IRHTP

The Iowa Rural Health Telecommunications Program is a consortium of 85 Iowa rural and urban hospitals, two South Dakota hospitals, one Nebraska hospital, the Iowa Hospital Association and the Iowa Communications Network. The program connects willing Iowa hospitals to a dedicated broadband fiber network using the ICN infrastructure.

In May 2007, IHA submitted the IRHTP proposal for Iowa hospitals to the Federal Communications Commission. The proposal was to provide last-mile fiber connections for consortium members by linking them to the closest appropriate ICN point of presence with one gigabit of ethernet electronics.

IHA is responsible for project administration and management. This includes:

• Meeting coordination for the IRHTP board of directors
• Project coordination for the IRHTP:
  • Being the primary contact for the IRHTP
  • Communicating requests and requirements to participating entities
  • Completing and submitting program forms and supporting documentation
  • Documenting administrative projects
  • Maintaining project files
  • Managing the administrative aspects of the approved network
  • Managing Universal Service Administrative Company payments
  • Preparing audits

For more information, call IHA at 515-288-1955.

• Joe Abbott, Director of Information Technology, Horn Memorial Hospital
• Jeff Cash, Senior Vice President and Chief Information Officer, Mercy Medical Center – Cedar Rapids
• Gary Davis, Vice President of Information Technology, Iowa Hospital Association
• Veronica Fuhs, CEO, Monroe and Davis County Hospitals and Clinics
• Bryan Hunger, CEO, Jefferson County Health Center
• Evan Jorgensen, Chief Information Officer, Boone County Hospital
• Matt Sells, CEO, Shenandoah Medical Center
• Kent Sona, Chief Information Officer, Nebraska Methodist Health System
• Joseph Wagner, Senior Director of Technical Operations, Health Care Information Systems, University of Iowa Health Care
• Grady Warner, Vice President of Information Technology, Burgess Health Center