Rural Healthcare: How to Navigate Unique Challenges with Innovative Solutions

Nearly nine in 10 patients reported that telemedicine has made it easier to receive care

1 in 7 people live in rural areas in the US, and they are at higher risk of death than those who live in urban areas. Unfortunately, in 2020, the Chartis Group revealed that more than 400 rural hospitals were financially vulnerable and at risk of closing. In turn, many rural providers struggle to bridge the gap between access to healthcare and practice success, especially when there are unique barriers to rural healthcare.

In this blog, we’ll discuss rural healthcare through the lens of the residents’ health risks and unique barriers to care while also providing solutions to address these challenges.

Understanding healthcare for rural residents

Any resident should be able to conveniently and confidently access primary care, dental care, behavioral health, emergency care, and public health services. This ensures that they can achieve the following:

  • Improved overall physical, social, and mental health status
  • Disease prevention
  • Quick detection, diagnosis, and treatment of illness
  • Reduced chances of preventable deaths
  • Better quality of life and longer life expectancy

However, the grim reality is that, as shared by the North Carolina Rural Health Research Program, over 80 facilities had to eliminate in-patient care and reduce services in rural areas. It begs to consider the rural residents who are older and sicker than those in urban areas. Compared to other communities, living in rural places increases the following health risks:

  • higher rates of chronic illness and poverty
  • higher rates of cigarette smoking, high blood pressure, and obesity
  • more visits to the emergency room and unintentional injury deaths
  • more likely to have no health insurance

Limited access to medical facilities means patients arrive at hospitals or clinics with developed ailments. They are less likely to seek preventive care and screening services, increasing the chances of future serious medical issues.

Given this situation, providers in rural areas face unique challenges in reaching residents, and addressing them is key to healthcare equity and practice success.

Barriers to healthcare in rural areas

The rural life presents unique challenges in accessing healthcare. Typically, hospitals are smaller and more difficult to reach due to long distances and lack of reliable transportation. Here are a few more barriers to care in rural communities:

  • Health Professions Workforce Shortage: In 2024, 66.33% of Primary Care Health Professional Shortage Areas (HPSAs) were located in rural areas, restricting access to healthcare. According to the federal government, there will be a shortage of 20,000 primary care physicians in rural areas by 2025.
  • Health Literacy: Rural residents tend to have lower health literacy, making it difficult to understand health information and instructions from their healthcare providers. This can lead to fear or frustration when communicating with a healthcare professional. To ease your patient’s stress, Synapse Revenue Cycle Management can help non-English speakers with their health concerns by supporting them throughout the appointment and billing process.
  • Social Stigma and Privacy Issues: Patients may feel uncomfortable approaching a healthcare facility when there is stigma around certain services like counseling and HIV testing. Due to little anonymity in rural areas, patients feel uneasy about seeking care from those who know their family members, friends, or co-workers.
  • Lack of Specialized Care: Rural communities don’t have a lot of specialized healthcare services, such as home health, hospice and palliative care, substance use disorder services, and reproductive, obstetric, and maternal health services. The 2021 National Institutes of Health report also revealed that rural residents are less likely to have dental insurance and oral health services.

 

Innovative solutions for rural healthcare

To improve health service delivery to rural areas, we must be open to potential avenues, from implementing technologies and programs to supporting healthcare facilities serving rural areas.

Solution #1: Telemedicine continues to grow as a vital aspect of the health industry due to its convenience and cost savings. In fact, nearly nine in 10 patients reported that telemedicine has made it easier to receive care. They would also prefer to have their prescription refills, therapy, counseling, post-surgical follow-ups, and chronic care management virtually.

For people living in rural areas, telemedicine can reduce the long travel time, shorten appointment wait time, and increase access to specialists and services, such as:

  • Chronic care management interventions
  • E-consults
  • E-visits
  • Tele-emergency
  • Remote patient monitoring (RPM)
  • Tele-intensive care units (ICUs)
  • Long-term care
  • Telepharmacy
  • Virtual professional communities
  • Interpreter services
  • School-based telehealth

Solution #2: Workforce programs funded by the Health Resources and Services Administration have served 9.7 million rural residents in 2023, effectively focusing on workforce development and deployment accounts in rural communities. More than one in three providers from the National Health Service Corps (NHSC) work in these areas.

As a result of HRSA’s funded programs, they are building a new future for rural residents with:

  • More training programs in rural areas for primary care, family medicine, internal medicine, preventive medicine, psychiatry, general surgery, and obstetrics/gynecology
  • New, accredited rural residency programs
  • More clinical training sites are in rural areas

Case Study in Focus: How Synapse Supported Limited Providers

While increasing the number of providers in rural areas remains a challenge, Synapse Revenue Cycle Management empowers small healthcare teams with practice care management solutions that drive efficiency and seamless service delivery.

For instance, with only four providers left in a pediatrics practice, Synapse handled their collections with true expertise, achieving a 31$ increase and higher revenues for each provider.

Solution #3: Health centers serve rural patients regardless of their ability to pay, providing community-based, culturally competent primary and specialty care. Uninsured patients are welcome. They can access medical care, including pharmacy, mental health, substance abuse, and oral health services coupled with enabling services.

Synapse RCM: Navigate rural healthcare with accuracy and efficiency

Streamline rural healthcare operations so you can focus on patient care and not paperwork. Don’t get bogged down by claim denials, billing errors, and administrative tasks – you are much more needed facing your patients than in front of the desk.

Let our highly trained and competent professionals handle your practice’s unique challenges, including reaching a broader audience in the rural community through our non-English speaking virtual assistance.

For more information, book a free consultation with us and learn how you can be more effective as a practice that cares about rural communities.

Source

Access to Health Care in Rural America: Current Trends and Key Challenges. (2024).
https://aspe.hhs.gov/sites/default/files/documents/6056484066506a8d4ba3dcd8d9322490/rural-health-rr-30-Oct-24.pdf

Health Resources & Services Administration. (2019). Health Workforce Shortage Areas. Hrsa.gov.
https://data.hrsa.gov/topics/health-workforce/shortage-areas

Luo, H., Wu, Q., Bell, R. A., Wright, W., Quandt, S. A., Basu, R., & Moss, M. E. (2021). Rural-Urban Differences in Dental Service Utilization and Dental Service Procedures Received Among US Adults: Results From the 2016 Medical Expenditure Panel Survey. The Journal of rural health : official journal of the American Rural Health Association and the National Rural Health Care Association, 37(3), 655–666.
https://doi.org/10.1111/jrh.12500

Stewart, C. (2024). Telemedicine – statistics and facts. From:
https://www.statista.com/topics/12106/telemedicine/

Unrelenting Pressure Pushes Rural Safety Net Crisis into Uncharted Territory. (n.d.).
https://www.chartis.com/sites/default/files/documents/chartis_rural_study_pressure_pushes_rural_safety_net_crisis_into_uncharted_territory_feb_15_2024_fnl.pdf

Wright D. B. (2009). Care in the country: a historical case study of long-term sustainability in 4 rural health centers. American journal of public health, 99(9), 1612–1618.
https://doi.org/10.2105/AJPH.2008.146050