Hartford Business Journal

www.HartfordBusiness.com February2,2015•Hartford Business Journal 3 Telehealth Push CT medical providers want piece of $400M fund to expand broadband access By Matt Pilon mpilon@HartfordBusiness.com W ith 200 employees and 13 locations spread across the state, Commu- nity Health Center of Middletown's annual Internet bill runs into six figures. But all that money doesn't equate to a frus- tration-free experience for its doctors and staff. That kind of user-friendly bandwidth would cost even more, according Ed Bianco, CHC's chief information officer. "We're a nonprofit and we can't afford some of these high-cost networks," Bianco said. Network speeds limit how many staff members can participate in the more than 300 video conference calls CHC conducts every month and can slow down or temporar- ily restrict doctors from accessing patients' electronic medical records, said Dr. Veena Channamsetty, CHC's chief medical officer. "The biggest frustration is if the health record is not available to me," Channamsetty said. "I can't deliver the best care because I no longer have the record in front of me." There may be a solution. CHC and a number of other Connecticut health providers have joined a consortium that's seeking a piece of a $400 million federal fund that will pay for an expansion of broadband services. The fund, which is being overseen by the Federal Communications Commission, reim- burses up to 65 percent of providers' costs of obtaining higher bandwidths and related network services. The FCC recently changed the rules for the fund, opening it up to more types of network services and health provid- ers, which means Connecticut could get its first ever piece of the money. Predecessor programs were targeted at providers in rural areas, of which Connecti- cut has few, according to the FCC's definition. But the fund now allows urban providers to receive money, if they apply as part of a larger group where the majority of provider offices and locations are located in rural areas. Balancing the rural and urban members it recruits is a key ongoing challenge for the Connecticut Healthcare Connect Consor- tium, of which CHC is a member. "To make this as big as we can, we need to have as many rural providers in this thing as we can," said Douglas Arnold, who is lead- ing the consortium. "We're saying 'Let's go get some of this money.'" And there's plenty of money to be had. Historically, the FCC fund has been under- subscribed, and even with broader eligibility supply is expected to outpace demand for several years as providers start to learn about it, Arnold said. The fund paid out just $178 million of the $400 million in fiscal year 2013, according to the FCC. Arnold said many providers he's talked to didn't know the FCC had money available for health care. Providers are used to deal- ing mainly with the Center for Medicare and Medicaid Services — not the FCC, he said. "I didn't even know about it until last May," Arnold said. Millions of dollars at stake To get as many rural locations into the con- sortium as possible, Arnold is also recruiting municipal health districts and public schools with health clinics. He said he's also talking to Day Kimball Hospital, which he believes is the largest provider in a rural census tract. Arnold estimates that the Connecticut consortium, if successful, could bring in hun- dreds of thousands or even millions of dollars to boost its members' network speeds. If things go smoothly, Arnold hopes the first round of funding could come this spring, at which point the consortium would negoti- ate with broadband providers to build out the members' networks. A large consortium with 500 members in Maine, Vermont and New Hampshire has been the biggest recent recipient of the FCC's tele- health fund in New England, receiving nearly $25 million during the fund's pilot phase. Arnold and his partners — consortium President Kevin Welch and Peter Hertan, who both have telecom backgrounds — have recruited upwards of 70 members so far. The Connecticut consortium is Arnold's latest project. Until last year, he was CEO of Medical Professional Services, a Middle- town-based physician network. He worked his last day there in Septem- ber, before going in for his sixth surgery on an ankle he badly injured falling from a ladder at his Avon home. Arnold said the time he was missing from MPS strained relations with the board of directors there, but he said he couldn't com- ment further on the matter. Dr. Michael Kazakoff, chairman of MPS, did not respond to a request for comment. CT telemedicine expansion Plenty of good can come from ensuring Continued Community Health Center CEO Mark Masselli said the state must do more to expand insurance coverage for telehealth services, which his organization uses for staff and patients. P H O T O | C O n T r i b u T e d GREEN SOLUTIONS…ONE SOURCE Only one company can build, power, protect, and maintain the critical systems in virtually every type of facility. Our clients trust us to provide sustainable, more productive, greener facilities. We are experts in: Energy Systems & Incentives Building Automation Technologies Sustainable Design & Operation 860.871.1111 Toll Free: 800.741.6367 nemsi.com License #'s: E1-104939 • S1-302974 • P1-203519 • F1-10498 • SM1-192 • MC-1134 MECHANICAL • ELECTRICAL • PLUMBING • SHEET METAL • BUILDING AUTOMATION • FACILITIES SERVICES

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