The FCC is waiving some prior equipment certifications so that medical tech from new suppliers can be sped to action in the fight against the COVID-19 pandemic. 

GE Healthcare requested the waiver so it could get supplies from new suppliers for use in healthcare facilities. That technology includes wearable patient monitors, diagnostic testing systems, and portable X-rays. 

Related: FCC Hands Out More Telehealth Funding 

The waiver was issued by the Wireless Telecommunications Bureau and the FCC Office of Engineering and Technology.  

But without FCC pre-certification, GE Healthcare will have to test the devices before deploying them and must get the FCC certification within 18 months or it would have to get the devices back from the healthcare facilities after the waiver expires. 

“The FCC is committed to doing everything in its power to help healthcare facilities treat patients during the coronavirus pandemic,” said FCC Chairman Ajit Pai in a statement. “This waiver will enable GE Healthcare to get new medical equipment into the field that will benefit healthcare professionals during this difficult time.” 

Telehealth is one of the FCC's key priorities in COVID-19 mitigation, including handing out $200 million in a telehealth program funded by Congress.

The FCC has approved its fifth round of telehealth funding per a $200 million congressional allocation for a COVID-19-related program.

Related: FCC Grants TerreStar Medical Telementry Service

The additional $11.19 million for 26 programs brings the total to $24.9 million to date for 56 telehealth providers in 23 states.

The money is going to both rural and urban areas.

Among the latest funding awards were for mental health and dental services in California, connected devices in Vermont, and pediatric patient monitoring in New York.

The FCC is approving the applications on a rolling basis, rather than waiting until they are all in to prioritize them.

The FCC began accepting applications April 13.

At least for Verizon, BlueJeans are the new stay-at-home business attire.

With pandemic-driven video conferencing definitely a growth business, Verizon said it has signed a definitive agreement to buy the BlueJeans Network, a video conference and event platform it said the company will integrate into its 5G plans for telemedicine, distance learning and Verizon field service work.

"We are excited to combine the power of BlueJeans’ video platform with Verizon Business’ connectivity networks, platforms and solutions to meet our customers’ needs,” said Verizon Business president Tami Erwin.

Related: Verizon Gives Nurses, Teachers Price Break

Verizon said it is bringing aboard BlueJean's founders and "key management."

The deal is subject to closing conditions, but is expected to close in this quarter, Verizon said.

The Consumer Technology Association (CTA) and the American Telemedicine Association (AMA) have joined to launch TechHealthDirectory.com, a directory of digital health technologies. 

The site provides a database of telehealth tech that doctors and patients can search for access to medical devices, remote monitoring services, mental health services, and more. 

Related: White House Talks Coronavirus with Tech Giants 

CTA and ATA called the site: "[our] response to an urgent federal government request amid the coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic." 

Related: ITI Launches Guide to COVID-19 Response Resources 

That request came from the White House's Office of Science and Technology Policy (OSTP) and U.S. Chief Technology Officer Michael Kratsios, who last month asked tech companies to "create a resource identifying digital health products, tools, and services to assist the health care industry..." 

Related: White House-Backed Ed Tech Site Launches 

“The Trump Administration recognizes the power of telemedicine and digital health solutions in keeping Americans healthy and safe during this unprecedented time, making it a priority to expand access for patients and doctors alike," said Kratsios of the new portal. "We thank our Nation’s technology leaders for continued action as part of this truly whole-of-America response to the pandemic.” 

Related: OSTP Calls for AI Mining of COVID-19 Database 

“Our industry improves lives and uses innovation to help during times of crisis – and we are now rising to the challenge,” said CTA President Gary Shapiro. “This website will help the health care industry find telehealth solutions and address medical conditions. Our industry is proud to volunteer our time and expertise to offer help during a critical time of need. While much is still uncertain about the outbreak of COVID-19, there have never been more innovative tech solutions available to us all.” 

Elsewhere, Congress earmarked $300 million for FCC telehealth programs in the CARES Act COVID-19 aid package and the Department of Health and Human Services as expanded Medicare coverage for telehealth and is waiving potential HIPAA penalties for "good faith use of telehealth during the emergency." 

The FCC voted Wednesday (April 1) to start spending $200 million on telehealth per the direction of Congress in the CARES Act COVID-19 aid bill, but for at least one of the commissioners it was too quick for the second part of the proposal, a $100 million telehealth pilot project that has been cooking for some time and was also approved as part of the two-item, telehealth, package. 

While it was a bipartisan vote, Republican commissioner Michael O'Rielly dissented strongly from the majority on the pilot project item, using terms like fiscally reckless, obfuscate, and exhibiting a lack of rigor "beneath the Commission's standards." 

O'Rielly had asked that the two program frameworks--the COVID-19 Telehealth Program and Connected Care Program--be separated into two items so he could vote quickly on the first while taking more time to study the second, but said in his lengthy statement that his request did not carry the day for "specious reasons" and that it was being spun as targeting the awful pandemic when the money could not be distributed anytime soon based on the item timelines. 

FCC officials did tell reporters on background this week that the pilot Connected Care Program would be targeted at opioid abuse, mental health and chronic diseases like diabetes, rather than COVID-19. 

But O'Rielly was not done. He said that item was on shaky legal footing and was the equivalent to a government-run beauty contest without any objective criteria. 

He slammed its "neither here nor there" funding source and said it would "blatantly violate the federal anti-kickback statute.  

He said his vote was hurried, with no chance to offer edits or even digest the item, calling it "not a prudent or effective policymaking process."

The FCC has approved plans to spend $300 million on telehealth, both to meet the current COVID-19 crisis and for a longer-term project. The vote came less than 48 hours after the proposal was circulated, yet another new normal as the government attempts to match the speed of the growing pandemic. 

The vote was unanimous on the COVID-19 crisis part but not on the pilot project.

A spokesperson for FCC chairman Ajit Pai confirmed that the FCC commissioners had voted to approve the chairman's framework for spending the $200 million in telehealth funding in the CARES Act COVID-19 aid package, which passed late last week, as well as spending $100 million for a telehealth pilot project using Universal Service Fund subsidies. 

Related: Berry Urges Vote of Telehealth Initiative 

The $200 million emergency plan would allow eligible healthcare providers to buy telecommunications broadband connectivity and devices, both to help COVID-19 patients, including those in self-isolation and quarantine, and others with underlying conditions who don't want to risk a trip to the doctor. 

There is no deadline for spending the money, which the FCC gets "until expended." It is to go to "prevent, prepare for, and respond to coronavirus, domestically or internationally, including to support efforts of health care providers to address coronavirus by providing telecommunications services, information services, and devices necessary to enable the provision of telehealth services during an emergency period."  

The money will be prioritized to areas hardest hit by COVID-19, including populations most in need of social distancing. 

According to senior FCC officials, the FCC does not expect to give out more than $1 million per grant. Eligible providers include nonprofit hospitals, medical schools, health departments, healthcare services for migrants, and others. 

Some for-profit hospitals may not be eligible due to the FCC's focus of what officials said was limited dollars to the most in need.  

The other $100 million is going to a three-year pilot project that would:  

1. "Provide universal service support to help defray health care providers’ qualifying costs of providing connected care services.  

2. "Target funding to eligible health care providers, with a primary focus on pilot projects that would primarily benefit low-income or veteran patients.  

3. "Make available up to $100 million, which would be separate from the budgets of the existing Universal Service Fund programs and the COVID-19 Telehealth Program.    

4. "Provide funding for selected pilot projects to cover 85% of the eligible costs of broadband connectivity, network equipment, and information services necessary to provide connected care services to the intended patient population." 

That 85% coverage is a difference with the $200 million in the emergency program, which can be used to cover 100% of costs.  

Other big differences: 1) The pilot project will not cover device costs, which the FCC said it can't because the funding comes from USF rather than the COVID-19 relief bill. 2) Time being of the essence in a sheltered-at-home world, the emergency grants will be handed out on a rolling basis--the FCC won't wait until it gets all the applications in before starting to hand out money to qualified applicants-while in the pilot program, the FCC will wait until they are all in before deciding. 3) The emergency program is focused on COVID-19, while the pilot will target opioid abuse treatment and mental health and chronic diseases like diabetes. 4) In the emergency program, there will be no requirement for competitive bidding while there will be in the pilot program.  

The pilot proposal will also look at how the Connected Care program could be made a permanent part of the FCC's Universal Service Fund broadband/advanced telecom subsidy program. 

Commissioner O'Rielly said the emergency aid part was short on details an long on discretion, he could support it. But he had little good to say about the pilot."[T]he second part of the item—based on the very limited time I have had to review it—seems to have been half-cooked and rushed out the door to take advantage of the current crisis," he said.

"[W]hile I applaud Chairman Pai and the FCC for moving forward with the COVID-19 program expeditiously, I cannot endorse the decision to rush the Connected Care Pilot out the door in its current state. Therefore, I have voted to approve in part and dissent in part," O'Rielly said.

Matthew Berry, chief of staff to FCC Chairman Ajit Pai, said that the chairman's framework for an emergency telehealth initiative has been voted for by three of the five commissioners, which essentially means it has been approved.

But it can't be official until the other two vote, or weeks have passed for them to vote.

Related: Pai Circulates Framework for Telehealth Program

Congress allocated $200 million for that telehealth program in the CARES Act COVID-19 aid bill.

In a tweet Tuesday afternoon (March 31), Berry urged the other two votes to come in ASAP.

[embed]https://twitter.com/AjitPaiFCC/status/1245054104789045248[/embed]

The proposal would allow eligible health care providers to buy telecommunications broadband connectivity and devices, both to help COVID-19 patients, including those in self-isolation and quarantine, and others with underlying conditions who don't want to risk a trip to the doctor. 

The $2 trillion coronavirus aid bill includes $125 million dollars to buttress the Department of Agriculture's Rural Utilities Service (RUS) telemedicine and distance learning and broadband buildout loan and grant programs.

The bill must still be passed by the House--a vote is scheduled for Friday, March 27, but that is expected to happen and the President to sign it the same day.

Related: Massive Coronavirus Aid Bill Passes Senate

Getting broadband to rural areas so that those residents can also telecommute and get distance learning and healthcare is a top-of-mind issue in Washington due to the pandemic.

The RUS funding comes in two tranches.

The RUS' existing $600 million pilot program for rural broadband loans and grants will get an additional $100 million to "prevent, prepare for, and respond to coronavirus," with the same restrictions as the pilot program.

That means at least 90% of the households being served must be in a rural area "without sufficient access to broadband," which it defines as 10 Mbps downstream, 1 upstream, though the Secretary of Agriculture can review and update that definition annually. The money can't be used to overbuild or duplicate broadband expansion efforts by anyone entity that has already gotten a broadband loan from the RUS.

The grants will be weighted toward previous applicants who are now eligible due to adjusted eligibility requirements.

Then there is an additional $25 million under RUS's "Distance Learning, Telemedicine, and Broadband Program" to, again, "prevent, prepare for, and respond to coronavirus."

Both amounts are available until Sept. 30, 2021, though hopefully the pandemic will have ended before then.

FCC chair Ajit Pai, for whom closing the rural digital divide is an avowed priority, praised the infusion of funds. 

CableLabs this week released a new video that shows how the industry’s wired broadband networks and increased focus on wireless connectivity in the home can play a big role in innovations that will be coming to the world of healthcare and telemedicine.

CableLabs released the video and associated materials, titled The Near Future. A Better Place, in conjunction with the CableLabs Winter Summer Conference in Keystone, Colo. It’s the second in a series in that vein that followed one released last year that focused on cable’s role in the evolution of virtual reality and augmented reality.

The video centers on an 86-year-old man who has become reliant on connected apps and services, including smart medicines, wearables, artificial intelligence, remote exams and an array of sensors, that aim to improve and extend his quality of life at home and to stay connected with loved ones.  The video also peers into how a new breed of autonomous vehicles will help him stay active and mobile away from home.

READ MORE:NCTA's Powell: 'The Near Future is Now'

Speaking at a press conference Monday, Phil McKinney, CEO of CableLabs said video was created based on a “personal inspiration” based on the experiences of his parents and grandparents to explain and describe how new the promise of these medically-focused technologies and services can improve home life for the elderly amid the struggles of more traditional healthcare programs and activities.

McKinney said the video is focused on “innovation with purpose” and “not just about speeds and feeds ,” by taking a closer look at the role of technology in the lives of individuals. He acknowledged that much of what is depicted in the video isn’t a reality yet, but hopes that the cable industry can work with and inspire those in the medical industry to bring some of these ideas to life.

At the same time, telemedicine has become a bigger focus for cable operators and their business services operations.  Cox Communications, for example, recently partnered with the Cleveland Clinic to form Vivre Health, a strategic alliance focused on bringing homecare to the home using broadband and other technologies.  Cox also has invested in HealthSpot, a company focused on patient and provider-driven telehealth technology.

RELATED: Cox Makes Home Healthcare Connection

McKinney said a challenge ahead is to simplify these technologies for the people they are intended for.

“We are not there yet today to make this future happen because of the complexity,” he said, noting that the video shows an always-on set-up that doesn’t require components such as a keyboard or a mouse.

Watch the video below:

Keeping itself focused on a key growth opportunity for delivering services tailored for healthcare organizations  and telemedicine providers,  the cable industry will be well represented at the annual HIMSS Annual Conference & Exhibition, taking place this week in Las Vegas.

Four MSOs will be participating in this year’s show – Comcast Business (booth 7830), Cox Business (booth 4400/T2113), Charter’s Spectrum Business unit (booth 12340), and Time Warner Cable Business Class. Notably, Cox recently acquired Trapollo, a provider of managed services to the health care industry that enables the deployment of telehealth and remote health monitoring.

Additionally, CTAM will be located in the Innovations booth within the Interoperability Showcase area at the Las Vegas event, where it will provide additional information on cable’s healthcare partnerships.

“The typical size for a Picture Archiving and Communications Systems image set — such as an xray — used by radiologists in everyday evaluations is 500 Megabytes,” said Steve Rowley, SVP of Cox Business, in a statement. “The size of these commonly-used imaging files tells us clearly that the healthcare industry has significant needs as it embarks on a massive migration to electronic health records and networked data exchange. We will work in lock step with our customers to ensure our solutions meet their ever-growing data demands.”

"Supporting healthcare technology will require a strong network backbone to ensure peak performance,” added Alexandra Sewell, VP of Enterprise Marketing, Comcast Business. “This is the foundation to building an effective healthcare IT delivery chain, which ultimately provides quality patient care – something that we’re all striving to do.”

 “As the healthcare industry is focused on providing the best possible care for patients and their families, the cable industry is supporting this mission with technologies, such as  advanced network and cloud solutions, that work together to help healthcare organizations stay connected, secure and compliant,” said Jeff Greenberg, Time Warner Cable Group Vice President Marketing, Mid-Market and Channels.

“Complexity in the health IT space is increasing and is likely to continue to grow in the foreseeable future," said Cynthia Carpenter, VP of Product Management, Spectrum Business. "With our high-capacity, fiber-rich networks for connecting providers, patients and facilities across the healthcare ecosystem, the cable industry is providing simple, reliable services that are easy to deploy and scale as healthcare customer needs evolve.”