FCC plan could build on Oregon's $20M health IT push

A $20.2 million effort to network Oregon's hospitals, clinics and health care training programs could receive additional funding if the National Broadband Plan is adopted.

The plan does not have a price tag connected to it yet, but Oregon officials hope it could become a key funding source for a statewide effort led by the Oregon Health Network. The nonprofit health care network is in the middle of a $20.2 million project to bring high-speed data transfer to rural areas. The effort within three years will allow hospitals to quickly transfer large health files long distances, so that an X-Ray might reach Legacy Emanuel before a helicoptered patient, for example. It will also allow medical specialists from metro areas to teach community college students or advise rural doctors by secure video link-ups. But Kim Lamb, executive director of the Oregon Health Network, said current funding does not go far enough.