Federal report says changes need to be made to improve rural healthcare system

Rural areas only have 54 specialists for every 100,000 residents, while urban areas have 134 specialists for every 100,000 residents, according to a federal report that says changes need to be made to improve rural healthcare. The report by the Joint Economic Committee, authored by Sen. Amy Klobuchar (D-Minn.), says: "Improving rural Americans’ access to affordable health care would improve their quality of life and bolster economic opportunity in rural areas."

More than 40 percent of rural residents travel more than 30 minutes to a hospital, compared to 25 percent of urban ones, and rural residents have to make longer treks to see a specialist, the report says. EMS response times are also longer in rural areas, with limited services often staffed by volunteers. Rural areas are also more reliant than urban areas on jobs from medical facilities. Technology is another concern. Only 19 percent of rural hospitals have adapted electronic health record systems, compared to 29 percent in urban areas. Rural hospitals are also more likely to rely on Medicaid and Medicare for revenue.

"Ensuring access to health care in rural areas can help improve workforce productivity, quality of life and economic growth," the report says. Suggested ways to improve rural healthcare are by protecting critical access hospitals, funding programs that attract doctors to rural areas, enhancing training for rural health care practitioners in preventive services, expanding Telehealth Resource Centers and the Telehealth Network Grant Program and improving transportation infrastructure. (Read more)