FCC Holds Broadband Roundtable For Health Technologies
By Christine Kern, contributing writer
Connect2Health Beyond the Beltway Series kicks off with “Broadband-Enabled Health Technologies on the Cutting Edge.”
The Connect2Health Task Force and the University of Virginia Center for Telehealth kicked off the Beyond the Beltway Series by discussing how new broadband-enabled technologies are being leveraged to improve access to healthcare, particular in rural and underserved areas, according to a press release.
The task force is focusing on the “intersection of broadband-enabled technologies and the provision of medical care, particularly in rural and underserved areas.”
The FCC task force, Connect2Health, was created in March, as Health IT Outcomes reported. Its goal is work to identify regulatory barriers and incentives to expand the use of wireless health technologies and strengthen partnerships with stakeholders in the telehealth and mobile health industries, and to find ways to accelerate healthcare organizations' adoption of wireless technologies.
In a press release, FCC Chairman Wheeler explained, “Broadband itself is not the goal – it’s what broadband enables. WE must leverage all available technologies to ensure that advanced healthcare solutions are readily available to all Americans, from rural and remote areas to underserved inner cities. By identifying regulatory barriers and incentive and building stronger partnerships with stakeholders in the areas of telehealth, mobile applications, and telemedicine, we can expedite this vital shift.”
The recent Roundtable was just one step towards accomplishing those goals.
Included in the event were demonstrations of lifesaving technology including telestroke and tele-obstetrics programs from the University of Virginia’s Center for Telehealth, and a discussion of the broader social and economic implications of incorporating broadband-enabled healthcare technologies.
The conference included a keynote address by Mignon Clyburn, FCC Commissioner, as was as participants from the University of Virginia, the University of Virginia Medical Center, the University of Virginia Center for Telehealth, state officials from the Commonwealth of Virginia, and members of the Cnnect2Health FCC Task Force.
A recording of the webcast will be available soon for playback on the FCC website.