Rural Health Care Outreach Conference Call Minutes
Thursday, May 10, 2001

Year Three (7/1/00-6/30/01) status:

Only a few weeks are left for applicants to file year 3 Form 465s. (RHCD needs a few days to process forms and they must be posted 28 days to qualify for at best a few days of support before 6/30/01.) Forms 466/468 for year 3 will continue to be accepted through August 2001. RHCD estimates over 400 year 3 Forms 466/468 are yet to be received. Over 200 funding commitments have been issued ($3 million) and 400 are in process by RHCD. Issuing of support schedules for Funding Year 3 started May 11, 2001 and will continue throughout 2001.

Based on Forms 466/468/467 and invoices processed so far, RHCD made the following suggestions:

Suggestions for Completing Year 3 Packets (Forms 466/468), Form 467 and Invoices.

1. Applications cannot be processed until a complete packet is received. A complete packet consists of a 466 for each service, a 468 for each service provider and service, and support documents if necessary, including contracts, tariff references, and urban rate documentation. Incomplete packets delay processing.

2. Urban rate documentation is missing from most applications that make a Comprehensive Rate Comparison Request (Block 7 of Form 466). This information is required. HCPs should obtain urban rate documentation from their service provider(s). Signed statements on telco letterhead, a tariff rate sheet, or rate listing from the state PUC are examples of acceptable rate documentation.Other similar documentation may be acceptable.

3. If tariffed service is selected (the service is not under a long term contractual commitment), put "T" for the Contract Expiration Date on the 466 so RHCD need not investigate whether contract documentation was omitted from the packet. This is noted on the 466 but not on the 468, and many telcos put a date that HCPs copy onto the 466, which delays processing.

4. When HCPs submit tariffs or bills as rate documentation, there are frequently many numbers on the documentation, none of which exactly match data on the 468. The telco (or HCP) should CLEARLY indicate which rates apply to the service listed on the 468.

5. Mileage charges should be entered ONLY in Block 5 of the 468 (Block 6 of the 466), which is for Mileage-based Charge Discounts. If a Comprehensive Rate Comparison Request is made, mileage charges must not be included in Block 6 of the 468 (Block 7 of the 466). If there is no indication that the mileage charges were excluded from Block 6, processing will be delayed until the telco replies to RHCD's request to confirm that mileage was excluded from Block 6.

6. On Form 466 Block 4 Line 21, HCPs must specify the percent the circuit is used for telehealth/telemedicine. Health care administrative uses (such as billing and record keeping) are eligible telehealth use, so the percent need not be reduced for such. (The percent would be reduced for non-telehealth use, such as non-health care related distance learning).

7. HCPs should always use the pre-printed Form 467 issued with the Funding Commitment Letter (FCL), or substantial delay may result.

8. HCPs should verify that all items are completed on Form 467. The most common omissions are Block 5 Items 16 and 17 (Actual Start and End of Service Dates) and Block 6 Items 18 and 19 certifications. Statements should be read and both boxes checked off.

9. Most required information for telcos to complete invoices can be found on the HCP Support Schedule issued to telcos.

Year Four (7/1/01-6/30/02) status:

Almost 500 Form 465s have been submitted for year 4. All forms (465, 466, 467, and 468) were revised for year 4 and applicants MUST use the new forms, which can be downloaded from the RHCD web site. (Form 465 should be completed on-line but must still be printed, signed, and mailed to RHCD.) Although year 3 forms had a check-box for year 4, year 3 forms should NOT be used for year 4 because they lack minor changes approved by the FCC for year 4. RHCD expects to begin issuing year 4 FCLs early in the fall, approximately 4 months earlier than in year 3.

Questions?
Call our toll free number 1-800-229-5476 8am-8pm (EST) Monday-Friday.