Overview

What is Rural Health Care?

Rural Health Care is a universal service support mechanism authorized by Congress and designed by the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) to provide reduced rates to rural Health Care Providers (HCPs) for telecommunications services and Internet monthly access charges related to the use of telemedicine & telehealth. For more information about the Rural Health Care Division (RHCD), please refer to the section titled About RHCD.

What does it mean to HCPs?

Support is available for telecommunications services and monthly Internet access charges used for the provision of health care. Support is also available for limited long distance charges for accessing the Internet. The level of support depends on the HCP's location and the type of service chosen - it will be calculated individually for each HCP. An HCP can save on a service it already has, upgrade, or install new service. An HCP can find out its level of support and what its total service charge will be before committing to a particular service.

How does an HCP determine its needs?

The HCP should assess its situation to determine its needs. How does the HCP plan to use the telecommunications or Internet services? For example, does the HCP want to transmit data, images, or interactive video? With whom does the HCP want to communicate most frequently? HCPs are encouraged to contact telecommunications carriers and Internet service providers serving their area to determine their needs and learn about services available.