report to Congress on issues related to the use telecommunications technology for Telemedicine. The document also outlines the activities of the href="http://www.ntia.doc.gov/reports/telemed/group.htm">Joint Working Group on Telemedicine (JWGT).
* Federal Communications Commission Advisory Committee on Telecommunications and Health Care -- On October 15, 1996, the Advisory Committee on Telecommunications and Health Care released its Findings and R
ecommendations." The report summarizes the current state of telemedicine and recommends how to implement the specific telemedicine provisions of the Telecommunications Act.
* Department of Health and Human Services Announces Grants -- On October 7, 1996 HHS Secretary Donna E. Shalala announced that the National Library of Medicine, a part of the National Instit
utes of Health, was funding 19 telemedicine projects, affecting rural, inner-city, and suburban areas, with a total budget of $42 million.
* Food and Drug Administration - On July 11, 1996 the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) released a report which describes the telemedicine activities of its Center for Devices and Radiological Health (CDRH). The CD RH has the responsibility of ensuring the safety and effectiveness of medical devices used in telemedicine.
* Council on Competitiveness Report - In March 1996 the Council on Competitiveness released a report which analyzes the impact of the National Information Infrastructure on the health care market. The report entitled, "Highway to Health: Transforming U.S. Health Care in the Information Age" contains a case study on licensure issues and a corresponding chart provided by Arent Fox Kintner Plotkin and Kahn. If you link to the actual text of the full report, please be aware that the charts and graphs included in the printed version of the report are not available in the electronic version. Printed copies of the report can be obtained for a fee from the
Council on Competitiveness. For more information on this report and others visit the Council on Competitiveness homepage.
*Department of Health and Human Services Press Release - The Department of Health and Human Services recently sponsored a report entitled, "Telemedicine and the National Information Infrastructure (NII): Policy Issues and
Recomendations." A press release announcing the report is available.
*Western Governor's Association Telemedicine Action Report. The Western Governors' Association's Telemdicine Policy Review Group recently released six background papers on major barriers to telemedicine. These papers, written by
leading experts in the field of telemedicine, were compiled as the "Western Governors' Association Telemedicine Action Report." The report includes an introductory section entitled, "A Vision for Telemedicine," as well as individual reports on the following topics: Infrastructure Planning and Development; Telecommunications Regulation; Reimbursement; Licensure and Credentialing; Malpractice Liability; and Confidentiality.
*Abt Associates Inc. Rural Telemedicine Evaluation. A study to identify and describe rural programs using telecommunications technology to connect primary health-care providers with specialists for patient consultation.
Office of Rural Health Policy (ORHP) coordinates its efforts with a number of other federal, state and local agencies to promote better health care service in rural America
To improve the recruitment and retention of health professionals in rural areas, the office supports the National Rural Recruitment and Retention Network. The NRRR assists health professionals locate suitable practices in rural and frontier areas throughout the country. The toll-free number for this network is 1-800-787-2512.
The ORHP/Abt Survey is available at: http://www.hrsa.dhhs.gov/news.htm
General information about the Department of Commerce's National Telecommunications and Information Administration
(NTIA) can be found at: http://www.ntia.doc.gov
"Lessons Learned" NTIA: Telecommunications and Information Infrastructure Assistance Program is available at:
http://www.ntia.doc.gov/otiahome/tiiap/lessons.htm
For more information on FDA telemedicine issues, consult the following web sites:
Proposed FDA classification of medical image management devices, including teleradiology/PACS and other
products relevant to telemedicine. The summary of the proposed rule published in the Federal Register is:
http://www.fda.gov/cdrh/fr1202as.html)
The proposed rule itself is available at: http://www.fda.gov/cdrh/fr1202af.html)
Summary of the September 1996 Software Policy Workshop is available at: http://www.fda.gov/cdrh/ost/nuswpolc.html
The FDA Report "Telemedicine-Related Activities" is available at: http://www.fda.gov/cdrh/telemed.html
Federal Telemedicine Gateway
Includes the Joint Working Group on Telemedicine Report
U.S. National Library of Medicine
How to find medical information, access to NLM databases, what's new,
NLM grant information, and much more.
VA Telemedicine
Projects
A listing by state of Veterans Affairs telemedicine projects.
