The more different we think country folk and city slickers** are, the more we start to realize how similar we are. While the issues in rural healthcare are very real, each of these conversations reminded me of similar conversations in Los Angeles, New York, Chicago, and beyond. In my conversations before, during, and after the conference, similar themes repeated themselves: healthcare access, healthcare affordability, literacy, language and culture, social determinants of health, technology gaps. These socioeconomic and healthcare challenges place rural populations at a disadvantage for receiving safe, timely, effective, equitable, and patient-centered care.” As the author of this essay concludes, “Effective population health is not possible without addressing 25% of the population.” ( “Digital Health for Rural Healthcare,” Wharton Health Care Management Alumni Association) At the same time, rural areas often have fewer physician practices, hospitals, and other health delivery resources. “Compared with urban populations, rural residents generally have higher poverty rates, a larger elderly population, tend to be in poorer health, and have higher uninsured rates than urban areas. According to the National Rural Health Association, rural hospitals serve 25% of the US population. While we are talking about “the country,” this is not a small population. These rural hospitals “serve a decreasing population that still desires to have an acute inpatient facility.” ( “The state of rural healthcare today, and what technology can do to help,” HealthcareITNews, ) The Problem Demands A New Deal Solution,” HealthAffairs, 28 October 2020)īed availability and staffing availability are challenges, which further exacerbates the sustainability issue. ( “Too Many Rural Americans Are Living In the Digital Dark. And the need for telehealth is growing there, with 47% of rural hospitals losing money, 25% at high risk of closing, and many already closed. While telehealth is on the rise everywhere, it can be a challenge in rural America, where in 2018 one-quarter of rural Americans (and one-third of those on tribal lands) did not have access to broadband, compared to less than 2% in urban areas. Through some engaging conversations, I started to build a mental model of rural healthcare. The conference theme was “The Evolution of Digital Health in Rural America,”* which we addressed from multiple perspectives, from innovation to equity, from investment to recruiting. It was my first time ever in Alabama, and if you must know, yes, I did eat and drink very well. Well, I was thinking about Doc Hollywood last week as I spent a few days in Birmingham, Alabama, where I was invited to speak at a conference. So what does this have to do with healthcare, besides the fact that Doc Hollywood is about a doctor, and I seem to be in a classic 90s movie mood these days? Perhaps Aesop kicked this off with “The Town Mouse and the Country Mouse.” We’ve seen it on TV with “Green Acres” and “The Beverly Hillbillies.” We’ve seen it with virtually every movie ever on the Hallmark Channel. These films are part of a longstanding tradition of pitting the small town against the city. I have a 12-year-old son, which means I have seen Cars roughly 66 times. Classic, right? I haven’t seen it in years, but I suppose it has stuck with me, mainly because it was somehow accidentally on purpose turned into a little animated film called Cars. Frustrated by traffic, he detours through a small town, hits a fence, is sentenced to community service at the hospital, meets a girl, falls in love, and realizes that there is more to life than swimming pools and movie stars. Fox), heading to Los Angeles to start a cushy life. Or you just paid attention to the title of my post.ĭoc Hollywood is a classic yet forgettable story of a young doctor (played by Michael J. Quick, name that movie! If you guessed Doc Hollywood, you get a star on my personal walk of fame. But he took an exit to a town that didn’t take plastic.” “He was headed for Beverly Hills to be a plastic surgeon….
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