The Limitations of Poor Broadband Internet Access for Telemedicine Use in Rural America: An Observational Study

Abstract

Letters3 September 2019The Limitations of Poor Broadband Internet Access for Telemedicine Use in Rural America: An Observational StudyColeman Drake, PhD, Yuehan Zhang, ScM, Krisda H. Chaiyachati, MD, MPH, MSHP, and Daniel Polsky, PhDColeman Drake, PhDUniversity of Pittsburgh, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania (C.D.), Yuehan Zhang, ScMUniversity of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania (Y.Z., K.H.C.), Krisda H. Chaiyachati, MD, MPH, MSHPUniversity of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania (Y.Z., K.H.C.), and Daniel Polsky, PhDJohns Hopkins University, Baltimore, Maryland (D.P.)Author, Article, and Disclosure Informationhttps://doi.org/10.7326/M19-0283 SectionsAboutFull TextPDF ToolsAdd to favoritesDownload CitationsTrack CitationsPermissions ShareFacebookTwitterLinkedInRedditEmail Background: Fewer than 10% of U.S. physicians practice in rural communities, where 25% of Americans live (1). Yet, rural Americans may need more health care as they become increasingly older and sicker relative to their urban counterparts (2). Telemedicine has been proposed as a solution to improve access to care (3). Federal and state policymakers have enacted policies to expand telemedicine use among publicly and commercially insured beneficiaries. However, whether Americans with the poorest access to care have the necessary broadband Internet capability to fully benefit from telemedicine is unknown.Objective: To identify whether Americans with inadequate access to primary ...References1. Sharp D, Bond…