Will 4G Catalyze Rural Telemedicine?

Wireless 4G networks might be the best way to deliver telemedicine in rural areas, even better than wired broadband, a rural practitioner said at the American Telemedicine Association’s annual meeting.

But neither is available in much of rural America. Outside of the country's metropolitan areas, broadband access is spotty, despite federal efforts to expand networks. Wireless 4G coverage is rapidly expanding, yet it too is available primarily in cities, writes SearchHealthIT’s Don Fluckinger. It’s an important issue, since areas that are least accessible to high-speed Internet access are the ones that most need telemedicine to connect patients with specialists in bigger cities.