Equitable access to safe, high-quality care is essential to achieving optimal health and well-being. Unfortunately, there are significant disparities in access throughout the United States, creating serious disadvantages for millions of patients, especially those living in rural areas. In order to address this pressing issue, it is critical to understand the complex factors contributing to the healthcare inequities experienced in many of our nation’s rural communities.
Geographic Isolation
Most of the nation’s specialists are concentrated in cities with high population density. In contrast, rural areas often lack specialists, requiring patients in those communities to travel significant distances to access the medical care they need. In many instances, these longer travel times are compounded by limited access to public transportation options, making it even more challenging for individuals in rural communities to receive specialty care.
Healthcare Workforce Shortages
The disparity in access between urban and rural areas is stark. Rural communities regularly face significant shortages in both primary care and specialty providers. A study from the University of Minnesota found that approximately 64% of staff members in rural areas reported challenges finding specialists they needed for patient referrals.
The Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services sheds additional light on the healthcare workforce shortages impacting rural areas:
- Only 12% of physicians practice in rural communities
- 61% of the areas classified as “health professional shortage areas” by the federal government are located in rural communities
- Rural communities also face shortages among other types of healthcare workers, including nurse practitioners, dentists and mental health professionals
- Many rural hospitals face a risk of closure due to lower or inconsistent patient volume, as well as staff shortages
These healthcare workforce shortages throughout rural communities, particularly the lack of access to specialists, have resulted in longer wait times, patient travel burdens, and delayed or incomplete treatment plans.
Socioeconomic Disadvantages
The socioeconomic disparities between urban and rural areas also contribute to the healthcare inequities experienced in rural communities. The Medicaid and CHIP Payment and Access Commission has found that individuals living in rural communities have lower median incomes and higher poverty rates than individuals in urban communities. These findings have been backed up by a variety of other sources, including the United Health Foundation’s Health Disparities Report.
These socioeconomic disadvantages extend beyond income levels and poverty rates; they also impact the health insurance status of many individuals living in rural communities. A 2022 report found that people living in rural areas had lowest rates of private health insurance coverage, the highest rates of public health insurance coverage and the highest rates of uninsured individuals compared with people living in small, medium and large metropolitan communities.
Higher Rates of At-Risk Health-Related Behaviors
These geographic, workforce and socioeconomic factors are further compounded by higher rates of health-related behaviors in rural communities that increase the risk of developing serious medical conditions. A CDC study compared the prevalence of several critical health-related behaviors among rural and urban communities. Rural individuals ranked higher for just about every key at-risk health-related behavior, including:
- Smoking
- Obesity
- Moderate to excessive alcohol consumption
- Failure to meet aerobic activity recommendations
- Lack of sufficient sleep
These at-risk health-related behaviors contribute to a higher incidence of chronic diseases such as high blood pressure, heart disease, diabetes and cancer in rural communities. It also likely contributes to the 20% higher age-adjusted mortality rates in rural communities compared with urban areas.
DocSide Can Help Address Healthcare Inequities in Rural Communities
These healthcare inequities have resulted in devastating consequences for people living in rural communities. According to the Association of American Medical Colleges (AAMC), rural Americans experience:
- Higher rates of mortality from the from the five leadings causes of death, four of which are health related (heart disease, cancer, chronic lower respiratory disease and stroke)
- Higher infant mortality rates
- Higher rates of mental, behavioral and developmental disorders among children
Addressing the complexity, magnitude, and consequences of healthcare inequities facing rural communities will require system-level solutions. However, there are simple things healthcare professionals in rural communities can do right away which can deliver significant benefits to the patients they treat. One example is incorporating interprofessional consultations, a modern version of “curbside” consultations, into their care delivery models. Interprofessional consultations provide rural communities with greater access to specialists and improve the healthcare outcomes in these areas.
Curbside consultations are informal exchanges between referring physicians and specialists, and they’ve become an essential component of our healthcare system. They streamline communication, expand referral networks, and improve access to expert opinions. Unfortunately, traditional curbside consultations have faced significant obstacles to effective implementation, including the siloed nature practices, fragmented communication methods, poor documentation and failure to compensate the consulting specialists.
DocSide is able to modernize and optimize the curbside consultation process. Our exclusive eConsult Ecosystem™ delivers better outcomes for medical professionals and patients by:
- Enhancing patient health
- Improving the care experience
- Reducing costs
- Supporting provider wellbeing
- Advancing health equity by ensuring rural and underserved communities can access specialty expertise.
The DocSide digital platform enables referring doctors and specialists to collaborate effectively while maximizing the value of curbside consultations. Referring providers have access to verified specialists for timely and efficient recommendations, allowing them to improve patient outcomes by incorporating the expert opinions of specialists into their care plans. They also save time through streamlined workflows and reduced administrative complexity.
Our eConsult Ecosystem™ also allows consulting specialists to share their expertise while capturing previously unrealized revenue using interprofessional consultation CPT® codes. In addition, they can build networks with referring providers while expanding their opportunities for formal consultations and diagnostic services. Hospitals also benefit by reducing operational costs associated with unnecessary in-person office visits, while simultaneously minimizing patient leakage due to the ability to retain interprofessional care within our system.
DocSide is a transformational solution crafted by healthcare professionals for healthcare professionals. Our platform improves communication, reduces costs, protects the wellbeing of providers, all while achieving better patient outcomes. For individuals living in rural communities who currently lack accessibility to many of the medical specialists they need to take control of their health, our platform is a true gamechanger that can go a long way towards addressing many of the healthcare inequities impacting these areas.
Join the DocSide network today and help make a difference in addressing healthcare inequities in our rural communities.
