Federal rural health program will expand telehealth

Las Vegas - The federal Rural Health Transformation Program will distribute $50 billion to rural communities over the next five years.

The government announced the first distribution of grants in December, with money going to all 50 states. Applications for funding cited plans to expand telehealth capabilities to expand care in rural communities..

Kyle Zebley, CEO of the American Telemedicine Association, says he sees telehealth expanding in rural America.

In an interview with Chief Healthcare Executive® at the HIMSS Global Health Conference & Exhibition, Zebley says the rural health program is going to accelerate the growth of virtual care in rural communities.

“That's what it's designed to do,” Zebley says.

He pointed out that Dr. Mehmet Oz, administrator of the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services, made it clear that the inclusion of telehealth “is an absolute prerequisite in order to receive the money.”

“Consequently, we have seen every state adopt some aspect of telehealth, virtual care as a key component of their applications for the funding,” Zebley says. “It's designed to catalyze change in rural health care.“Again, it's an absolute necessity in order to do so,” he continues. “We have too few providers in rural America. We have too great a geographic distance from patients in rural America and their providers, and so we need to continue to lean in heavily on technology and clinically appropriate ways to expand access.”

During an address to hospital leaders last fall, Oz encouraged states and healthcare executives to submit bold ideas for aid from the new federal program. He said larger hospitals could support rural hospitals provide better care by “giving them good telehealth services, specialty support, radiology support.”

Zebley says the funding for the rural health program is also going to help improve “precision health.” He says digital tools, including AI technology, can help reduce human error in health care.

“Using tools like AI in health care to create individualized, bespoke models of care that will let people live longer, happier, healthier lives, again through the advent of technology,” he says. “So very excited to see all of the beneficial outcomes of this surge of money that's going into states through the adoption of technology.”