This notice solicits applications to support a Telehealth Center of Excellence.  The primary purpose of this program is to examine the efficacy of telehealth[1] services in rural and urban areas.  The Telehealth Center of Excellence will be located in a public academic medical center that:

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Has a successful telehealth program with a high annual volume of telehealth visits; Has an established reimbursement structure that allows telehealth services to be financially self-sustaining; and Has established programs that provide telehealth services in medically underserved areas with high chronic disease prevalence and high poverty rates.  The Telehealth Center of Excellence will serve as a national clearinghouse for telehealth research and resources, including technical assistance.

 To achieve that goal, the Telehealth Center of Excellence should have substantial experience operating a telehealth program that offers a broad range of clinical services and has experience demonstrating how their efforts have improved access to care and enhanced health outcomes for their patients.  [1] The Office for the Advancement of Telehealth defines Telehealth as the use of electronic information and telecommunication technologies to support and promote long-distance clinical health care, patient and professional health-related education, public health, and health administration.  Technologies include video conferencing, the internet, store-and-forward imaging, streaming media, and terrestrial and wireless communications.