Addressing the crisis in rural health care access and outcomes

Internal medicine physician Edward Hoffer discusses his article, "Can rural health care be saved?" He outlines the significant health care disparities facing rural communities, including higher death rates from major diseases, increased opioid overdoses, ongoing hospital closures, and an aging physician workforce without adequate replacement. Edward questions the effectiveness of programs like the Critical Access Hospital designation, suggesting they may sometimes support lower-quality care, and shares a personal anecdote illustrating the dire consequences of specialist shortages in isolated settings. He proposes several potential solutions to improve rural health care: enhancing transportation, including establishing fairly-priced air ambulance services; expanding the use of telemedicine for specialty consultations and patient access; better utilizing EMTs and paramedics with remote support; considering strategic consolidation of rural hospitals for improved quality despite potentially longer travel; and focusing medical school recruitment on students from rural backgrounds. Edward underscores the complexity of the rural health care challenge and advises awareness of resource limitations.

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