With Rural Health Care Stretched Thin, More Patients Turn To Telehealth

A growing number of Americans turning to telehealth appointments with medical providers in the wake of widespread hospital closings in remote communities, and a shortage of local primary care doctors, specialists and other providers. Long-distance doctor-to-doctor consultations via video also fall under the "telehealth" or "telemedicine" rubric. A recent NPR poll of rural Americans found that nearly a quarter have used some kind of telehealth service within the past few years; 14% say they received a diagnosis or treatment from a doctor or other health care professional using email, text messaging, live text chat, a mobile app, or a live video like FaceTime or Skype. And 15% say they have received a diagnosis or treatment from a doctor or other health professional over the phone.

Most rural health facilities don't include telehealth services, which means most patients living in remote areas would need their own broadband internet access at home to get therapy online. And that's out of reach for many, says Robert J. Blendon, co-director of NPR's poll and professor of health policy and political analysis at the Harvard Chan School. The poll found that one in five rural Americans say getting access to high-speed internet is a problem for their families. Blendon says advances in online technology have brought a "revolution" in healthcare that has left many rural patients behind.