More than 30 healthcare providers and organizations are supporting New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo's plan to expand broadband access across the state, according to an article in the Utica Observer-Dispatch.
Under a recently updated Federal Communications Commission standard, nearly 7 million New Yorkers--70 percent of them upstate residents--don't have Internet access at the minimum speed required for health IT and telemedicine.
"Technological infrastructure is key to healthcare innovation such as telemedicine and electronic medical record transmission, and expanding broadband will allow for expanded access for patients across the state, particularly in underserved communities," Melissa Mansfield, a spokeswoman for the Healthcare Association of New York State, told the Dispatch.
At the end of January, the FCC revised its definition of broadband to a minimum download speed of 25 megabits per second and a minimum upload speed of 3 Mbps. It previously had been a minimum of 4 Mbps for downloading and 1 Mbps for uploading, according to Capital New York.
However, the National Broadband Plan determined a minimum of 100 Mbps is needed for health IT and telemedicine.
In New York, 10 regional economic development councils will determine how to best use state money and also attract at least $500 million of private investment to bring faster Internet services to their parts of the state, the New York Times reports.
Five network hospitals and a nursing home affiliated with Bassett Medical Center in Cooperstown offer telemedicine for pre-surgery physicals, follow-up visits and wound checks.
Participation has been low in federal efforts to close the "connectivity gap" between rural and urban areas, according to a Health Affairs Blog post that urges changes in the Rural Health Care Program.
In addition, the American Telemedicine Association has been complaining for years that the FCC has dropped the ball in its efforts to expand broadband to improve healthcare.
To learn more:
- read the Utica Observer-Dispatch article
- check out the Capital New York story
- here's the Times piece