Senate hearings, 'eCare' and national broadband

A roundup of commentary on last week’s Senate Special Committee on Aging hearing on ‘Aging in Place: The National Broadband Plan and Bringing Health Care Technology Home’ on the FCC report previously covered here [6 April and 22 March].

  • Sen. Ron Wyden (D-OR) discussed four devices (MedApps Health PAL, Nonin’s pulse oximeter, Corventis PiiX and a transdermal drug delivery patch as examples of telehealth (or e-Care in FCC-ese). Video of testimony courtesy of MedApps.
  • Sen. Wyden’s main points centered on improving care to older people, lowering Medicare costs and the reimbursement system–no major surprises here.  More at Mobihealthnews.
  • Based on Laurie Orlov’s commentary at her Aging in Place Technology Watch, the hearing segued after this reasonably promising part into the usual Congressional hearing solutions that create more confusion:  ‘insurmountable barriers’ to managing costs, we need near-universal broadband to bring telehealth to seniors, government can be the only one trusted with a plan because broadband is too expensive otherwise.  Even with a plan, we won’t get there until 2020.  Ms. Orlov has little patience for this.  Hot debate follows, including a message from ‘Earth to Congress’.

ADDITION #1 to original post:

  • Eric Dishman‘s (Intel) speech to the committee and his comment on it
  • Link to complete 2 hour Senate video includes the contributions of Dr Mohit Kaushal, Digital Healthcare Director, FCC; Farzad Mostashari, Senior Advisor to the National Coordinator for Health Information Technology, US Department of Health and Human Services; Eric Dishman, Global Director of Health Innnovation and Policy, Intel Digital Health Group; Robin Felder, Professor of Pathology, The University of Virginia School of Medicine, Charlottesville, VA; Richard Kuebler, Telehealth Department Head, University of Tennessee Health Science Center, Memphis.

ADDITION #2 to original post:

Committee member (Sen. Kohl) and panel statements