Rural Health Care

Below is information for Rural Health Care Pilot Program (RHCPP) Participants and vendors concerning USAC's monthly outreach conference calls, guidance on the administrative and funding processes, and other program related information.

Monthly Conference Calls

USAC's Rural Health Care Program hosts a monthly outreach conference call for applicants and service providers in the regular RHC Program and for selected participants and vendors for the RHC Pilot Program on the second Thursday of each month at 2 p.m., ET.

Monthly conference calls are a forum in which participants and vendors can raise issues and concerns or seek clarification of pilot program rules or requirements. USAC provides an agenda for the calls followed by a general question and answer period. USAC staff moderate the calls. Please read the Conference Call Guidelines below before participating.

Participants may begin calling in 10 minutes before the call begins.

Phone Number: 1-800-240-9939
Pass Code: 6772932# (be sure to press the pound key after entering the numbers)

Go to the Monthly Conference Call page and click on the date of the conference call to view the agenda.

Conference Call Guidelines

  • Please use your mute button if you are not asking a question on the call.
  • If you don't have a mute button, hit *6 which acts as a mute.
  • Please be sure to mute your phone in one of the above ways if you are using a cell phone.
  • If you have music on hold, please do NOT put the conference call on hold. Please be courteous to others on the phone and carefully listen to questions as they may be relevant to you.
  • Please avoid side conversations, which can be picked up by your phone's microphone.
  • Please let us know via email (rhcpilot@usac.org) if you have trouble with the connection, so we can try to reach the operator.

Training Sessions

Training sessions were held to educate Participants concerning the Pilot Program administrative process and to address more detailed questions about specific projects.  The first training conference took place February 12-13, 2008 and a second training session for those who did not attend the first session took place March 11-12, 2008. The training sessions covered the application and funding processes in detail.

The presentations used for the training sessions can be found on the Training Presentations page.

USAC's Pilot Program Team

Each Pilot Program Participant has been assigned a member (called a "coach") of USAC's Pilot Program Team. The coach's responsibility is to guide the participant through the administrative process and to ensure that the information submitted by the Project Coordinator meets the requirements of the Federal Communications Commission (FCC). Project Coordinators will be able to talk or email directly with their coach, share any questions or concerns, and get helpful, timely answers.  USAC is committed to a high level of customer service and our team is excited to work with you.

Administrative and Funding Process

The Pilot Program administrative process is similar to the regular program, with several improvements to streamline the completion of applications and to accommodate additional data required for the pilot program. A web-accessible portal is available for Project Coordinators to electronically submit information, monitor their status in the administrative process, and interact with their coach. Tools to complete all forms and worksheets are available within the portal. This portal was debuted at the training sessions.

Coordination with HHS

The FCC's 2007 Rural Health Care Pilot Program Selection Order (RHCPP Selection Order) requires selected participants to coordinate the use of their health care networks with the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) and, in particular, with its Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) in instances of national, regional, or local public health emergencies (e.g., pandemics, bioterrorism). In such instances, where feasible, selected participants shall provide access to their supported networks to HHS, including CDC, and other public health officials. Similarly, selected participants shall use Pilot Program funding in ways that are consistent with HHS' health information technology (IT) initiatives that "provide leadership for the development and nationwide implementation of an interoperable health information technology infrastructure to improve the quality and efficiency of health care."  Detailed information concerning coordination with HHS IT initiatives can be found in paragraphs 81 and 82 of the RHCPP Selection Order.

Competitive Bidding Requirement Overview

The RHCPP Selection Order requires the selected participants to conduct a competitive bidding process to select the most cost-effective vendor for design, evaluation, and deployment of the broadband network.  To satisfy the competitive bidding requirement, among other things, selected participants must submit an FCC Form 465 that includes a description of services for which the health care provider(s) is seeking support and wait at least 28 days from the date on which this information is posted on USAC's website before making commitments with the selected service provider.

Please also see the Wireline Competition Bureau's Letter to Program Participants on December 20, 2007.

Please feel free to address any concerns to RHCPilot@usac.org or call 800-229-5476.

 

 


Last modified on 4/7/2008