**GAO-11-27**                      Published: Nov 17, 2010. Publicly Released: Dec 17, 2010.                  

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## Highlights

Telemedicine offers a way to improve health care access for patients in rural areas. The Federal Communications Commission's (FCC) Rural Health Care Program, established in 1997, provides discounts on rural health care providers' telecommunications and information services (primary program) and funds broadband infrastructure and services (pilot program). GAO was asked to review (1) how FCC has managed the primary program to meet the needs of rural health care providers, and how well the program has addressed those needs; (2) how FCC's design and implementation of the pilot program affected participants; and (3) FCC's performance goals and measures for both the primary program and the pilot program, and how these goals compare with the key characteristics of successful performance goals and measures. GAO reviewed program documents and data, interviewed program staff and relevant stakeholders, and surveyed all 61 pilot program participants with recent participation in the program.

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## Topics

Telecommunications

Access to health careBroadbandHealth care reformInformation accessInformation technologyPerformance managementPerformance measuresProgram managementRegional planningRural healthTelecommunicationsTelemedicinePilot programsProgram implementationRural areas