FCC finds broadband gap creates meaningful use crisis

Many healthcare providers in the U.S.lack sufficient broadband Internet connections to meet health IT meaningful use criteria, according to the Federal Communications Commission, which is proposing new funding and regulations to help close the gap.

As many as 3,600 small practices lack even basic broadband services, an FCC survey discovered. Many thousands of other locations face price disparities of as much as $45,000 a year for the same services, and that is often much larger in rural areas. And the safety net providers that service the most underserved of citizens have even greater hurdles to overcome. The FCC survey found that one-in-three of Indian Health Services sites have no access to commercial broadband. Of those that do, over 90 percent rely on connections that limit the use of such things as video consultations and electronic health records. To counter this, the FCC is proposing an array of recommendations as a part of its upcoming National Broadband Plan.