Geisinger has been awarded $978,935 from the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) to provide telehealth services during the COVID-19 pandemic. Geisinger will use the award to purchase telemedicine carts, tablet computers, and telemedicine peripherals such as hand-held cameras and stethoscopes.
The number of daily telehealth visits has skyrocketed during the COVID-19 pandemic, with Geisinger providers conducting twice as many visits daily as the monthly total pre-COVID. Geisinger offers telehealth visits for primary care appointments and 72 specialties.
Telehealth technology has allowed Geisinger providers to connect with patients while minimizing physical contact during the COVID-19 pandemic. Telehealth helps to ensure that patients can maintain routine health care appointments and manage chronic conditions. Telehealth promotes social distancing, protects the safety of health care professionals and patients, and frees up space in health care facilities for those who need it most.
The FCC also announced a total of $29.41 million in funding for health care providers in urban and rural areas to provide telehealth services during the pandemic. To date, the FCC's COVID-19 Telehealth Program, which was authorized by the CARES Act, has approved 514 funding applications in 46 states plus Washington, D.C., for a total of $189.27 million in funding.
For more information on telehealth at Geisinger, readers may visit http://www.geisinger.org/telemedicine.
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