2. RHCPP Objectives
– Interconnect state and region-wide broadband health care
networks
– Aid greater use of telehealth applications and learning
– Facilitate electronic health information exchange and EHRs
– Provide Internet2 connectivity
= Improved rural health care and outcomes
3. Eligible Entities
- Rural health care centers
- Critical access hospitals (non-profit)
- Mental health clinics (non-profit)
- Medical teaching institutions (Marshall, CAMC,
WVU and the West Virginia School of Osteopathic
Medicine)
- County health departments
- School-based clinics
- Free clinics
- ERs in for-profit hospitals that provide Medicare
5. Accomplishments
• Organized a statewide coalition focused on telehealth and health IT
• Formed a non-profit organization and dedicated board of directors
• Secured multi-million-dollar FCC grant to improve telehealth and
broadband infrastructure
• Secured $600,000 Benedum grants
• Secured $800,000 in additional funding from state (HCA and DHHR)
• Developed a first-rate technical implementation plan – nearly $10
million project
• Aggregated need/demand from health care locations across the state
– Group purchasing power
– Enhanced service agreements and quality
– Improvements in rural connectivity
• Completed projects –
– Metro Fiber Build
– Advanced broadband connections to 90+ locations
• Telehealth outreach project
• Participating in state’s HIT coordination council/strategic HIT plan
6. RHCPP Project #1
Metro Fiber Project
• Marshall University (for its health education programs, courses)
• Marshall University Joan C. Edwards School of Medicine
• St. Mary’s Medical Center
• Cabell-Huntington Hospital
Benefits:
• Provide advanced broadband interconnection among these
institutions for the exchange of health information and health
education purposes
• Will allow rural health centers added remote access
capabilities (via telehealth) to the physicians and specialists at
these interconnected organizations
• Will provide a fiber connection point to bring Internet2 service
into the state, particularly into southern and central West
Virginia
7. Huntington Metro
Fiber Build Project
Fiber Routes
– New Fiber – Existing MU –
Fiber OARnet/Internet2
8. Huntington Metro
Fiber Build Project
Fiber Routes
1 Gig Connection to Internet2
Rural
Health
Clinics 10 Gig Fiber Connections
– New Fiber – Existing MU Fiber – OARnet/Internet2
10. RHCPP Project #2
Telco Services/WAN Procurement
90+ locations opted to participate and sign contracts
Purchasing Groups:
Partners In Health/CAMC
Community Health Network of WV
Valley Health
WV United Health System/ University Health Associates
Wheeling Hospital
Minnie Hamilton
Winning Vendors:
– Comcast
– Frontier
– Lumos/nTelos
– Verizon
11. W.Va. RHCPP Participants
Provided are the entities that signed RHCPP contracts:
Beckley Health Right Primary Care Systems, Inc.
Belington Community Medical Services Roane General Hospital
Cabell Huntington Hospital Stonewall Jackson Memorial Hospital
CAMC Tri-County Health Clinic, Inc.
Community Health Network of WV Tug River Health Association
Family Care University Health Associates
Highland Hospital Assoc. Valley Health System
Lincoln Primary Care Center Webster County Memorial Hospital
Minnie Hamilton Health System West Virginia Health Right, Inc.
Monroe Health Center West Virginia United Health System
Pendleton Community Care Wheeling Hospital, Inc.
Preston Health Care Corporation
12. RHCPP Benefits
WVTA has met and exceeded its goal of providing at least T-1 service to
all healthcare sites, with 40 % of participating locations signing up for T-1s.
Moreover, 54 % of participating locations are purchasing service that is at
least six times better than T-1 service. Some locations (15 %) are even
purchasing 100 Mbps or 1,000 Mbps service.
WAN Bandwidth # Sites
Internet Only 3
1.5 Mbps WAN 40
3 Mbps WAN 3
10 Mbps WAN 37
100 Mbps WAN 13
1,000 Mbps WAN 3
13. RHCPP Benefits
Improved broadband connectivity will provide a number of benefits:
• Enable greater use of telehealth services and connections that will
enable improved diagnostic capabilities and specialty treatment
options:
• Peri-natal project
• Tele-stroke
• Tele-psychiatry/therapy
• Transmission of medical data for diagnosis, treatment or follow-ups;
• Enable better group purchasing power and enhanced reliability and
quality of service
• Foster tele-training and educational opportunities; and
• Dedicated virtual private networks to ensure security, reliability and
connectivity
14. Major RHCPP Beneficiaries
• CAMC
• WVU Hospital System
• Wheeling Hospital
• Metro Fiber
– St. Marys
– Cabell-Huntington
– Marshall School of Medicine
• Community Health Network
15. Telehealth In Action
• St. Mary's Medical Center Remote Presence Telestroke Care
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=E7c7LIxnX-A
• West Virginia Perinatal Project
– Perinatal consults
– Consults in pediatric cardiology, neurology, and neuro surgery
• WVU Telepsychiatry Program
http://www.mnn.com/money/green-workplace/blogs/wvu-expands-
telepsychiatry-program
• Valley Health
– Remote site behavioral health telemedicine
16. RHCPP Project #3
Intercarrier Metro/MPLS Hub Project
Hub will serve as the backbone for the entire
WVTA’s network of networks:
1) allow health care providers to connect to the West
Virginia Telehealth Alliance network regardless of
broadband vendor
2) allow for other hospitals and health care education
facilities to connect seamlessly to the larger telehealth
network