Dogtown Media Supports FCC’s Connected Care Pilot Program

MedTech and mHealth development have demonstrated their merit through many avenues already. But to expand these innovations from the tech hubs, like San Francisco, where they’re created, to the rural U.S. heartland, where they’re needed, the most requires an effort from all.

Together with ACT | The App Association’s Connected Health Initiative (CHI), Dogtown Media is proud to support the Federal Communications Commission’s (FCC) announcement to establish the “Connected Care Pilot Program.” It has immense potential to vastly improve how low-income and rural Americans can access and utilize telehealth solutions.

A Great Step Towards Better Connected Care

In an op-ed released last week, Commissioner Brendan Carr announced the FCC’s intentions to create the new $100 million telehealth program. “We’re seeing a trend in telehealth towards connected care everywhere,” Carr explains. “The FCC has long supported the deployment of broadband to healthcare facilities, but advances in technology mean that high-tech, life-saving services are no longer limited to the confines of connected, brick-and-mortar facilities.”

This program could drastically improve healthcare for not only rural Americans but veterans as well. Carr understands both the benefits this initiative could bring and the necessity for the FCC to promote it: “Given the significant cost savings and improved patient outcomes associated with connected care, we should align public policy in support of this movement in telehealth. At the FCC, we can play a constructive role by helping to support the connectivity and deployments needed to ensure that all communities get a fair shot at benefiting from new telehealth technologies.”

A Partnership Focused on Telehealth Progress

A long-time supporter of telehealth innovation, ACT’s CHI has been working with Commissioner Carr on ways the FCC could foster progress in this field. CHI plans to host a public event with Carr’s office in August to iron out more details of the new initiative.

“This $100 million program is a boon for the millions of Americans living without reliable access to healthcare and the American businesses driving effective, innovative telehealth solutions,” says CHI Executive Director Morgan Reed. “…without access to broadband, the personalized care, expedited diagnoses, lowered healthcare costs, and countless cost-saving, life-saving benefits of telehealth would be utterly impossible.”

Reed explains that this move helps eHealth and mHealth developers help patients better: “This pilot program could create more opportunities for our nation’s leading telehealth innovators… to increase healthcare access and improve treatment outcomes. We are excited for the new opportunities that will stem from additional resources and support for broadband-enabled telehealth solutions, and we thank the FCC for their dedication to this vital issue.”

The Benefits Are Apparent Already

Connected care has already resulted in substantial cost savings, especially for chronic disease management, which constitutes over 85% of U.S. direct health care spending. For example, the Veterans Health Administration’s (VHA) remote monitoring program costs about $1,600 per patient — a steep decline from the usual $13,000 needed per patient for their home-based primary services.

Another study found that remote monitoring helped reduce all-cause mortalities by 20% and days of inpatient care by 25%. But these statistics are just the tip of the iceberg. To see more, check out the FCC’s announcement here.

We’d like to thank ACT’s CHI and the FCC for fostering growth and innovation in telehealth. We’re sure the results from the “Connected Care Pilot Program” will be nothing less than profound, and we’re proud to support and be part of this movement forward in medicine.