How Does Telemedicine Benefit Rural Communities?

An essential part of healthcare is ensuring all communities have access to the best doctors and hospitals nearby. Access to high-quality care is especially crucial in rural areas. Sometimes, rural communities won’t know about advancements in medical care and treatments because of poor access and communication.

Telemedicine is a leader in helping patients connect with doctors and healthcare providers. How does telemedicine benefit rural communities? In short, it cuts commute time in half and allows doctors and patients to strengthen their relationships.

Rural Community Members Don’t Need To Travel Far

Rural communities don’t have extensive access to healthcare resources. There have been more hospital closures in less densely populated areas due to Medicaid coverage, location, and not performing well in their network.

If a community lacks a local hospital, doctors can use telehealth services instead to connect with patients through monitors. Telemedicine allows patients to communicate with doctors through video and apps that track their biometrics.

Rural Communities Have Better Access to Healthcare

Many small-town hospitals shut down due to funding issues, budget cuts, and low performance. Hospitals aren’t the only places shuttering—essential medical facilities, like heart centers, rehabs, and mental health services, are also closing.

Still, healthcare providers continue to grow their network by providing telehealth services to patients in less populated areas. With the rise of telehealth, more medically trained residents can open clinics to serve disadvantaged communities with technologies that track vitals and open the door for virtual visits from doctors.

Medicaid Programs Now Offering Telehealth Communications

Despite access to more doctors, many rural towns find themselves ineligible for most services because of Medicaid. While Medicaid is a financer for a fifth of personal healthcare services, they don’t always cover every telemedicine service.

Since the onslaught of the COVID-19 pandemic, we’ve seen a staggering increase in Medicaid offerings. The areas that saw significant changes were the ways states sought approval for reimbursement of telehealth services. Other changes include better access to telehealth services.

Doctors working with rural populations have fewer constraints on licensing and reimbursement for telehealth services. We can now see that telemedicine has many benefits for rural communities.

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