Specific Telemedicine Spending in Final Stimulus Bill

The recently passed $787 billion economic stimulation bill includes $19 billion for health information technology (HIT). Specific for telemedicine, it will provide $4.7 billion for NTIA’s Broadband Technology Opportunities Program, $2.5 billion for USDA’s Distance Learning, Telemedicine, and Broadband Program, $1.5 billion for HRSA to use to build or repair health centers and/or to purchase equipment, and $85 million for health IT and telehealth technologies within the Indian Health Service. In addition ot this, much of the other HIT money will most likely have telehealth applications. (Source: Federal Telemedicine News)