The Nebraska Statewide Telehealth Network is funded through several sources.  The Universal Services Administrative Company (USAC) provides funding to rural sites (hospitals and public health departments), to offset the costs of T-1 connectivity, which are typically much higher than in urban areas.  For more information about USAC, please go to www.universalservice.org.

Additional funding for the Network has been provided by the Nebraska Public Service Commission, which provides up to $900,000 per year in support through the Nebraska Universal Service Fund.  This funding is available to all not-for-profit urban and rural hospitals and assists in paying for connectivity costs and equipment costs (such as routers, firewalls and bridges).  For more information about the Nebraska Public Service Commission, please go to www.psc.state.ne.us.

Participating hospitals in rural areas each contribute a minimum of $100 per month for transmission costs.  Public Health Departments, which are not eligible for Nebraska Public Service Commission funding, provide their own equipment and pay the difference between the cost of connection and the supplemental funding they receive from USAC.  Hub sites receive total reimbursement in exchange for the leadership and facilitation of Network activities, an increasingly busy job.

If you are a telehealth site and need to access forms related to application for USAC/NPSC funding, please go to the menu link “For Hospitals & Clinics” and select “USF & NUSF”.