs, administrative expenses, or training costs. Vendors and service providers can elect to provide training and other IT support at no cost to health care providers participating in the program.

The program is not intended to fund development of new websites, systems, or platforms.

For a complete list of ineligible services, see here:
https://docs.fcc.gov/public/attachments/DA-20-1315A1.pdf#page=6

The application filing window opens Friday, November 6, 2020, at 12:00 p.m. ET and will close on Monday, December 7, 2020, at 11:59 p.m. ET.

Prospective applicants must request an eligibility determination using the FCC Form 460 (https://www.usac.org/rural-health-care/healthcare-connect-fund-program/step-1-determine-eligibility-of-your-site/) and will receive a health care provider number (HCP number) upon submission of this form. An HCP number is required for each site or location that is included in a Connected Care Pilot application. Those applicants who have already received an eligibility determination by submitting an FCC Form 460 for the Healthcare Connect Fund (HCF) Program or COVID-19 Telehealth Program will be able to use that HCP Number and eligibility determination when applying for the Connected Care Pilot. FCC Forms 460 typically take 30 days to process and an approved FCC Form 460 is necessary to start a Connected Care Pilot application, so early submission is strongly encouraged.

Pilot Program applicants seeking support for patient broadband Internet access service must identify the estimated number of patient broadband connections that the health care provider intends to purchase for purposes of providing connected care services to patients who lack broadband service or have insufficient broadband services. A health care provider seeking funding for patient broadband Internet access service must also explain in its application how it plans to assess whether a patient lacks broadband service or has insufficient broadband Internet access service for the proposed connected care service based on speed, technology (e.g., fixed or mobile broadband), or other appropriate service characteristics.

If a single health care provider or health system has multiple locations, they must file an FCC Form 460 for each location for which they intend to purchase eligible services or network equipment.

Health care providers can determine whether their site is located in a rural area or serves patients in a rural area by using the Universal Service Administration Company’s (USAC) Eligible Rural Areas Search Tool: https://apps.usac.org/rhc/tools/Rural/search/search.asp

You must identify a lead entity or lead health care provider for your pilot project. You may select one of the health care providers included in the application to be the lead health care provider, or the lead entity may be a consortium lead that is not a health care provider, or an umbrella organization for the participating health care providers. The lead may be responsible for submitting the necessary forms and reports and ensuring compliance with the document retention requirements.

News Release: https://www.fcc.gov/document/connected-care-pilot-program-application-window-open-nov-6

Public Notice: https://www.fcc.gov/document/connected-care-pilot-program-filing-window-opening-11620-1200-pm-et

Public Notice: https://www.fcc.gov/document/fcc-provides-information-guidance-connected-care-pilot-program

Forms: https://www.usac.org/rural-health-care/resources/forms/

FAQs: https://www.fcc.gov/connected-care-pilot-program-frequently-asked-questions-faqs