In FY 2011, only continuation funding will be offered. Please contact program manager below for specific deadline information. It is anticipated there will be a FY2012 solicitation released.

The primary objective of the Telehealth Network Grant Program (TNGP) is to demonstrate how telehealth programs and networks can improve access to quality health care services in underserved rural and urban communities. TNGP grants demonstrate how telehealth networks improve healthcare services to: (a) expand access to, coordinate, and improve the quality of health care services; (b) improve and expand the training of health care providers; and/or (c) expand and improve the quality of health information available to health care providers, patients, and their families. Applicants can apply for the TNGP in one of two areas: (1) Telehealth Networks (TNGP-TH) - grants for the use of electronic information and telecommunications technologies to support and promote long-distance clinical health care, patient and professional health-related education, public health, and health administration. (2) Telehomecare Networks (TNGP-THC) - grants to evaluate the cost and effectiveness of remote vital sign monitoring of individual patients and the delivery of healthcare services to individuals in their place of residence by a healthcare provider using telecommunications technologies to exchange healthcare information over a distance. Applicants must clearly identify under which provision they are applying. Applicants must provide an evaluation design to measure quantitative outcomes, which should be measured in the following areas: impact on quality of care; appropriateness of use of the technology; whether access was improved; whether clinical outcomes were improved; and, how the cost of service delivery was affected in terms of efficiency and effectiveness of care. Of particular interest will be programs that can clearly measure the costs of their telehealth services and measure the impact of the telehealth program on : (1) improving access to health care services for residents of communities that did not have such services locally before the program; (2) hospitalization rates and emergency room visit rates per year for patients receiving disease management services for diabetes, congestive heart failure, stroke and other chronic diseases, as well as for patients receiving home care/home monitoring services; (3) controlling blood glucose levels in diabetic patients; (4) improving the efficiency of health care; and, (5) reducing medical errors, and other clear outcome measures. The network shall include at least 2 of the following entities (at least 1 of which shall be a community-based health care provider): (1) community or migrant health centers or other federally qualified health centers; (2) health care providers, including pharmacists, in private practice; (3) entities operating clinics, including rural health clinics; (4) local health departments; (5) nonprofit hospitals, including community (critical) access hospitals; (6) other publicly funded health or social service agencies; (7) long-term care providers; (8) providers of health care services in the home; (9) providers of outpatient mental health services and entities operating outpatient mental health facilities; (10) local or regional emergency health care providers; (11) institutions of higher education; or (12) entities operating dental clinics. Other entities may be included in the network; however, they shall not be counted as one of the two required sites. The TNGP-THC (telehomecare) networks should be composed of a minimum of two entities, one of which must provide telehealth services to people in their place of residence and a second entity that meets the requirements listed in the program's guidance for the TNGP-TH networks (e.g., physician office, hospital, clinic, long-term care provider). At a minimum, if there are only two entities in the network, one must be capable of evaluating telehomecare services. Grant funds may be used for salaries, equipment, and operating or other costs, including the cost of: (1) Developing and delivering clinical telehealth or telehomecare services that enhance access to health care services for residents in a variety of health care settings in rural areas; (2) Developing and acquiring, through lease or purchase, computer hardware and software, audio and video equipment, computer network equipment, interactive equipment, data terminal equipment, and other equipment that furthers the objectives of the telehealth network grant program; (3) Developing and providing distance education, in a manner that enhances access to care in rural areas, frontier communities, or medically underserved areas, or for medically underserved populations; or (4) Mentoring, precepting, or supervising health care providers and students seeking to become health care providers, in a manner that enhances access to care in the areas and communities, or for the populations, described above; (5) Developing and acquiring instructional programming; (6) Transmitting medical data, and maintenance of equipment; (7) Compensating clinicians, and referring health care providers, who are providing telehealth services through the telehealth network; (8) Developing projects that use telehealth/telehomecare and home monitoring technologies to facilitate collaboration between health care providers; (9) Collecting and analyzing statistics and data to document the cost-effectiveness of the telehealth, telehomecare, and home services. Continuation funding is available for FY2011. A new solicitation is expected to be released in FY2012.

For fiscal years 09-11 $3,430,000 was made available to fund 14 awards. For fiscal years 06-08 approximately $4.25 million was made available annually to fund 13-15 grants under the TNGP-TH provisions, and 3 grants under the TNGP-THC provisions. The list of most recent funding awardees is available at http://granteefind.hrsa.gov/searchbyprogram.aspx?select=H2A&index=181.

Varies

Name: Carlos Mena

Department: Health Resources and Services Administration (HRSA)

Street: 5600 Fishers Lane

Room 11A-02

City: Rockville

Zip: 20857

Email: CMena@hrsa.gov

Fax: (301) 443-6343