Telehealth Programs

Telehealth Programs is sponsored by Health Resources and Services Administration (HRSA). HRSA offers grants that support virtual learning networks, advance innovative telehealth solutions, and expand access to nutrition and health services through technology.

This notice announces the opportunity to apply for funding under the Telehealth Network Grant Program (TNGP). The funding opportunity is aimed towards promoting rural Tele-emergency services with an emphasis on tele-stroke, tele-behavioral health, and Tele-Emergency Medical Services (Tele-EMS).

This will be achieved by enhancing telehealth networks to deliver 24-hour Emergency Department (ED) consultation services via telehealth to rural providers without emergency care specialists.

Tele-emergency is defined as “an electronic, two-way, audio/visual communication service between a central emergency healthcare center (Tele-emergency hub) and a distant hospital emergency department (ED) (remote ED) designed to provide real-time emergency care consultation.

”1 These services may include assessment of patients upon admission to the ED, interpretation of patient symptoms and clinical tests or data, supervision of providers administering treatment or pharmaceuticals, or coordination of patient transfer from the local ED.

The overarching goals for the Telehealth Network Grant Program are to: • Expand access to, coordinate, and improve the quality of health care services; • Improve and expand the training of health care providers; and • Expand and improve the quality of health information available to health care providers, and patients and their families, for decision-making.

In addition, TNGP recipients will support a range of Tele-emergency service programs that will allow for the analysis of a significant volume of patient encounters. The goal is for each TNGP recipient, under this NOFO, to analyze the provision of Tele-emergency services under common metrics and protocols that will allow for a multi-site analysis of the effectiveness of those services.

Each of the recipients will participate in a broad-scale analysis and evaluation of the program coordinated by the Federal Office of Rural Health Policy (FORHP) as well as individual award recipient analysis and evaluation. Eligible applicants include rural or urban nonprofit entities that will provide direct clinical services through a telehealth network.

Each entity participating in the networks may be a nonprofit or for-profit entity. Faith-based, community-based organizations and tribal organizations are eligible to apply. Services must be provided to rural areas, although the applicant can be located in an urban area.