WV Telehealth Alliance presentation to USAC

1. FCC Rural Health Care
Pilot Program
Larry Malone, Chairman/Project Coordinator
Jack Shaffer, Technical Coordinator/CIO

2. A statewide non-profit group comprising the
stakeholders involved in telehealth and rural
health care in West Virginia to focus on
telehealth services, telehealth research and
health education
Nine-member board of directors

3. FCC Rural Health Care Pilot
• WVTA’s Funds: $8.4 million federal
(requires a 15% match - $1.3 million)
• Three-year program, but extended until 2013
• Cost-reimbursement program
– Cover costs associated with the design, engineering and
construction of broadband health care networks and
broadband subscription fees
– No administrative costs nor equipment will be covered
• All eligible projects must be competitively bid
(USAC), and are subject to quarterly reviews, and
stringent oversight and audits

4. RHCPP Objectives
– Interconnect state and region-wide broadband health
care networks
– Aid greater use of telehealth applications and learning
– Facilitate electronic health information exchange and
EHRs
– Provide Internet2 connectivity
= Improved rural health care and outcomes

5. Eligible Entities
- Rural health care centers and free clinics
- Critical access hospitals (non-profit)
- Mental health clinics (non-profit)
- Medical teaching institutions (Marshall, CAMC,
WVU and the West Virginia School of Osteopathic
Medicine)
- County health departments
- School-based clinics
- Free clinics
- ERs in for-profit hospitals that provide Medicare

6. WV Telehealth Network

7. WVTA Plan
– Utilize existing telecommunications infrastructure to connect
major participants (hubs) and then to connect rural participants
on a regional basis, starting in southern West Virginia and then
proceeding north and east to affect a phased integration and
coordination of advanced communication and information
infrastructure that supports telehealth applications
– Coordinate the existing activities of WVU MDTV, CAMC, Marshall
University, the WV School of Osteopathic Medicine, the
participating members of the West Virginia Hospital Association
and the Community Health Network of West Virginia, the West
Virginia Primary Care Association, free clinics, local health
departments, state-operated facilities, and other eligible health
care providers through a dedicated network utilizing a scalable
high-speed broadband infrastructure

8. WVTA Plan
– Aggregation of broadband service
– Enhanced pricing power
– More effective analysis and planning
– System upgrades in rural areas
– Drive improvements in service quality, reliability
– Greater use of telehealth services
• Peri-natal project

10. WVTA Plan
Dedicated Broadband Health Care Network
Connectivity:
• Connect community/rural health centers with minimum
broadband: MPLS T1's.
• Connect acute care and critical access hospitals with
advanced broadband: MPLS T1's to 10 meg fiber service
• The plan anticipates having health entities in 290 locations
connected during the pilot program
• Foster systemwide upgrades and enhancements of these
networks…to bolster telehealth and EHRs
• Aggregating demand for pricing and service benefits

11. WVTA Plan
I2 Connectivity:
Provide for an Internet2 connection beginning at
Marshall University, then facilitated through
Marshall’s connection to WVNET, the state MPLS
Network and the state Higher Education Network…
will translate into new health care delivery, education,
research and training capabilities, not only in the
arena of Internet2, but among affiliated health care
collaborators across the state of West Virginia and
beyond.

12. WVTA Plan
Inter-Carrier Hub/Backbone:
The idea of the WVTA plan was to create a network that any eligible
entity could participate irrespective of individual telecommunications
carrier utilized by the various health care organizations.
The plan called for the creation of an inter-carrier Metro/MPLS hub to
serve as the backbone for the entire WVTA. The hub would act as a
Class Of Service (CoS), inter-provider IP-MPLS backbone that would
allow for connectivity between any of the telecommunications
providers operating in the State utilizing the MPLS protocol. It was
envisioned that this backbone will allow for gigabit connectivity
between the differing MPLS vendors and will allow rural health care
providers to connect to the West Virginia Telehealth Alliance network
by way of Verizon, nTelos, Fibernet, or any other carrier providing
ethernet services.
This backbone would basically allow for “metro-to-metro” connectivity.

13. Building “the network”

14. Timeline
1st Telco Services RFP (45 centers, 100+ locations)
First RFP: Fall 2008
First Contract: Winter 2009
1st Network Analysis (12-15 centers, 50+ locations)
First Project: Winter 2009
Internet2
Metro Fiber Build: Fall 2008 – Spring 2009
Internet2 Connectivity: Summer 2009
2nd Telco Services RFP
Spring 2009

15. e-Health Interconnection
Will support health tech initiatives:
• Participate in an ongoing review of state health tech
infrastructure and a statewide network analysis to
identify gaps in service and access
• Facilitate construction and connection of an
interoperable, integrated statewide health information
network that provides advanced broadband
connectivity needed for electronic health information
exchange and telehealth

16. Questions?
500 Corporate Centre Drive, Suite 510
Scott Depot, WV 25560
(304) 201-5707
www.wvtelehealth.org