Letter from ANNA and other organizations to the Chair of the House Subcommittee on Labor, HHS, Education and Related Agencies requesting a programmatic increase of $7,000,000 for telehealth programs and activities in FY 2007
June 1, 2006
The Honorable Ralph Regula
Chairman
Labor-HHS-Education Appropriations
2358 Rayburn House Office Building
Washington, DC 20515
The Honorable David R. Obey
Ranking Member
Labor-HHS-Education Appropriations
1016 Longworth House Office Building
Washington, DC 20515
Dear Chairman Regula and Ranking Member Obey:
On behalf of the more than 200 individuals and telehealth organizations listed below and the communities that we represent, we are writing to urge you to support a programmatic increase of $7,000,000 for telehealth programs and activities, including:
Telehealth resource centers, which provide assistance with respect to technical, legal, regulatory, and service delivery or other related barriers to the deployment of telehealth technologies;
Telehomecare pilot projects and network grants that demonstrate how telehealth technologies can be used to expand access to healthcare services, improve training of healthcare providers, and expand the quality of available health information; and
Grants to state health licensing boards to develop and implement cooperative policies that reduce statutory and regulatory barriers to telehealth.
We applaud the past support that Congress has expressed for telehealth services, which offer underserved and hard to reach communities increased access to quality health care services. This includes passage of the Health Care Safety Net Amendments of 2002 (P.L. 107-251), which authorized the telehealth activities described above, and passage of the fiscal year (FY) 2006 Labor, Health and Human Services, and Education Appropriations bill (P.L. 109-149), which provided an additional $3,000,000 to the Office for the Advancement of Telehealth (OAT) to carry out these programs.
Increasing funding for telehealth grants by $7,000,000 above the Presidents request in the FY 2007 Labor, Health and Human Services, and Education Appropriations bill is essential to the long-term sustainability of telehealth projects, improving access in underserved areas of the country, and addressing critical clinical shortages that are occurring throughout the U.S., particularly in rural areas. This level of support is consistent with the funding level approved by the Senate during last years appropriations deliberations.
While $7 million represents a relatively small amount of money for this very important purpose, without this support, the ability to provide telehealth services in this country will be severely compromised. The increased support for these telehealth programs will help to ensure that underserved Americans have access to primary and specialty health care when and where they need it.
Thank you for your support of this important issue. Should you have any questions or need more information about the telehealth services provided throughout the country or in your state, please do not hesitate to contact any of the individuals or organizations listed below.
Sincerely,
Jackie Eder-Van Hook
Executive Director
Center for Telehealth & E-Health Law (CTeL)
The undersigned support an increase in programmatic funding for the Office for the Advancement of Telehealth:
Bob Waters
Executive Director
Home Care Technology Association of America
Washington, DC
Jeremy Bonfini
Intel Corporation
Consumer Health Access Through Technology Coalition
Washington, DC
Val J. Halamandaris
President
National Association for Home Care and Hospice
Washington, DC
Jonathon Linkous
Executive Director
American Telemedicine Association
Washington, DC
Laura J. Redoutey
President
Nebraska Hospital Association
Lincoln, NE
Joseph DIorio
Manager TeleHealth Solutions
TANDBERG
Peabody, MA
Dr. Denise Henry
Director
Telemedicine & Telehealth Technologies
Southfield, MI
Scott Echerer
Director
Rural Telemedicine Cooperative, Inc.
Lexington, SC
Sally Davis
Program Director/Telehealth
Marquette General Health System
Marquette, MI
Ann Bynum, EdD
Director, UAMS Rural Hospital Telehealth Program
University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences
Little Rock, AR
Loretta Schlachta-Fairchild, RN, PhD, CHE
President & CEO
iTelehealth Inc.
Frederick, MD
Joseph L. Ternullo, CPA, JD
Associate Director, Telemedicine
Partners Healthcare System
Lynnfield, MA
Donna K. Hammack
Chief Development Officer
Saint Elizabeth Health Systems
Lincoln, NE
American Speech-Language-Hearing Association
Rockville, MD
J.R.B. Hutchinson, MD
CEO
Hutchline
Atlanta, GA
Karen Edison, MD
The University of Missouri
Columbia, MO
Craig D. Frazier
Vice President, General Manager Extended Care
Solutions Group
McKesson Corporation
Springfield, MO
Cindy Clark
Chief Information Officer
Quality Improvement Coordinator
Visiting Nursing Association, Western Pennsylvania
Butler, PA
Raymond E. Helms, MPH
Administrator
ComfortCare Home Health & Hospice
Chesapeake, VA
Imelda Angat, RN
Director of Patient Services
ComfortCare Home Health & Hospice
Chesapeake, VA
Gary Bowers
Executive Director
Western North Carolina Health Network
Asheville, NC
Steven C. Trout
Executive Director
Southern Consortium for Children
Athens, OH
Stuart M. Speedie, PhD
Professor and Director Fairview University of Minnesota Telemedicine Network
University of Minnesota
Minneapolis, MN
Robin Keith
President
Nevada Rural Hospital Partners
Reno, NV
Mary DeVany
Manager
Avera McKennan Telehealth Network
Sioux Falls, SD
Sylvia Temlitz, MA, RN, CHPN
Home Care/Hospice Director
Lakeview Medical Center
Rice Lake, WI
Jay Tkachuck
IS Manager
Allina Hospitals and Clinics
Minneapolis, MN
Kristin Hellquist
Director of Policy and Government Relations
National Council of State Boards of Nursing
Chicago, IL
Jana Lindsey, RN
Telemedician Coordinator
Shriners Hospitals for Children
Honolulu, HI
John Heard, PhD
Vice President
A.T. Still University
Kirksville, MO
Kay Thiel
Business Administrator
High Plains Rural Health Network
Brush, CO
Teresa A. Dolan, DDS, MPH
Professor and Dean College of Dentistry
University of Florida
Gainesville, FL
Dale C. Alverson, MD
Medical Director, Center for Telehealth and Cybermedicine Research
University of New Mexico Center for Telehealth
Albuquerque, NM
Jana Katz-Bell, MPH
Board Member Center for Health & Technology
University of California-Davis Health System
Sacramento, CA
Kathy J. Chorba
Telemedicine Program Operations Manager
University of California, Davis
Center for Health and Technology
Sacramento, CA
Fred Eastman
Project, Programming & Administrative Services Director
Midwest Rural Telemedicine Consortium
Des Moines, IA
Marta J. Petersen, MD
Director
Utah Telehealth Network
Salt Lake City, UT
Jack King
Executive Director
Northcentral Montana Healthcare Alliance
Great Falls, MT
Lisa Cone
Managing Director
Cerner Corporation
Overland Park, KS
Rob Sprang
Director
Kentucky TeleCare
Lexington, KY
Ryan J. Spaulding, PhD
Director
Center for Telemedicin & Telehealth
University of Kansas Medical Center
Kansas City, KS
Cindy Uselman
RN Manager, Grants and Program Development
Tri-County Hospital
Wadena, MN
Daniel R. Plotkin
eHealth Program Administrator
Childrens Hospital Los Angeles
Los Angeles, CA
Jose C. Polido, DDS, MS
Division Head, Dentistry
Childrens Hospital Los Angeles
Los Angeles, CA
Nancy J. Sharp, MSN, RN, FAAN
Telehealth Issues Consultant
American College of Nurse Practitioners
Bethesda, MD
Carl W. Taylor
Director
University of South Alabama
Mobile, AL
Carolyn Neiswender
Director
Memorial Home Care Services
Yakima, WA
Meryl Weinberg
Executive Director
New York City Health & Hospital Corporation: Health and Home Care
New York, NY
Gail Jurasek
Chief Executive Officer
North Country Home Health & Hospice
Littleton, NH
Carolyn Hutcherson
Executive Director
American College of Nurse Practitioners
Washington, DC
Francine Wheelock, PT, MPA
Director, Program Development and Rehabilitation Services
HealthReach HomeCare & Hospice
Waterville, ME
Pamela A. Steding
President/CEO
CHRISTUS HomeCare
San Antonio, TX
Greg Beck, MHA
Founding Partner
Beck N Call Health Services
Indianapolis, IN
Paula Knoll
Director of Clinical Services
Fulton County Nursing Service
Gloversville, NY
Laurie Chichester
Vice President Home Care
Metropolitan Jewish Home Care
New York, NY
Nat Gist
Business Deveolopment
Phonoscope Health Network
Richmond, TX
Julia J. Hopple
VNA President/WellSpan Vice President
VNA Home Health WellSpan
York, PA
Linda Winter
Business Development
Phonoscope Health Network
Houston, TX
Niké Luqman
Business Development
Phonoscope Health Network
Houston, TX
Ted Viens
Special Projects Engineer
Phonoscope Health Network
Houston, TX
Andrea L. Devoti
Vice President and Chief Operating Officer
Neighborhood Health Agencies, Inc.
West Chester, PA
Dan Van Roekel
Sioux Valley Telehealth
Sioux Falls, SD
Donna Grimm
President/CEO
Community Health Professionals
Van Wert, OH
Joseph A. Tracy
Chairman
Center for Telehealth & eHealth Law
Washington, DC
Karen Rheuban, MD
Board Member
Center for Telemedicine Law
Washington, DC
Dr. Dev A. Brar
President
Nightingale Home Health Care
Carmel, IN
Christine Sakuda
Information Officer
Hawaii Primary Care Association
Honolulu, HI
Laurie Neander, MS RN
Executive Director
At Home Care, Inc.
Oneonta, NY
Laura Zwiefel
CEO/Administrator
Hancock County Memorial Hospital
Greenfield, IN
Darrell E. Vondrak
CEO
Decatur County Hospital
Leon, IA
Sylvia Getman
CEO
Mitchell County Regional Health Center
Osage, IA
Clint J. Christianson
President and CEO
Mercy Medical Center
Centerville, IA
Rhonda Chetney, RN, MS
Director of Clinical Operations
Sentara Home Care Services
Chesapeake, VA
Michael Lemnitzer
Vice President
ViTel Net
McLean, VA
Mitch Opalski
Chief Operating Officer
National Association of Home Care & Hospice
Washington, DC
Thomas D. Faulkner
Vice President Sales
Polymap Wireless, LLC
Tucson, AZ
Bert Vining
President
HeartScreen America, Inc.
Andover, MA
Robert Cox, MD
Hays Medical Center
Hays, KS
Karen Steffen, RN, MSN
Administrator
Caroldelet Home Care Services
Overland Park, KS
Ruth L. Constant, EdD, MSN, CHCE, FHHC
Chief Executive Officer
Beaumont HomeHealth Service
Victoria, TX
Stephen Matchett, MD
Medical Director, Telehealth Services
Lehigh Valley Hospital and Health Network
Allentown, PA
David Rosswog, LPC
Director of Operations
Safe Harbor Behavioral Health
Erie, PA
Elizabeth Gievsting
Chief Executive Officer
Hawaii Primary Care Association
Honolulu, HI
Kim Boyd, RN, DRS
Sentara Home Care
Chesapeake, VA
Elaine Rosen
Vice President
First to Care Home Care
Brooklyn, NY
Sheila Perry, RN, DRS
Sentara Home Care
Chesapeake, VA
Leslie Lacy
Administrator
Cheyenne County Hospital
St. Francis, KS
Richard Miro
Business Development Manager
Air Products Healthcare
Allentown, PA
Thomas G. Smith
Administrator
Audubon County Memorial Hospital
Audubon, IA
Connie L. Duncan
Scheduling Coordinator
Sentara Home Care
Chesapeake, VA
Eric Thomas
Health Watch Coordinator
Sentara Home Care
Chesapeake, VA
Faith Lowery
Office Manager
Sentara Home Care
Chesapeake, VA
Marsha Sherman, LPN
Skilled Scheduler
Sentara Home Care
Chesapeake, VA
Deborah Reese, RN
Clinical Manager
Sentara Home Care
Chesapeake, VA
Pat Strickland, RN
Clinical Manager
Sentara Home Care
Chesapeake, VA
Linda Jordan, RN
Clinical Manager
Sentara Home Care
Chesapeake, VA
Liza Fiqueroa
Adminstrative Clerk
Sentara Home Care
Chesapeake, VA
Dorothy Weelds, RN
Supervisor
Sentara Home Care
Chesapeake, VA
Melanie McLatos, RN
Clerical Manager
Sentara Home Care
Chesapeake, VA
Nancy Harman, RN
Sentara Home Care
Chesapeake, VA
Eva M. Saul, RN
Clinical Manager
Sentara Home Care
Chesapeake, VA
Debbie Tillman, LPN
Administrative Assistant
Sentara Home Care
Chesapeake, VA
Marolyn Hurt, RN
Sentara Home Care
Chesapeake, VA
Laura Kims
Senior Office Manager
Sentara Home Care
Chesapeake, VA
Christine M. Benns, RN, BSN, COS-C
Sentara Home Care
Chesapeake, VA
Frances Chidester, LPN
Sentara Home Care
Chesapeake, VA
Carla Lybarger, RN
Sentara Home Care
Chesapeake, VA
Linda Jinright, DRS
Sentara Home Care
Chesapeake, VA
Enith V. Mercer, RN
Sentara Home Care
Chesapeake, VA
Betty Mahon, RN, BSN, HCS-D, COS-C
Sentara Home Care
Chesapeake, VA
Joan Fite, RN, DRS
Sentara Home Care
Chesapeake, VA
Kattie Payne, PhD, MSN, RN
Telemedicine Coordinator
Saint Alphonsus Regional Medical Center
Boise, ID
Keith Heuser
Chief Executive Officer
Clarinda Regional Health Center
Clarinda, IA
Vanessa McLaughlin
Providea
Carmarillo, CA
Jennifer R. Lee
Continuum Compliance Officer
Kaiser Foundation Health Plan
Oakland, CA
Maureen Ideker, RN
Director of Patient Care Services
Tri-County Hospital
Wadena, MN
Theresa M. Forster
Vice President for Policy
National Association for Home Care and Hospice
Washington, DC
Andrea Deickman, RN
iTelehealth, Inc.
Frederick, MD
David Baker
Chief Executive Officer
Banner Home Care
Gilbert, AZ
Jennifer Friedman
Vice President, Government Affairs and Policy
National Rural Health Association
Alexandria, VA
Francesca Dianne Soria
Staff Development/Patient Educator
Salinas Valley Memorial Healthcare System
Salinas, CA
Steve Feldstein
Senior Director
TANDBERG
Reston, VA
Jennifer S. Mensek, PhD, MBA, RN
Regional Director Home Care Services
Banner Home Care
Gilbert, AZ
Rick Snyder
President
TANDBERG
Reston, VA
John Lubarsky
Sales Vice President
TANDBERG
New York, NY
Susan Makela
Director of Telehealth
Marquette General Health System, UPTN
Marquette, MI
James Jaskovsky
Senior Grants Manager
TANDBERG
Woodinville, WA
Margaret Warden
President and Chief Executive Officer
Visiting Nurse Association of Utica and Oneida Counties, Inc.
Utica, NY
Shari Wildman
Channel Manager
TANDBERG
New York, NY
Casey Rossetti
Regional Grants Manager
TANDBERG
Dallas, TX
Barbara Catenaci
Grants Manager SE Region
TANDBERG
Hilton Head Island, SC
Mick Okas
Sales
TANDBERG
Irvine, CA
Veronica Garcia
Regional Grants Manager
TANDBERG
Dallas, TX
Terra Orr
Office Manager
TANDBERG
Dallas, TX
Stacy Kope
Contracts Administrator
TANDBERG
Reston, VA
Roger Lee
Accountant
TANDBERG
Reston, VA
Parker Emery
Director, SE Region Sales
TANDBERG
Atlanta, GA
Ken Reeves
Accountant
TANDBERG
Atlanta, GA
Alex English
Partner Development Representative
TANDBERG
Atlanta, GA
Michael Maetz
Sales
TANDBERG
Atlanta, GA
James G. FitzPatrick
President and Chief Executive Officer
Mercy Medical Center North Iowa
Mason City, IA
Amanda Walnisky
Sales Operations Support
TANDBERG
Dallas, TX
Sara Drobnick
Vice President
Mercy Medical Center - Des Moines
Des Moines, IA
Ann Cox
Executive Director
American Association of Occupational Health Nurses, Inc.
Atlanta, GA
Dawn P. Hicks
Manger, Telemedicine Program
University of South Alabama
Mobile, AL
Celia Hagan
Telehealth Project Coordinator
Northeast Missouri Telehealth Network
Kirksville, MO
John Borehard
Director of Program Development
Southern Consortium for Children
Athens, OH
Susan MacDonald
Soulutions Marketing Manager
TANDBERG
Reston, VA
Barbara Johnston
Executive Director
California Medicine and eHealth Center
Sacramento, CA
Deborah Herzberg
Chief Executive Officer
Davis County Hospital
Bloomfield, IA
Jennifer R. Martin
Director of Public Policy
American Telemedicine Association
Washington, DC
Deb LaMarche
Program Manager
Utah Telehealth Network
Salt Lake City, UT
Walter Wilson
Senior Account Manager
TANDBERG
Kansas City, KS
Stuart C. Kaplan
Chief Executive Officer
Selfhelp Community Services, Inc.
New York, NY
Speranza Avram
Executive Director
Northern Sierra Rural Health Network
Nevada City, CA
Cindy K. Leenknecht
Clinical Research Coordinator
Partners in Health Telemedicine Network
Billings, MT
Mary St. Pierre
Vice President, Regulatory Affairs
National Association for Home Care and Hospice
Washington, DC
Mary Houle, RN
Outreach Services
Tri-County Hospital
Wadena, MN
Lynae Maki
LPM
Tri-County Hospital
Wadena, MN
Robin Klemek, RN
Outreach Services Manager
Tri-County Hospital
Wadena, MN
David Rosswog, MA, NCP, LPC
Director of Operations
Northwest Beacon Group, LLC
Erie, PA
Kristy Wright
President and Chief Executive Officer
Visiting Nurses Association, Western Pennsylvania
Butler, PA
Maggie Schwarck
Education Coordinator
Marshalltown Medical & Surgical Center
Marshalltown, IA
Kathryn J. Kaylor
Director, Office of Research Affairs
The Pennsylvania State University
College of Medicine
Hershey, PA
Teresa Chavis
Director
Rural Telemedicine Cooperative
Lexington, SC
Rebekah A. Bennett
Telemedicine Coordinator
Mountain Health & Community Services
Campo, CA
Bryan M. Nation
Tele-Health Consultant Integrator
Banner Health
Greeley, CO
Robert Christian
Strategic Account Manager
TANDBERG
Chicago, IL
John Holland
President and Chief Executive Officer
LifeLink Monitoring, Inc.
Lake Katine, NY
Kurt Grossman
Chief Executive Officer
Doctors Telehealth Network, Inc.
Newport Beach, CA
Kathe Boucha
Executive Director
Kosova Foundation for Medical Development
Anchorage, AL
Judith Shaplin
President and Chief Executive Officer
Mountain Health & Community Services, Inc.
Campo, CA
James Jarmusch
Director of Sales
Topcon Medical Systems
Paramus, NJ
Patrick Judd
Superintendent
Mountain Empire Unified School District
Pine Valley, CA
Sean Tyrrell
TANDBERG
Boston, MA
Chris Phair
TANDBERG
Boston, MA
Sean Spires
TANDBERG
Boston, MA
Josh Levy
TANDBERG
New York, NY
Pat McCarthy
TANDBERG
New York, NY
Laurie Gotlinger
TANDBERG
New York, NY
Rob Wall
TANDBERG
New York, NY
Bethany Hands
TANDBERG
New York, NY
David Moss
TANDBERG
New York, NY
Bob Simon
TANDBERG
New York, NY
John Latini
TANDBERG
New York, NY
Michael Hull
TANDBERG
New York, NY
Gordon Alessio
TANDBERG
New York, NY
Bill Duffill
TANDBERG
New York, NY
John Lubarsky
TANDBERG
New York, NY
Scott Simmons
Assistant Director
ECU Telemedicine Center
Greenville, NC
Myrna Erb-Gundel
Chief Executive Officer
Adair County Health System
Greenfield, IA
Elaine D. Stephens
President and Chief Executive Officer
Visiting Nurse Service or Greater Rhode Island
Lincoln, RI
Tom Brewer
Director of Operations
Partners in Health Telemedicine/St. Vincent Healthcare
Billings, MT
Dale E. Moyen
eTelehealth Manager
Hawaii Pacific Health
Honolulu, HI
Shawnee Johnson
Executive Director
St. Helena Hospital Home Care Services, Adventist Health
St. Helena, CA
Kathy Froerer
Executive Director
Utah Association of Local Health Departments
Provo, UT
Steven W. Mecklenburg
Telehealth Coordinator
Poudre Valley Health Systems
Fort Collins, CO
Jane Kinney
Chief Operating Officer
The Greater Bristol Visiting Nurses Association
Bristol, CT
Thelma McClosky Armstrong
Director
Eastern Montana Telemedicine Network
Billings, MT
JoAnne Gilmore
President
American Nephrology Nurses Association
Pitman, NJ
Reese Omizo, MD
Clinical Informatics Coordinator
Veterans Health Administration (VAPIHCS)
Honolulu, HI
Sondra Olson
Director of Research & Development
Asante Health Systems
Medford, OR
Catherine S. Britain
Secretary
Telehealth Alliance of Oregon
Medford, OR
Jaclyn M. Griffin
Nurse Practitioner (Telehealth and surgery clinics)
Department of Veterans Affairs
Pacific Island Healthcare System
Honolulu, HI
Alexander Nason
Director, Johns Hopkins Medicine Interactive
Johns Hopkins Medicine
Baltimore, MD
Link Shadley
President
Anki Solutions, LLC
The Dalles, OR
Heidi Moore, PhD
Research Scientist
Healthcare Technology Systems
Madison, WI
Michael F. Green, BA, RHIT
Director, Health Information/Quality Coordinator
Holy Redeemer Home Care, New Jersey Shore
Swainton, NJ
Brenda Porter
Vice President of Business & Development
Community Nurses, Inc.
St. Marys, PA
Elaine Skalabrin, MD
Director of University of Utah Stroke Center
University of Utah
Salt Lake City, UT
Sharon L. Turner, BSN, RN, PHN
Director of Home Care
Sierra Nevada Home Care
Grass Valley, CA