The Federal Communications Commission Chairman Ajit Pai visited the Cleveland Clinic on Thursday to learn more about distance health and telemedicine, such as using a mobile app for a remote doctor's visit. He said that the clinic is "on the cutting edge" of using this technology which is only possible with broadband internet access, and is regulated by the FCC.
The FCC chairman said that broadband access could have improved such medical visits for both doctor and patient.
Pai also said that, with an internet connection, you are able to provide care to a greater number of people in a more sophisticated way than you ever could have before.
The FCC has an initiative, Connect2HealthFCC, that explores "the intersection of broadband, advanced technology and health."
Pai visited a mobile stroke unit at the clinic, which is equipped to quickly send images to a doctor who can determine if a patient is having a stroke. This saves vital time in diagnosing the patient, which leads to the more rapid treatment.
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Pai toured the remote monitoring area, where clinic staff can check the chronic conditions of the patients at other hospitals, even in the other states. He learned about the Cleveland Clinic's mobile app, through which patients can get diagnosed and also receive prescriptions.
The FCC chairman's visit to the hospital was one stop on a three-day driving tour which began at the Carnegie Mellon University in Pittsburgh and ended at GM in the Detroit. Pai also met with entrepreneurs at the Youngstown Business Incubator. The tour focused on importance of broadband connectivity in the spurring economic growth.
Pai said that for economic growth to be maximized, broadband must be expanded. This includes expansion to the many rural areas that still do not have broadband access. But it could also include the places like Northeast Ohio, which may need to build new broadband networks as the telemedicine and entrepreneurial ventures in other industries expand.
Mrudula Duddempudi.
