A new report from KFF Health News highlights a growing crisis: many rural hospitals across the country are operating with outdated internet infrastructure and it’s harming patient care. From slow upload speeds that delay medical imaging to the inability to run telehealth services, the digital divide is deepening disparities in health outcomes for rural patients.
At URAC, we know that health equity starts with access, and that access depends on strong, connected systems. That’s why our Health Equity Accreditation and Telehealth Accreditation programs are designed to help organizations build resilient, inclusive and secure tech-enabled care models that serve all communities, no matter how remote.
“Our rural providers are doing heroic work with limited resources, but they shouldn’t have to work without reliable digital infrastructure,” said Shawn Griffin, MD, URAC’s President and CEO, and a former rural physician in Iowa. “When patients can’t connect to care, whether because of geography or technology, that’s a failure of the system.”
- Read the full article on KFF Health News here
- Learn more about URAC’s Telehealth Accreditation here
- Learn more about URAC’s Health Equity Accreditation here
- Learn more about how URAC is encouraging Congress to support permanent access to telehealth here
