Strom Center Blog

Medicare Beneficiaries in Rural Areas Get Telemedicine

Patients in rural or remote communities in America often have a difficult time receiving much-needed health care services. To overcome this difficulty the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) has finalized a rule for telemedicine services so Medicare beneficiaries can receive the best care and cutting-edge medical assistance from local hospitals.

The new rule simplifies the process for hospitals to credential and grant privileges to physicians and health care practitioners to deliver care through telemedicine. This is particularly beneficial to those rural or remote areas that may lack sufficient staff or resources to deliver specialized services.

“Rural providers face unique challenges in serving the medical needs of their beneficiaries,” notes Alan Weinstock, an insurance broker at MedicareSupplementPlans.com. “Utilizing technology to better serve this community is a big step toward delivering care to these patients.”

Medicare Beneficiaries in Rural America

According to the U.S.

Department of Health and Human Services, “about one in four Medicare beneficiaries live in rural America, and rural providers serve a critical role in areas where the next nearest provider may be hours away.”

The problem is that many rural providers have higher costs than their more urban counterparts. Plus they face the difficulty of maintaining enough patients to break even. To counterbalance these difficulties and address the needs of Medicare beneficiaries in rural and remote areas, Medicare has made exceptions and special arrangements.

Understanding Telemedicine

Telemedicine is the exchange of medical information from one site to another via two-way, real time interactive communication. The sharing of information can be between the patient and his or her physician(s) or between two or more health care professionals.

Specialty medicines often use a more specialized form of the telemedicine term, such as teleradiology or telecardiology.

New Telemedicine Rule on Credentialing

Previously practitioners could not provide care via telemedicine unless they were granted practice privileges both by their home hospital as well as by the remote hospital. It required a complete examination and verification of each practitioner’s credentials including licensing, ability to practice in a state, training and experience, certifications and clinical skills and abilities.

The intent of the new rule is to reduce this burden both for the Medicare-participating hospitals that provide telemedicine services as well as those that use the service by providing an option to streamline the credentialing process. This is good news for all patients, but especially for seniors on Medicare who may have chronic illnesses that require specialty services.

Offering medical services in rural Australia

Australia’s beautiful sun burnt country offers vast amounts of land and opportunity with wide open spaces and plenty of nature to enjoy. The result is a number of unique pocket communities stretched out across the region. While they offer a number of perks in terms of lifestyle – there’s certainly plenty of peace and tranquillity – the relative isolation of these townships means that access to some critical services, including medical treatment, can be limited.

Most rural residents rely heavily on local medical practitioners to provide the care and service they need. As a result, many medical practitioners in Australia will find that their services will be highly valued in these areas as there is a significant shortage of staff and specialists. Meanwhile, setting up a practice in rural areas offers an attractive lifestyle to those looking to get away from the hustle and bustle of the capital cities.

The Rural Medical Practice

While many rural residents recognise that they’ll have to travel to metropolitan areas for specific treatments, including surgical procedures, patients in regional areas look for clinics to provide anaesthetic, obstetric, minor surgical and other minor procedural services.

Regional practitioners and clinics need to actively recruit and attract new staff and hires. Medical students are an invaluable resource as they’re more likely to be receptive to the local lifestyle. Skilled workers from overseas are also encouraged to contribute their skills to these communities. Transition grants are available to help practitioners make the move.

Medical Practice Ownership

With a laid back setting, a genuine caring community and the ability to offer your services to individuals who are really in need, working in a rural practice can be quite an attractive option to skilled doctors. Meanwhile for those looking to branch out and continue to develop their careers, establishing a rural practice offers great opportunity to build on their skills and focus on the areas they’re most interested in.

For rural doctors looking to establish or own their own clinic, the Rural Doctors Workforce Agency (RDWA) offers a Transition to Practice program to support doctors who are looking to build their own business. The program teaches basic business management skills as well as helps to answer fundamental questions, including hiring and recruiting staff and how to finance medical equipment. Meanwhile, the federal government offers numerous grants and support for practices in these areas including funds to build new facilities and fit-outs and as well as supply new equipment.