Conference Call Dates

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1 Click on a date below to see the minutes. To search within the document for a particular word or phrase, use the Find feature or Ctrl+f. Most links in this document have been disabled because they are either old or no longer work. By searching the archives, you assume the risk that the information and materials may be out-of-date. As stated in USAC s Website Policy, USAC is not responsible for any damage, injury or loss you may suffer as a result of your use of USAC s website. For more information, please review USAC s Website Policy. Conference Call Dates January 13, February 10, March 10, April 14, May 10, June 9, July 14, August 11, September 8, October 13, November 10, December 8, Page 1 of 20

2 January 13, 2011 AGENDA RHC Update Requests for Assistance? HIMSS Conference February 20-24, 2011, Orlando, FL What do you Think of USAC s Website? MINUTES 1. RHC Updates New Forms and Systems FCC Order New Web Pages 2. Requests for assistance? Contact the RHC Help Desk at (800) or Remember to include your FY, HCP number, and packet number with your request 3. Healthcare Information and Management Systems Society (HIMSS) Conference February 20-24, 2011 Orlando, FL One-on-one assistance: booth #3384 in Exhibit Hall B Workshop: Thursday, February 24, 11:15 AM - 12:15 PM, Room 308A 4. What do you think of USAC s website? Take Our Survey The USAC website is undergoing a renovation. We would like your feedback on our current site so that we can make improvements that benefit you, the user. Please take a moment to complete our short Website Survey. Your feedback is important to us! Feel free to share this survey with other visitors. Page 2 of 20

3 February 10, 2011 CANCELED Page 3 of 20

4 March 10, 2011 AGENDA MINUTES Urban Rates and Reprocessing RHC Presentation: Georgia Partnership for Telehealth Conference 1. Urban Rates and Reprocessing In some instances, an HCP finds a new urban rate lower than its originally submitted urban rate. USAC discussed scenarios for which support recalculations would/would not be accepted. USAC would recalculate support under the following conditions: If the applicant has not received a Funding Commitment Letter (FCL), it may submit additional documentation to alter its urban rate. If the Funding Year is open and the applicant has received an FCL, the applicant can request to have the support recalculated if the request is within 60 days of the issuance of the FCL and the applicant has not submitted a Form 467. The original FCL would be rescinded and the applicant would need to submit a new Form 466 with supporting documentation. USAC would not recalculate support under the following conditions: If the applicant has received an FCL and has not requested a recalculation or appealed the FCL within 60 days. If the applicant has received an FCL and has submitted a Form RHC Presentation: Georgia Partnership for Telehealth Conference Overview of the program on March 17, via videoconference. Page 4 of 20

5 April 14, 2011 AGENDA MINUTES Fund Year (FY) 2011 Window is Open! Spotlight on Competitive Bidding: Selecting the Most Cost Effective Service Provider State Funds: California and Nebraska Upcoming Trainings FY2010 Processing Update 1. Fund Year (FY) 2011 Window is Open! The FY2011 filing window opened on April 4th. Health care providers (HCPs) may begin posting FCC Form 465 (Description of Services Requested & Certification Form), to submit a service request. Submit a Service Request: Filing FCC Form 465 How to Apply: Application Process Overview June 2nd is the last day to file a FCC Form 465 and receive a full year of support. 2. Spotlight on Competitive Bidding: Selecting the Most Cost-effective Service Provider After the HCP submits a FCC Form 465, RHC will post the completed form on the RHC website, which provides information about the HCP's service needs to service providers that may bid to provide the services. A health care provider must consider all bids received and select the most cost-effective method to meet its requirements. The most cost-effective method is defined by the FCC as "the method of least cost after consideration of the features, quality of transmission, reliability, and other factors relevant to choosing a method of providing the required services." HCPs should document how they plan to determine the most cost-effective method and keep records of how they selected a service provider so that an auditor could retrace their steps in the decision-making process. One way of doing this is to use an optional scoring matrix to evaluate bids. The scoring matrix can be customized to include criteria that are important to each HCP, and has spreadsheets for defining criteria, determining the weight of each criterion, and organizing feedback from multiple reviewers. Note that the scoring matrix is just one way of Page 5 of 20

6 organizing information about selection criteria; HCPs may decide to use another form of recordkeeping and evaluating bids. 3. State Funds: California and Nebraska If an HCP is receiving funding from other sources, such as the California Teleconnect Fund (CTF) or the Nebraska USF (NUSF), we encourage you to consider RHC as the first payer and the RHC discount should be calculated based on the full price of service. Any additional discount should be calculated after applying the RHC discount. Call (800) if you need assistance. 4. Upcoming Trainings April 20, 2011: RHC will host a webinar on Competitive Bidding. Topics will include the Form 465, Evergreen Contracts, documentation, and certification. Additional information about the webinar will be posted on the RHC Training page. May 1-3, 2011: RHC will exhibit at the American Telemedicine Association (ATA) 16th Annual International Convention and Exposition. Visit us at booth #1237! RHC staff will also conduct a pre-conference workshop about the Primary and Pilot programs from 10 am-5pm on April 30. Please note that the topics have changed since the original announcement of the workshops. The first part of the training will provide an overview of the Primary Program and the afternoon of the last three hours will be a Pilot Program update and discussion of new developments. May 3-6, 2011: RHC will exhibit at the National Rural Health Association (NRHA)'s 34th Annual Rural Health Conference. Visit us at booth #201! RHC staff will also make a presentation at the Leadership Essentials: Emerging Policy & Practice in HIT preconference workshop on May 2nd (registration required). 5. FY2010 Processing Update 2009: $72M 2010: $5K in applications, $43M commitments. Estimated 10k packets 2011: 443 Forms 465 posted 6. Government Shutdowns In the unlikely event of a government shutdown, USAC will remain open for business. However, any issues at the FCC may be delayed. Page 6 of 20

7 May 10, 2011 AGENDA FCC Form 466/466-A and Urban Rates available for the 2011 Fund Year Deadline for full year of funding: June 2! Reminder: Contracts ending during the fund year Reminder: 2010 Fund Year Training Update Fund Year Closeout Update FCC Update MINUTES 1. FCC Form 466/466-A and Urban Rates available for the 2011 Fund Year HCPs may now submit FCC Forms 466/466-A (Funding Request and Certification Form) for FY2011 once a service provider(s) has been selected. About the FCC Forms 466/466-A Forms RHC has posted urban rates for FY2011 for selected services that applicants may use to complete Line 39 on the FCC Form 466. If you do not wish to use these rates, you may obtain and document the urban rate for a city with a population of 50,000 or more in your state or call the Customer Service Support Center at (800) for assistance. Urban Rate Lookup 2. Deadline for full year of funding: June 2! FY2011 officially begins on July 1, To allow for the 28-day competitive bidding period, the last day to submit a FCC Form 465 to receive a full year of funding is June 2, If the FCC Form 465 is submitted after June 2, support will be pro-rated. However, to ensure you have enough time to review all bids, select, and enter into a service agreement, RHC recommends you submit even earlier. (Applicants submitting paper forms should allow extra time for review prior to posting.) Page 7 of 20

8 Submit a Service Request: Filing FCC Form 465 How to Apply: Application Process Overview 3. Reminder: Contracts ending during the fund year HCPs that have a contract that ends during the fund year must post a FCC Form 465, competitively bid, and complete a new Form 466 to receive funding for the time period after the contract ends. The FCC Form 465 should be posted at least 28 days before the contract ends to receive full funding. 4. Reminder: 2010 Fund Year FY2010 will close on June 30, Make sure you have submitted a FCC Form 466 and/or a FCC Form 466-A (and supporting documentation) for all circuits/services for which you wish to receive FY2010 RHC support by this date. Verify that the number of FCC Forms 466 and/or FCC Forms 466-A showing on your HCP s FY2010 applicant login screen matches the packet status for FY2010 found on the RHC website. 5. Training Update The audio recording and accompanying resources for the webinar on Competitive Bidding and Evergreen Contracts held on April 20 are now available on the RHC web site. 6. Fund Year Closeout Update FY2007: HCPs, please submit your FCC Forms 467! FY2008: Service Providers, please submit your invoices! 7. FCC Update The FCC indicated at the American Telemedicine Association (ATA) Conference that it will release an Order permanently grandfathering those HCPs who were deemed urban in the last Census (and have received two rounds of extensions). Based on this discussion, we encourage affected HCPs to submit their FCC Form 465 (if they have not yet done so). If you have an Evergreen contract you can submit your FCC Forms 466/466-A in the expectation that you will still qualify for support with the 2011 funding year (we will not process them until the Order has been released). The FCC also announced the extension of the funding request filing deadline until June 30, 2012 for Pilot Program participants who have filed a complete FCC Form 466-A packet with USAC by June 30, Pilot Program participants receiving a one year extension must file all of their funding commitment requests (FCC Forms 466-A) for the second and third funding years of the Page 8 of 20

9 Pilot Program with USAC by June 30, 2012, to be eligible for support. In addition, the invoicing time frame for projects was extended from five to six years from the date of a project s initial Funding Commitment Letter (FCL). Page 9 of 20

10 June 9, 2011 CANCELED Page 10 of 20

11 July 14, 2011 AGENDA MINUTES Administration Training 1. Administration Fund Year Closeouts. In April, USAC will resume closeout outreach to: HCPs who have not submitted their FCC Form 467 for Fund Year 2009 Service Providers who have not submitted invoices for Fund Year 2009 USAC will de-obligate funds if these Forms and invoices are not submitted by the end of the closeout process. Contact Information Updates If there have been recent changes in your HCP s primary or mailing contact information, notify the Customer Support Center via or (800) so that we may update our records. 2. Training New Welcome Packet RHC has developed a revised Welcome Packet for HCPs, which will be posted on in the upcoming weeks. The Welcome Packet contains a guide to forms, timeline, process overview, and training overview, in addition to fact sheets about document retention, evergreen contracts, eligibility, competitive bidding, and vendor selection. New FCC Forms 466/466-A Video Tutorial RHC is developing an online training about the FCC Forms 466/466-A. The video will be posted on the RHC website in segments. Page 11 of 20

12 August 11, 2011 AGENDA MINUTES New Resources Funding Commitment Letters (FCLs) Funding Update 1. New Resources RHC has posted the electronic version of the new Welcome Packet on the RHC website and disseminated the first issue of the RHC Circuit, the new enewsletter. If you did not receive the newsletter by , you can subscribe to it online. 2. Funding Commitment Letters (FCLs) The Funding Commitment Letter is issued to the HCP, with a copy to the service provider, after the HCP s submitted FCC Forms 466/466-A has been reviewed and approved. The FCL outlines the RHC support amount and terms. USAC would like to remind HCPs and service providers that they should read their FCLs carefully, and if they do not agree with any of the information, the HCP should file an appeal to USAC. Appeals must be filed within 60 days of receiving the FCL. HCPs should not submit a FCC Form 467 if they disagree with any of the information on the FCL; submission of the FCC Form 467 implies acceptance of the information on the FCL. If the HCP is in agreement with the FCL, it should then file its FCC Form 467 to complete the application process. Additional information about FCLs can be found on the RHC Website. 3. Funding Update USAC is pleased to announce that the RHC Program received close to 9,500 forms in Funding Year 2010, an 18 percent increase from Fund Year 2009, and the largest increase in the history of the program! For applications received through the end of July, USAC has already received 438 more applications for Fund Year 2011 than it did for the same time period in FY 2010, a 13 percent increase so far. Page 12 of 20

13 September 8, 2011 AGENDA MINUTES Service Providers: Roles and Responsibilities Funding Update Spotlight on Success 1. Service Providers: Roles and Responsibilities Service Providers are a valuable source of information about the RHC Program for HCPs, but we would like to remind HCPs that they are ultimately responsible for the information on their application forms. Applicants should be filling out forms themselves and are required to certify to the truthfulness and accuracy of the information submitted. If HCPs have any questions about the application process, they should contact the RHC Customer Support Center by phone at (800) or by prior to submitting their forms. 2. Funding Update As of September 8, 2011, RHC has committed $67 million for FY2010, with 1800 applications remaining to be processed. As a comparison, RHC committed a total of $72 million for FY 2009, so we are scheduled to break a record. We will begin processing FY2011 applications by the middle of September, the earliest in RHC history. 3. Spotlight on Success The RHC Circuit, the new RHC newsletter, will feature articles about successful HCPs. If you know a HCP that is doing great things using their RHC-supported telecom or internet services, please let us know by sending an . We would love to talk to them and share their story. Page 13 of 20

14 October 13, 2011 AGENDA MINUTES FCC Forms 466 and 466-A: One Circuit/Service Per Form Contracts Ending Mid-Fund Year Funding Update Question and Answer Session 1. FCC Forms 466 and 466-A: One circuit/service per form HCPs must submit one FCC Form 466/466-A per requested service/circuit. In FY2010, USAC manually entered data for forms that listed more than one service and reminded applicants of the requirements. Please be advised that due to the large increase in form submissions, USAC will not have the staffing available to continue this practice! Going forward, as stated in the form instructions (FCC Forms 466/466-A), USAC can only process one service/circuit per FCC Form 466/466-A. If an HCP lists more than one service on an FCC Form 466/466-A, that HCP will only receive funding for one service and will lose funding for the others. Please remember to use one form for each service/circuit requested when you submit your applications for Fund Year Contracts ending mid-fund year Contracts that meet certain requirements are designated as evergreen, meaning that for the life of the contract, the HCP is not required to re-compete the service. For example, in year two of a multi-year contract, the HCP does not have to post a FCC Form 465 to obtain support. However, to receive support, the HCP must submit the FCC Forms 466 or 466-A on an annual basis. The funding end date is determined by the contract expiration date provided on Line 31 of the FCC Form 466 and Line 25 of the FCC Form 466-A. In the year the contract ends, the HCP is required to post a new form 465 at least 28 days before the expiration of the contract. Prior to October 2009, if the contract expired during the funding year and the HCP had completed the required 28-day posting of a FCC Form 465, USAC committed funding through the end of the funding year, even though the contract ended mid-funding year. USAC did not require a second FCC Form 466 requesting funding for the remainder of the funding year if the services continued under the previous contract. In the absence of a Form 466, it was USAC Page 14 of 20

15 procedure to contact the HCP to determine if service did or would continue after the contract expiration or if there was a change in service type, service provider or rate. A change in service type, service provider, or rate requires a new FCC Form 466 from the HCP. In October 2009, USAC changed its processing procedures to require applicants to submit a second FCC Form 466 or FCC Form 466-A to request funding for the remainder of a funding year if the contract expired mid-funding year even if there was no change in service type, service provider or rate. 3. Funding Update FY2010 o More than $78M in committed support FY2011 o Approximately $2.4M in committed support Page 15 of 20

16 November 10, 2011 AGENDA MINUTES RHC Working Contact Information Updates Documentation Funding Update Question and Answer Session 1. Contact Information Updates Turnover, mergers, and changes in job functions can lead to changes in contact information for HCPs receiving funding from the RHC Program. Prior to going live with the new RHC system, USAC will contact all active HCPs to confirm contact information is up-to-date for the authorized person, mailing contact, and HCP location contact person (Blocks 6, 2, and 1 on the FCC Form 465). RHC will send out an initial to the Authorized Person in Block 6 requesting confirmation or correction of contact information. If we are unable to get confirmation by , we will then attempt to contact you by phone. Note that for Block 1, the mailing address cannot be a PO Box and the contact person listed must be located onsite at the HCP. Once we achieve confirmation or updates on all information, RHC will pre-register your HCP in the new system. If we are unable to verify the information, the HCP will be required to register in the new system, which will cause a slight delay in posting your FCC Form 465. USAC will request your help via and telephone in coming months to ensure your contact information is accurate. Please respond to the s and phone calls so that there are no delays in posting forms or issuing support for your HCP. If any updates need to be made to your FCC Form 465, the person authorized to submit forms on behalf of your HCP (who signed in Block 6) should send the corrected information to RHC Outreach. 2. Documentation HCPs must submit supporting documentation with the FCC Forms 466/466-A. RHC refers to the form and documentation as a packet. And like missing required fields on the form, missing Page 16 of 20

17 documentation will also delay the processing of your packet; funds cannot be committed until USAC receives a completed form and all required supporting documentation. Supporting documentation includes: Optional: Proof of rural rate/cost of service: Copy of the bill within the current fund year, or a document from your service provider (on the service provider s letterhead and signed by the service provider ) Copy of the signed contract, if applicable Proof of urban rate if not using RHC posted rate (for telecommunications services/fcc Form 466 only): On the service provider s letterhead and signed by the service provider. The documented urban rate must resemble the rural rate as closely as possible in terms of length of service agreement, circuit type, bandwidth, and rate elements associated with the circuit. The urban rate must be in use in an urban area in the HCP's state. Copies of bids (if more than one bid received) Selection criteria used to review and select a service provider A list of FCC Form 466/466-A supplementary documentation can be found in the HCP Checklist in the RHC Welcome Packet. In addition, health care providers must retain other documentation for five (5) years after the end of the fund year. These documents help USAC evaluate whether your HCP complied with FCC rules during the application process, and protect you in case there is an error while your forms are being processed. Keep all documents, either electronic or hard copy, for five (5) years, including but not limited to: Proof of Eligibility o Business license, IRS not for profit determination letter, or IRS Form 990 Competitive Bidding and Vendor Selection o Copies of all bids received o Selection criteria o Selection analysis o Documentation of communication with service providers FCC Forms 466/466 A o Urban rate documentation (for telecom services only; not required if using USAC s posted rate) o Copy of signed contract o Copy of all bills during the fund year o Network diagram (large consortia only) Other o Copies of all submitted forms o Copy of Funding Commitment Letter (FCL) o Copy of HCP Support Schedule (HSS) Page 17 of 20

18 Service providers must retain all documentation for five (5) years after the end of service. Service Providers o Copy of invoice o Copy of all bills during the fund year This information can be found in the Document Retention handout in the RHC Welcome Packet. If you re unsure whether you have all the required documentation, we recommend you contact the RHC Support Center before you submit your forms at (800) or Funding Update FY2010 o More than $82M in committed support o Approximately 1300 packets left to be processed FY2011 o Nearly $3M in committed support o 4300 FCC Forms 465 posted Page 18 of 20

19 December 8, 2011 AGENDA MINUTES 1. Appeals Appeals Data Cleanup Funding Update Questions and Answer Session All USAC decisions are appealable. These decisions include: Eligibility Denials based on: o HCP Type o Rurality Funding decisions based on: o Amount o Duration - funding start and end dates Funding denials based on: o Missing forms o Deadlines o Bidding violation/line 29 languages Any impacted party may appeal a USAC decision. Decisions may be appealed to USAC, or directly to the FCC. In both cases, appeals must be made in writing, and must include all relevant information, including: HCP name and # Funding Year Packet #, FRN# Appeal Contact, phone, and Reason for appeal and desired outcome Supporting documentation, including copies of all forms, HSS, FCLs, service contracts, relevant correspondence. Page 19 of 20

20 Appeals must be postmarked or date-stamped w/in 60 days of the date of the decision. Decisions typically come in letter form such as a Denial letter or Funding Support Schedule or Funding Commitment letter. The appeal deadline is 60 days after the date of that letter. Any appeal received beyond the deadline will be denied. No exceptions. Upon receipt of appeal, we ll let you know that we have it, and will begin the research/investigation. It may or may not be necessary to contact you during this process. Appeals are taken very seriously at USAC. Carolyn McCornack, the program manager responsible for appeals, works with colleagues, management, and the legal department to prepare and recommend a decision to the Appeals Team, who ultimately confirms or rejects the recommendation. The appeals team includes USAC s General Counsel, COO, and CEO. We will respond to appeals within 90 days of receipt. What happens next? We ll send you a decision letter by and certified USPS. If your appeal is granted, we will instruct our processing office to create the necessary documentation to execute the decision. If your appeal is denied, you may appeal this decision to the FCC. Instructions for filing an appeal (USAC and FCC) can be found on our website on the About Rural Health Care section. 2. Data Cleanup RHC is conducting outreach to HCPs to update contact information for FCC Form 465 Blocks 1, 2, and 6. Please respond to any phone calls or s requesting confirmation of contact information. If you have not yet received an or a phone call about the data cleanup and have changes, your updates. 3. Funding Update FY2010 o More than $85M in committed support o Only about 500 packets left to be processed FY2011 o Approximately $4M in committed support 4. Other: Discussion about the FCC Order Has not yet been released. July 2010 Rural Health Care NPRM Page 20 of 20