An event last month highlighted the significant barriers to technology and telemedicine access caused by the lack of connectivity to broadband internet.
Lisa Davis, Pennsylvania Office of Rural Health director, Sen. Michele Brooks (R- Mercer County), and Rep. Kathy Rapp (R-Warren/Crawford/Forest) hosted the gathering.
Guthrie Medical Group President Frederick Bloom spoke about how broadband access impacts on the delivery of healthcare services in rural areas.
Broadband can be used to save lives by giving case-management nurses and other health care professionals remote access to a patient’s weight, blood pressure, and pulse, Bloom said.
“I strongly urge you to provide broadband services to all residents of Pennsylvania,” Bloom said. “This will give Pennsylvania residents and Guthrie patients better access to care, better quality care, improved patient satisfaction and reduced total cost of care. … Please provide the leadership and funding that will bring broadband to our rural Pennsylvania counties and work to legislate payment reform that will provide insurance coverage to patients who use this service. Rural Pennsylvania communities could be healthier, patients could be kept out of the hospital, and lives can be saved with this technology.”
The Hospital and Healthsystem Association of Pennsylvania supports the expansion of telemedicine services.