Access to quality healthcare is essential for overall well-being, yet for millions of Americans living in rural areas, it remains a persistent challenge. According to the CDC, 1 in 5 people in the U.S. live in rural areas. Hospitals and clinics serving these areas often face hurdles, including provider shortages, limited specialist access, and unreliable infrastructure. One of the most critical gaps is connectivity. Without strong digital networks, rural healthcare facilities struggle to implement telehealth services, securely share patient data, and coordinate care efficiently.
In this blog, we’ll explore the role of connectivity in bridging rural healthcare gaps, the obstacles that remain, and strategies hospitals and clinics can use to ensure their patients receive timely, high-quality care – no matter where they live.
Rural communities face a unique set of challenges that can limit access to consistent quality care. These barriers are often related, which only enhances the difficult circumstances hospitals and clinics face in delivering care.
One of the largest issues in healthcare is the lack of care professionals. Rural areas struggle even more in this area. Over 60 percent of Health Professional Shortage Areas (HPSAs) are located in rural or partially rural regions. They often struggle to recruit and retain health providers due to limited resources and fewer opportunities for career growth. As a result, patients may face longer wait times or greater travel distances for specialty services.
Rural healthcare facilities often operate with tight budgets, outdated buildings, and aging technologies. Limited funding can prevent these clinics from offering a full range of services or adopting new systems, such as telehealth platforms or electronic health records (EHRs). In the last decade, over 140 rural hospitals have closed, with more than 450 at risk of closure due to financial instability.
Strong connectivity is also essential for accessing and maintaining electronic health records. Many rural facilities face disruptions when retrieving patient data, which can compromise the quality of care. Limited bandwidth can also hinder interoperability with larger health systems, delaying diagnostics, lab results, and treatment plans.
According to a 2023 National Diabetes Care Survey, 70% of participants who used an RPM device with Bluetooth responded that they sometimes, often, or always have issues sending their readings to their provider — 56% of that group saying they always have issues. Bluetooth RPM devices that rely on patients connecting their device to a Wi-Fi network have an increased risk of connectivity downtime, which is why we are seeing a shift towards cellular RPM devices.
This also applies to tablet- based solutions, such as Claris Healthcare’s bundled device and application for aging in place. Read the full success story here.
When looking for a hotspot or LTE-embedded tablet provider, ensure they offer multi-carrier coverage, web filters to provide focused access to healthcare resources, and data and device management capabilities. Kajeet can help with all three. 😊
Hospital CIOs face ongoing challenges with inconsistent cellular coverage, network security, and seamless access to patient data. Traditional Wi-Fi and public cellular networks often fail to provide reliable, hospital-wide connectivity for medical staff, IoT devices, and guest access. To ensure critical systems and devices are always connected, rural hospitals and healthcare systems should consider deploying a private wireless network.
Kajeet and Cisco have partnered to offer Healthcare 5G, a robust private 5G healthcare solution with built-in network security, HIPPA compliance, and real-time monitoring. Learn more about Healthcare 5G and private wireless for healthcare campuses here.
The Kajeet Connected Health family includes solutions for remote patient monitoring, clinical trial providers, mobile health clinics, and much more. Every Connected Health solution gives you what you need to get to market quickly and easily, whether that's multi-carrier connectivity, the Sentinel IoT management platform, or even full-lifecycle staging, kitting, provisioning, and dropshipping to your end uers. Learn more about Kajeet Connected Health solution here.