1. ECIDC Regional Broadband Summit Illinois Rural HealthNet Update on Construction and New Funding Possibility December 6, 2012 www.illinoisruralhealthnet.org

2. IRHN and State of Illinois Health Care Collaboration State of Illinois provided 100% of match funds for IRHN’s $21 million award from the FCC’s Rural Health Care Pilot Program. Illinois will use IRHN as a key component in the implementation of Health Information Exchange on a statewide basis. IRHN will assist in improving the connection and flow of information between rural health organizations and the rest of the healthcare community. Illinois Department of Health will use IRHN as a key tool in implementation of Health Information Exchange. IRHN will assist in improving patient care outcomes.

3. IRHN Network and Service Overview 55 locations so far, with funding in place for 10 to 15 additional, depending on last mile cost. All locations connected via either 1Gbps or 100Mbps symmetrical. Over 3100 miles of fiber backbone and fiber-based services under contract. IRHN’s Network Operations Center is 24/7/365. IRHN’s mid-term objectives include growth to 100-plus HCPs. Question: To significantly expand the network, where will funding come from?

4. New Funding Opportunity is Very Likely From the FCC web site, December 12 Meeting Tentative Agenda: Reforming Rural Health Care Support: The Commission will consider a Report and Order on reforming the FCC’s universal service support programs for healthcare that would expand healthcare providers’ access to broadband, especially in rural areas, while increasing overall efficiency and accountability in the programs. This means there may be an opportunity to apply for new funding to connect to additional hospitals and clinics.

5. IRHN Preparing Application for New Funding IRHN is compiling a list of health care providers that would like to join the fiber-based network. Eligible entities include hospitals, clinics, mental health clinics, health departments, and medical schools. It appears likely that skilled nursing facilities will also be made eligible for the first time. Please contact the IRHN if: You represent a health care provider interested in joining; You represent a hospital or clinic that is already included, but there are other locations you hope can also get connected.

6. Reduction in Radiology Transmission Time As rural hospitals and clinics increase their diagnostic tools, the speed with which diagnostic images and data can be transmitted becomes increasingly important. According to the Health Care Chapter of the National Broadband Plan, here are data file sizes for two widely used applications: Mammography study (4 images)160 Megabytes 64-slice CT scan3,000 Megabytes Elapsed Time for Transmission: Here are the time frames to transmit each type of file over a T1 circuit (commonly used by rural hospitals), as compared to using the IRHN at the 100Mbps rate, or the 1 Gbps rate: Mammography on T1 (1.5Mbps)14 minutes, 29 seconds Mammography on IRHN (100Mbps)16 seconds Mammography on IRHN (1 Gig)1 second 64-slice CT on T1 (1.5Mbps)4 hours, 38 minutes, 10 seconds 64-slice CT on IRHN (100Mbps)4 minutes, 50 seconds 64-slice CT on IRHN (1 Gig)29 seconds

7. IRHN Fiber Backbone

8. Who to Contact at the IRHN If you would like additional information, or want to add your location to the IRHN’s application for new funding, please contact one of the following: Roger Holloway, IRHN Chief Executive Officer – 815-753-5900 – rholloway@niu.edu Doug Power, IRHN Project Coordinator – 815-753-8947 – dpower@niu.edu Steve Fedeczko, IRHN Implementation Manager – 815-753-8946 – sfedeczko@niu.edu