A program in New Mexico could revolutionize healthcare for rural patients nationwide with severe neurological issues.
For the past five years, the initiative has enabled providers in rural areas, who often lack advanced neurological expertise, to connect with specialists elsewhere to help diagnose and treat patients. That speedy connection allows rural doctors to provide quick medical assistance, rather than having to transfer the patient to a specialized facility far away. As a result, patient outcomes have improved.
An advisory committee is now calling on Medicare to turn this into a national model. “Telehealth services” like these, which allow doctors to deliver care using videoconferencing technology, are improving the quality of care available to patients in remote areas and saving the healthcare system money.
More than 20% of people in the United States live in rural communities, but only 10% of doctors practice there. That disparity is expected to worsen.
Research proves that telehealth programs can help rural Americans. Utah-based Intermountain Healthcare’s tele-intensive care unit support center monitors ICUs at 12 affiliated hospitals and five unaffiliated hospitals across Utah and Idaho. Providers can monitor patients by video and modify treatment or order diagnostic tests accordingly. A study of more than 3,000 patients found that the program reduced mortality by 33%.
Or consider an initiative in Montana. The Billings Clinic, in collaboration with Eastern Montana Telemedicine Network, launched a three-year telehealth program in five rural clinics to help people with diabetes manage their condition. Participants were able to regularly consult with doctors from Billings via video. Twice as many people checked their blood sugar correctly after the program began than did so beforehand. Nearly four times as many reported following a proper diet.
These programs save money. In the University of California Davis Health system, telehealth visits for 11,000 patients saved a total of $2.8 million in travel costs. A report from the Rural Broadband Association found that drastically expanding telehealth services could save $5,700 per medical facility in travel expenses and $3,400 in lost wages each year.
Virtual health care can save lives — and money. Let’s embrace it.
Sally C. Pipes is president, CEO, and Thomas W. Smith fellow in healthcare policy at the Pacific Research Institute. Her latest book is The False Promise of Single-Payer Health Care (Encounter). Follow her on Twitter @sallypipes.
