Evaluating Telehealth Adoption and Related Barriers Among Hospitals Located in Rural and Urban Areas

Jie Chen; Aitalohi Amaize; Deanna Barath

doi:10.1111/jrh.12534

journal article Open Access Nov 12, 2020

Evaluating Telehealth Adoption and Related Barriers Among Hospitals Located in Rural and Urban Areas

Jie Chen

Aitalohi Amaize Deanna Barath

The Journal of Rural Health Vol. 37 No. 4 pp. 801-811 · Wiley

View at Publisher Save 10.1111/jrh.12534

Abstract

AbstractPurposeTo assess telehealth adoption among hospitals located in rural and urban areas, and identify barriers related to enhanced telehealth capabilities in the areas of patient engagement and health information exchange (HIE) capacity with external providers and community partners.MethodsWe used the 2018 American Hospital Association (AHA) Annual Survey and IT Supplement Survey. We applied state fixed effects multivariate analyses and Oaxaca decomposition to estimate the variation of outcomes of interest by hospital geographies.FindingsOur research showed substantial differences in telehealth adoption among hospitals located in rural, micropolitan, and metropolitan areas, where adoption rates increase with urbanicity. Rural hospitals were least likely to have telehealth systems with patient engagement capabilities such as the ability to view their health information online and electronically transmit medical information to a third party. They were also the least likely to report that clinical information was available electronically from outside providers. Our model explained 65% of the rural/urban difference in telehealth adoption, 55% of the number of telehealth services adopted, and 43%‐49% of the rural/urban difference in telehealth barriers.ConclusionFindings demonstrated significant barriers to telehealth use among hospitals located in rural and urban areas. For rural hospitals, barriers include lack of HIE capacity among health care providers in the community, and lack of patient engagement capability.

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References

Details

Published: Nov 12, 2020
Vol/Issue: 37(4)
Pages: 801-811
License: View

Authors

J

Jie Chen

Department of Health Policy and Management School of Public Health University of Maryland College Park Maryland

A

Aitalohi Amaize

Department of Health Policy and Management School of Public Health University of Maryland College Park Maryland

D

Deanna Barath

Department of Health Policy and Management School of Public Health University of Maryland College Park Maryland

Cite This Article

Jie Chen, Aitalohi Amaize, Deanna Barath (2020). Evaluating Telehealth Adoption and Related Barriers Among Hospitals Located in Rural and Urban Areas. The Journal of Rural Health, 37(4), 801-811. https://doi.org/10.1111/jrh.12534

Evaluating Telehealth Adoption and Related Barriers Among Hospitals Located in Rural and Urban Areas

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