When a host state joins the compact, it opens up patients’ options for health care providers considerably. That patient in rural Idaho might have the option to see doctors in New Haven, Connecticut, or Cleveland, Ohio. We wanted to understand how this expansion in telehealth affected business for both rural and urban hospitals.
Those percentages may seem small, but remember, many rural hospitals are already struggling. The added strain posed by telehealth could have dire consequences for many forms of rural health care access, including those for which telehealth is no substitute, like emergency medical care. A December 2020found that rural hospital closures lead to marked decreases in rural patients’ access to care, driving large increases in patient travel times and travel costs.
, rural hospitals contributed $220 billion in economic activity in 2020 and supported 1 in every 12 rural jobs.Our findings thus raise important questions for policymakers.
One potential solution is to allow rural and urban hospitals to provide complementary services. For example, rural hospitals could handle in-person follow-up treatments after initial telehealth consultations are conducted by urban providers. This could reduce travel burdens for patients while maintaining some revenue for rural hospitals.
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