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Telehealth

Telehealth is the use of electronic information and telecommunications technologies to support long-distance clinical health care, patient and professional health-related education, public health and health administration. Technologies include videoconferencing, the internet, store-and-forward imaging, streaming media, and terrestrial and wireless communications. HRSA works to increase and improve the use of telehealth to meet the needs of underserved people by:

• Fostering partnerships within HRSA, and with other Federal agencies, states and private sector groups to create telehealth projects.
• Administering telehealth grant programs.
• Providing technical assistance.
• Evaluating the use of telehealth technologies and programs.
• Developing telehealth policy initiatives to improve access to quality health services.
• Promoting knowledge exchange about "best telehealth practices."

The Office for the Advancement of Telehealth 

The Office for the Advancement of Telehealth (OAT) promotes the use of telehealth technologies for health care delivery, education, and health information services. The office is part of the Office of Rural Health Policy, located within Health Resources and Services Administration (HRSA) at the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. HRSA’s mission is to assure quality health care for underserved, vulnerable, and special needs populations.  The 2010 OAT budget is $11.6 million (not including the Congressionally Mandated Programs).

Telehealth Grant Programs

The Licensure Portability Grant Program (LPGP) is a competitive grant program that provides support for State professional licensing boards to carry out programs under which licensing boards of various States cooperate to develop and implement State policies that will reduce statutory and regulatory barriers to telemedicine. 

The Telehealth Network Grant Program (TNGP) is a competitive grant program that funds projects that demonstrate the use of telehealth networks to improve healthcare services for medically underserved populations in urban, rural, and frontier communities.

The Telehealth Resource Center Grant Program (TRC) is a competitive grant program that provides support for the establishment and development of Telehealth Resource Centers (TRCs). These centers are to assist health care organizations, health care networks, and health care providers in the implementation of cost-effective telehealth programs to serve rural and medically underserved areas and populations.