There has been a steep rise in telehealth services for the past few years, thanks to the convenience of patients receiving medical care from the comfort of their homes and reducing the need to travel to a physical healthcare facility. With greater access to telehealth, there’s also been increased access to healthcare services for people in remote and underserved areas. Rural Americans, who make up 15-20% of the United States population, face inequities that result in poor healthcare compared to urban or suburban residents in the United States.
US rural communities like the Appalachia or the Deep South, to Alaska and Hawaii, share common risks for poor health or healthcare. These challenges include few local doctors, poverty, and remote locations that contribute to a lack of access to healthcare.
Telehealth is a solution to bridge the gap between rural and urban areas, offering many answers to the challenges of rural healthcare. Telehealth can benefit rural communities with increased access to specialists to manage and treat chronic conditions, access to health and wellness programs for smoking cessation, weight loss, and nutrition, and increased access to mental health care.
While telehealth continues to be a convenient and accessible option for most seeking healthcare, not everyone is on board. Quality of care is a top concern for physicians. According to a two-part survey by Decision Resources Group, 60% of physicians have lingering reservations about the quality of care provided through a telehealth platform. The results also showed out of the 4,855 physicians that completed the survey, nearly 20% did not use telehealth as a concern for diminished quality of care.
While some might be concerned, a study conducted by American Medical Association reports that the vast majority of doctors, 85%, use telehealth to deliver patient care, and most said their organization would continue to use telehealth in their practice.
Telehealth is a popular tool that many HR Benefit specialists can offer through employee benefits and supporting absence management. While most employees appreciate the additional benefit or opportunities for healthcare, telehealth also impacts the HR landscape, specifically for recruiting, compliance, and credentialing teams.
Recruiting: Telehealth is making it easier for healthcare providers to recruit professionals from remote locations, which can help address staffing shortages in certain areas. Recruiting may require changes to the traditional recruitment process, such as incorporating virtual job fairs or online assessments. Telehealth has also enabled a faster hiring process, as virtual interviews and assessments can be conducted more efficiently than in-person ones.
Compliance: Telehealth introduces new regulations and compliance issues, such as HIPAA compliance for virtual consultations and ensuring that telehealth providers are licensed in the states where patients are located. Compliance teams are running into challenges around the following:
Credentialing: Telehealth providers must be credentialed by payers and healthcare systems to ensure they meet the same standards as in-person providers. This may involve additional steps, such as providing proof of malpractice insurance, passing background checks, and completing additional training as the organization recommends.
Telehealth is changing how healthcare is delivered, and staying informed about telehealth trends can help ensure patients have access to the best and most appropriate care.
Telehealth is a solution to bridge the gap between rural and urban areas, offering many answers to the challenges of rural healthcare. Telehealth can benefit rural communities with increased access to specialists to manage and treat chronic conditions, access to health and wellness programs for smoking cessation, weight loss, and nutrition, and increased access to mental health care.