Telemedicine is a natural fit for consultations with those in rural or remote areas, who will often have to travel long distances for a face-to-face appointment with a physician, however, internet infrastructure - both at home, and within designated rural telemedicine clinics - is still lagging behind. 56 Americans do not have access to broadband speed internet, a figure overwhelmingly skewed towards the rural population. The Federal Communications Commission is pushing for an improved internet infrastructure to help offer reliable telemedicine services and remote monitoring in rural areas, but rarely hits its upper spending limit of $400m to improve rural healthcare.
Telemedicine is a natural fit for consultations with those in rural or remote areas, who will often have to travel long distances for a face-to-face appointment with a physician, however, internet infrastructure - both at home, and within designated rural telemedicine clinics - is still lagging behind. 55 million Americans do not have access to broadband speed internet, a figure overwhelmingly skewed towards the rural population. The Federal Communications Commission is pushing for an improved internet infrastructure to help offer reliable telemedicine services and remote monitoring in rural areas, but rarely hits its upper spending limit of $400m to improve rural healthcare.