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Advancing Telehealth to Improve Access to Health in Rural America

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Telemedicine, Telehealth and Telepresence

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Abstract

As we begin the second decade of the twenty-first century, there are those Americans who have limited access to medical care and health information. Advancements in technology—computers, sensors, information technology, and communications—provide a remarkable platform for change. Access via broadband communications can provide access to virtual care and educational services. Rural health policy is set by the Federal government but is influenced by many different contributing factors. Several states have been permitted to utilize telehealth, and it has been reimbursable, and as such, a lot of research has been conducted in rural areas. Sometimes events occur that alter the standard approach or the “old way.” Recently, the World Health Organization declared a pandemic due to COVID-19. This has caused the healthcare system to begin to finally embrace telemedicine and telehealth as an ideal tool across the entire landscape. There will always be challenges, and more often than not there are amazing solutions. This chapter provides a review of how telemedicine and telehealth are impacting healthcare in rural America.

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Notes

  1. 1.

    American Telemedicine Association – https://www.americantelemed.org/resource/why-telemedicine/

  2. 2.

    American Medical Association – https://www.ama-assn.org/practice-management/digital/how-definitions-digital-health-differ

  3. 3.

    American Academy of Family Physicians – https://www.aafp.org/about/policies/all/telemedicine.html

  4. 4.

    United States Census Bureau – https://www.census.gov/library/stories/2017/08/rural-america.html

  5. 5.

    Coronavirus Preparedness and Response Supplemental Appropriations Act, 2020. Wikipedia, March 17, 2020.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Environmental and Public Health Sciences, College of Medicine, University of Cincinnati, Cincinnati, OH, USA

    Charles R. Doarn

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  1. Charles R. Doarn
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Correspondence to Charles R. Doarn .

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Editors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Surgery, Westchester Medical Center and New York Medical College, Valhalla, NY, USA

    Rifat Latifi

  2. Department of Environmental and Public Health Sciences, University of Cincinnati, Cincinnati, OH, USA

    Charles R. Doarn

  3. Virginia Commonwealth University, Mentone, AL, USA

    Ronald C. Merrell

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Doarn, C.R. (2021). Advancing Telehealth to Improve Access to Health in Rural America. In: Latifi, R., Doarn, C.R., Merrell, R.C. (eds) Telemedicine, Telehealth and Telepresence. Springer, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-030-56917-4_11

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-030-56917-4_11

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