Search results
Results from the WOW.Com Content Network
Telemedicine helps deliver care to patients in rural and remote areas. People in rural areas generally have less access to healthcare than their urban counterparts. Fewer medical practitioners, mental health programs, and healthcare facilities in these areas often mean less preventative care and longer response times in emergencies. [19]
Medical desert is a term used to describe regions whose population has inadequate access to healthcare. [1] The term can be applied whether the lack of healthcare is general or in a specific field, such as dental or pharmaceutical. [2] It is primarily used to describe rural areas although it is sometimes applied to urban areas as well. [2]
There is a disproportionately higher population of older adults over 65 who live in rural areas, with 17.5% of rural populations being over 65 versus 13.8% in urban areas. [18] This means that medical deserts in rural areas have a more significant impact on the older adult population in rural areas since there is a higher ratio than in urban areas.
A 2022 report by the American Hospital Association said access to health care in non-urban areas has worsened due to the closure of 136 rural hospitals in the U.S. between 2010 and 2021, including ...
A rural health clinic (RHC) is a clinic located in a rural, medically under-served area in the United States that has a separate reimbursement structure from the standard medical office under the Medicare and Medicaid programs. RHCs were established by the Rural Health Clinic Services Act of 1977 (P.L. 95-210), (Section 1905 of the Social ...
There are significant health disparities between urban and rural areas of the United States. The per capita rate of primary care physicians is lower in rural areas of the country (65 primary care physicians per 100,000 rural Americans, compared to 105 primary care physicians for urban and suburban Americans). [14]
There is a physical difference in access healthcare as well, for emergency instances or even therapies, where patients are to travel excessive distances to receive necessary care. [43] These health disparities in rural areas are major problems.
HRSA is the lead federal agency responsible for monitoring and improving historically scarce health care services for 60 million people living in rural areas. In financial year 2008, HRSA invested $175 million to improve health care in rural America, where access to medical services is often limited.