Digital Technology and the Rural Health Care Workforce

Washington, DC—The equitable distribution of health care, especially in rural and urban areas, has always been a challenge, one that only increased due to the COVID-19 pandemic. However, the introduction and use of digital technology like telehealth and telementoring programs allowed for greater distribution of the health care workforce throughout the country, and helped to mitigate the impact of staff burnout, early retirement of medical professionals, and nurses leaving the workforce.   
 
While many telehealth restrictions were lifted during the pandemic, moving forward, Congress and the Biden administration will need to address the barriers—like financial constraints—that often prevent providers, specifically those in rural areas, from adopting these technologies.  
 
In a new brief, Leveraging Digital Technology to Enable a More Equitable Distribution of the Health Care Workforce, the Bipartisan Policy Center, with financial support from Helmsley Charitable Trust, examined three evidence-based programs leveraging digital technology—Project ECHO, telestroke, and tele-ICU—and how they relieve pressures facing the rural health care workforce. BPC also outlined several regulatory and legislative policy options that would increase the use of these programs and expand provider capacity.  
 
The report concludes: “These evidence-based programs can work to distribute health care expertise more equitably; keep patients in their local communities; increase access to specialized health care services; produce positive improvements in clinical outcomes; decrease health disparities between rural and urban areas; and reduce stress and burnout for bedside providers.” 
 
Read the full brief online.