Almost 58% of California health care organizations surveyed in rural areas indicated their organizations relied heavily on the use of information technology (IT), according to survey findings conducted by First Consulting Group (FCG) and California State Rural Health Association (CSRHA) and funded by the California HealthCare Foundation (CHCF) and the Community Technology Foundation of California. Respondents from California’s rural hospitals, clinics, private practices, and public health departments stated the top three uses for technology are email exchange with providers; use of general Web sites; and scheduling and billing applications.
Increased use of technology by rural health care providers comes at a time when future funding for rural economic development programs is in question because of California’s budget deficit. “The health sector is important to rural economies in many ways and technology plays a vital role in providing health services to rural residents,” says Lauri Paoli, executive director of CSRHA. “Rural communities are interconnected and technology innovations link rural communities to additional resources and the health care they need.”
Technology Use in Rural Health Care: California Survey Results found that efficient use of information technology removes barriers by assisting rural health organizations to provide services where there is great distance between patients, physicians, and facilities, and where there is a scarcity of health workers and access to specialty care. “Remote and interactive technology solutions are integral to providing access to quality health care in rural communities,” says Sam Karp, chief information officer at CHCF. “Rural health care organizations are using technology to increase access to care, provide remote diagnostic services, and provide education and training for health care workers.”
Beyond administrative efficiencies such as scheduling and billing, email with providers, and general Web site access, rural health care organizations use technology in a variety of ways. More than 57% of hospitals said that they were using digital imaging and, more surprisingly, 37% of health clinics and 33% of hospitals said they were using video teleconferencing applications for patient consultation, according to the report.
The survey found that inadequate funding for infrastructure investments and for ongoing operations were the two major factors preventing health care organizations from taking greater advantage of IT solutions. In addition, priorities for future investment in new infrastructure and applications were consistent among all groups surveyed.
According to Paoli, members of the newly reconvened Joint Legislative Rural Caucus have introduced a number of rural economic development bills in the California legislature. “When new funding is available, it would be beneficial to see technology infrastructure investment as a companion piece to these type of economic development bills focused on rural communities,” states Paoli.
In November 2002, the California HealthCare Foundation released Rural Health Care Delivery: Connecting Communities Through Technology, a report which provides an overview and case studies to help rural health care providers understand the technology tools available and how they work; the collaborative environment needed to adopt and implement them; and funding and reimbursement resources.
About First Consulting Group
FCG is a provider of consulting, technology, outsourcing, and applied research services for healthcare, pharmaceutical, and other life sciences organizations throughout North America, Europe, and Japan. For more information about FCG, visit www.fcg.com or call 800-345-0957.
About California State Rural Health Association
The California State Rural Health Association (CSRHA) is a nonprofit, statewide organization that works to preserve and enhance health in rural California. CSRHA brings together health care providers, consumers, educators, researchers, public health and economic development agencies and others to work on a variety of issues and to provide a common voice for rural California. More information can be found on the CSRHA Web site at www.csrha.org.