The California Telehealth Network (CTN) will connect over 300 California healthcare providers in underserved areas to a state– and nation–wide broadband network dedicated to healthcare. CTN is funded by the Federal Communications Commission, the California Emerging Technology Fund, and UnitedHealth/PacifiCare.

Frequently Asked Questions - Last Updated: 2/20/08

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  1. What is telemedicine?
  2. Why is a California Telehealth Network (CTN) needed?
  3. What are the goals of the CTN project?
  4. Who are the partners involved in this project?
  5. How does this project fit with other California initiatives around broadband access and technology?
  6. How will the CTN help my community?
  7. How can a clinic or hospital in my area connect to the network?
  8. Is the broadband connection going to use fiber optics?
  9. If an urban underserved area has broadband already, is there benefit it requesting to participate?
  10. What does it mean to be part of the “network”?
  11. Will the CTN pay for existing lines?
  12. Will the CTN pay for connectivity between a single clinic's multiple sites?
  13. What technologies will CTN pay for?
  14. How long will the CTN funding last?
  15. Is the CTN providing internet services to all the health care locations?

  1. What is telemedicine?

    Telemedicine is most commonly defined as the use of live interactive video-conferencing for medical care. Telemedicine typically uses bandwidth seven times than of standard telephone lines and special high-resolution cameras. Telemedicine is part of the field of Telehealth which can be defined as the use of telecommunications and information technologies for the provision of health care at a distance. New methods continue to evolve over time, but this includes real time videoconferencing as well as store and forward methodologies. Related words – eHealth, Telehealth

  2. Why is a California Telehealth Network (CTN) needed?

    California's population is rapidly growing and expected to reach 42 million or more by 2020. Approximately 5 million live in rural areas – over 80% of the state is rural. California has the most diverse population of any state, with both the benefits and challenges of multiculturalism, particularly as these relate to improving access to care for medically underserved groups and communities. Advances in telecommunications and new information technologies can help overcome health disparities by helping to: bridge geographic distances; redistribute medical knowledge and expertise; and create new venues for education. The CTN brings the benefits of innovative telehealth and telemedicine services to areas where the need for those benefits is most acute.

  3. What are the goals of the CTN project?

    With funding from the Federal Communications Commission (FCC)'s Rural Health Care Pilot Program and other investors (e.g., California Emerging Technology Fund and UnitedHealth Group Inc.), the CTN project plans to address the following five goals:

    (1) Create a statewide broadband network dedicated to health care, connecting public and non-profit health care providers in rural and urban locations;
    (2) Link the CTN to a national backbone, connecting government research institutions, academic, public, and private health care institutions, giving health care providers increased access to medical expertise, continuing education and research;
    (3) Leverage and build upon recent investments in telehealth;
    (4) Utilize CTN for ongoing disaster preparedness training to enhance California's ability to provide a rapid, coordinated response to a national crisis; and
    (5) Report back to the FCC on the pilot program and suggested revisions to the FCC's current rural health rules.

  4. Who are the partners involved in this project?

    California's proposal was developed by a working group of major state institutions and stakeholders including the Office of Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger, several major state governmental entities responsible for health, business and telecommunications matters, the University of California (Office of the President and UC Davis Health System, as joint partners), non-profit organizations such as the California Emerging Technology Fund (CETF), and California public and non-profit health care providers, including existing regional rural health networks. A list of proposal partners is included in the press kit.

  5. How does this project fit with other California initiatives around broadband access and technology?

    The CTN project intends to leverage and build upon California's historic and recent investments in telehealth. Over the past several years, a number of new and exciting initiatives have been launched in California to advance the use of telecommunications and health care technology. Significant among these are Governor Schwarzenegger's Health Information Technology (HIT) Executive Order (S-12-06, signed July 2006), which allocated $240 million to achieve full information exchange between health care providers and stakeholders within ten years, and his Broadband Executive Order (S-23-06, signed November 2006), which established a broadband task force to promote broadband access and usage. Also important are efforts of CETF, California's Telemedicine & eHealth Center's regional eHealth networks, the California Teleconnect Fund (administered by the California Public Utilities Commission), and the University of California's Proposition 1D funding.

  6. How will the CTN help my community?

    Your community could benefit from increased access to specialty medical care. The services offered through the new statewide network will build upon existing telemedicine services offered by UC and within the state's existing telemedicine networks. These services will include direct clinical care to patients at a distance through a variety of innovative telemedicine applications, including video-based consultations, emergency room and intensive care consultation, video-interpreting, telepharmacy, and store-and-forward services such as pediatric telecardiology.

    The new statewide network could provide consultation services in more than forty specialties, continuing education/distance learning, and disaster preparedness training for health professionals throughout California. The network will also provide more California health care providers with access to new technologies currently being developed within UC and elsewhere, in areas such as in-home monitoring, teleconsultation, and other cutting-edge health care services.

  7. How can a clinic or hospital in my area connect to the network?

    Partner organizations are working towards a long term vision of a ubiquitous statewide network, for which the FCC pilot project is a building block. California will begin with a focus on rural communities and expanding statewide to serve all California health providers. An initial list of health care providers (meeting certain FCC criteria) was identified with possible participants in the first phase of the CTN. Your clinic/hospital can complete an online assessment survey to indicate your interest in the project. The survey is open to all health care providers.

    Sites that complete the assessment survey and who meet criteria responsive to the FCC's request will be considered for participation in the pilot project. It is anticipated that non-public and for-profit private providers and managed health systems will be able to contribute to the success of California's pilot project and the development of a comprehensive statewide telemedicine system. An appropriate subscription fee will be determined.

  8. Is the broadband connection going to use fiber optics?

    We are not currently sure which mechanisms (e.g., fiber optics, copper, etc.) will be used to create the broadband connections; it will depend on the winning bids for each part of the network. A satellite component is also expected to be created, the prime purpose of which is redundancy (in the case of disruption from natural disasters, etc.) but it will also be available as the sole connection to sites where terrestrial broadband is not available or is prohibitively expensive. The CTN will take advantage of existing fiberoptic infrastructure and as new fiberoptic links become available through the carriers, the new work will seamlessly be rerouted over them.

  9. If an urban underserved area has broadband already, is there benefit it requesting to participate?

    Although the emphasis of the FCC funding is on rural connectivity, the overall goal of the project partners is to help eventually create a statewide Telehealth network serving a majority of the state's healthcare facilities. If an urban underserved facility feels it would benefit from being a part of that (including the chance for improved connectivity, and/or other benefits from being part of the network – distance learning, disaster preparedness, and involvement in other state and national Telehealth efforts) it could be beneficial for them to complete the survey and register their interest.

  10. What does it mean to be part of the “network”?

    Appendix A in the original FCC proposal describes how the network will be constructed. (There is a link to the full proposal, and the subsequent FCC Order about the program, on the front page of the survey.) It explains the access to specialty providers, new technologies, and nationwide “backbone” connectivity the network will provide. Non-public and for-profit providers and systems are also expected to join the network (by subscription) so in essence being “part of the network” will connect sites to a range of services and capabilities, both statewide and nationally.

  11. Will the CTN pay for existing lines?

    A site has to be selected to be a part of the CTN, and then the connections would be paid for by the program. No double dipping between CTN and the normal RHC program is allowed.

  12. Will the CTN pay for connectivity between a single clinic's multiple sites?

    (e.g., if a hospital is part of a health care system with multiple clinics and urgent care centers, will all the facilities be considered for sequencing as a group to be installed at the same time) Each facility within a system should complete a survey, primarily because location - not system-membership - is likely to have more bearing on sequencing - i.e., if several facilities are close to each other - whether or not they're in any kind of system - they're more likely to be sequenced to be connected at the same time.

  13. What technologies will CTN pay for?

    The program is technology neutral; a technical advisory subcommittee will determine the technology to be used for the network later, and Requests for Proposals (RFPs) will be competitively bid out to any carrier.

  14. How long will the CTN funding last?

    The FCC funding will last for three years beginning with 2008 funding year.

  15. Is the CTN providing internet services to all the health care locations?

    The CTN will allow a site to connect to the California Telehealth Network; to a nationwide “backbone” (i.e., National LambdaRail, Internet2); and to the public internet. The network will also provide two key capabilities that are currently not a standard part of broadband connections: HIPAA-compliant security and Quality of Service, insuring high quality for videoconferencing and other critical real-time applications, such as telefetal monitoring, telecardiology, etc. The CTN will be managed and maintained 24x7, with comprehensive Help Desk functions available for problem reporting, tracking and resolution.