Pulsara Blog

Becker's Hospital Review recently reported that as of April, 354 rural hospitals in the U.S. are still at a high risk of closing, unless their finances immediately improve. Those 354 hospitals account for almost exactly 25% of all 1,430 rural hospitals in the United States. Every state has at least one hospital with a high risk of closure, though, in states like Oklahoma, that number is as high as 28. 

As rural hospitals look for solutions, some are turning to technology to come up with new and innovative ways to find the funds to keep their doors open. Among the most surprising? Telehealth. 

EDITOR'S NOTE: This article originally appeared on EMS1.com. Special thanks to our guest author, Tim Nowak, for EMS1 BrandFocus. 

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Delivering out-of-hospital care in rural and remote environments poses unique challenges, including distance, time to care, and other barriers to access

Being an EMS provider in a rural environment is different from serving in urban or suburban areas, but those differences are often what make it both challenging and rewarding. Operationally speaking, there are certainly some similarities between rural and urban environments, but there are also plenty of differences that make working in the woodlands, farmlands, deserts, and mountainous areas unique. In fact, these may be the very reasons that draw providers to serve in such an environment.

This is part 5 of our blog series on the Top 5 Challenges in Rural Healthcare. Check out the other posts in this series here.

Rural healthcare has many strengths. With more continuity of care and personal relationships built between doctors and patients, rural clinicians have unique insight into the lives of their patients, helping them make the best possible treatment decisions for their patients. 

Recently, prominent rural healthcare authorities in Georgia and Colorado Springs sat down for exclusive interviews with Pulsara to weigh in on some of the challenges that rural clinicians are currently facing, the strengths of rural healthcare, and some of the innovative solutions they believe can help.

This is part 4 of our blog series on the Top 5 Challenges in Rural Healthcare. Check out the other posts in this series here.

Rural clinicians are some of the most hardworking, dedicated, and caring people you will ever meet. But even the greatest heroes still need support, collaboration, and mentorship. From lack of funding and regulations to patients struggling to access care, rural healthcare providers face a whole host of unique challenges. And unfortunately, the COVID-19 pandemic has only made many of these challenges even more pressing. As of January 2021, more than 800 rural hospitals are at a high or immediate risk of closure.

With all the other challenges piled on top, rural clinicians may feel more isolated. While the opportunity for a more personal and continuous relationship with patients is greatly rewarding, rural health also often has fewer resources and few colleagues to turn to for a second opinion. Practicing in a rural area can be made more difficult by the lack of a solid support system. 

This is part 3 of our blog series on the Top 5 Challenges in Rural Healthcare. Check out the other posts in this series here.

For rural healthcare providers, delivering high quality care means facing unique challenges that don’t come up in most urban settings. Many of these issues have only been exacerbated by the COVID-19 pandemic, as well. Access to care, distance, connectivity, and financial hardship are only a few of the hurdles rural health has had to grapple with. 

In the United States, rural healthcare serves one-quarter of the nation’s population. Over the last few decades, special rules and regulations were created with the aim to help rural residents get better access to care. However, some of these regulations have become counterproductive, doing more harm than good for rural patient care. 

This is part 2 of our blog series on the Top 5 Challenges in Rural Healthcare. Check out the other posts in this series here.

From access issues to finding funding, rural healthcare faces a variety of unique challenges. As COVID-19 swept the nation, many of these challenges have only intensified. Chief among these challenges is covering the high costs associated with continuing operations.  

Recently, prominent rural healthcare authorities in Georgia and Colorado Springs sat down for exclusive interviews with Pulsara to weigh in on these challenges, as well as some of the innovative solutions they believe can help. 

In this 5-part blog series, we will explore each of the top 5 challenges that rural healthcare currently faces, and how new technology could be key to solving some of them. Today, we'll discuss the second major challenge: Funding. 

Country backroads. Limited cell service. A population that is spread across great distances and often doesn’t have effective health insurance. For rural healthcare providers, delivering high quality care means facing unique challenges that don’t come up in most urban settings. 

From bumpy back roads to the length of time it takes to travel to the doctor, rural healthcare faces a number of unique challenges. 

However, there are also rarely-highlighted advantages to rural care that make it some of the highest quality care a patient can receive. In an exclusive interview with Pulsara, Dr. Jean Sumner, the Dean of the School of Medicine at Mercer University in Macon, Georgia, said, “I honestly believe that if you're in a rural community, you have the opportunity to get better healthcare than in the city.” 

What’s rural health’s secret?