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 SEPARATE  STATEMENT  OF  CHAIRMAN  MICHAEL  K.  POWELL 
 Re:  Rural  Health  Care  Support  Mechanism,  WC  Docket  No.  02-  60 
 Telemedicine  creates  medical  expertise  on  demand  for  people  living  in  rural  America.  The  telemedicine  support  measures  we  adopt  today  have  the  potential  to  bring 
 millions  of  Americans  from  rural  and  remote  parts  of  the  country  closer  than  ever  to  top-quality  doctors  and  medical  specialists.  Geographic  isolation  should  no  longer  be  a 
 barrier  to  timely,  quality  medical  care. 
 Telemedicine  networks  are  also  integral  to  our  homeland  security  efforts.  In  times  of  national  crisis,  telemedicine  networks  can  bring  much-  needed  healthcare 
 information  to  first  responders.  For  example,  telemedicine  capabilities  serve  as  a  link  between  medical  professionals  and  homeland  security  teams  to  ensure  that  experts  are 
 available  in  the  event  of  a  biological  or  chemical  attack. 
 Although  the  rural  health  care  program  has  a  $400  million  annual  maximum,  demand  for  Funding  Years  2000  and  2001  averaged  approximately  $14  million  a  year. 
 Today,  we  adopt  rule  changes  to  encourage  the  development  of  public/  private  partnerships  and  other  creative  solutions  to  meet  the  needs  of  rural  communities  and 
 increase  participation  in  the  rural  health  care  program.  Today’s  Order  clarifies  that  dedicated  emergency  departments  in  for-  profit  rural  hospitals  are  “public”  health  care 
 providers  eligible  for  support  because  these  rural  hospitals  are  required  by  other  federal  laws  to  examine  and  stabilize  all  patients  who  walk  in  the  door.  The  rule  changes  we 
 adopt  today  represent  important  reforms  of  our  eligibility  criteria  and  should  ensure  scope  of  services  eligible  for  support  under  our  rural  health  care  program. 


 Most  residents  in  rural  or  remote  areas  of  the  country  do  not  have  the  luxury  of  even  one  major  medical  facility  near  their  homes,  much  less  access  to  the  world-renowned 
 team  of  doctors,  clinicians  and  researchers  that  major  educational  institutions  and  research  hospitals  can  assemble.  Innovations  in  computing  and  telecommunications 
 technology,  however,  allow  doctors  to  perform  many  medical  procedures  even  though  hundreds  or  even  thousands  of  miles  separate  doctor  and  patient.  Recently,  I  witnessed 
 the  transformative  potential  of  telemedicine  when  I  visited  the  University  of  Virginia’s  Office  of  Telemedicine.  At  the  University  of  Virginia,  I  saw  firsthand  not  only  the  types 
 of  technologies  that  doctors  can  use  to  improve  health  care,  but  also  the  telecommunications  services  –  and  service  providers  –  that  are  making  telemedicine  a 
 reality  in  rural  areas  of  America  and  across  the  globe.  The  changes  to  our  rural  health  care  program  that  we  adopt  today  probably  may  not  bring  back  housecalls,  but  they  will 
 help  promote  the  admirable  goal  of  helping  to  extend  the  expertise  of  some  of  the  nation’s  most  advanced  medical  professionals  into  some  of  the  nation’s  most  rural  and 
 remote  areas. 
 I  look  forward  to  working  with  my  colleagues  to  unlock  the  potential  of  this  program  and  to  expeditiously  address  the  issues  presented  in  the  Further  Notice. 
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