Healthcare facilities in rural areas require a variety of medical supplies, equipment and services. This includes tangible items like hospital beds and operating rooms, imaging equipment such as X-ray machines, computerized axial tomography (CAT) scans or magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) machines and other diagnostic tools, and medical supplies including gauze, sutures, bandages, disinfectants, vaccines, medication like antibiotics and opiates and medical instruments such as scalpels, scissors, trays, gloves and surgical instruments. Despite the need for these supplies, many rural health care organizations face budget challenges.
The need for healthcare supplies and equipment in rural areas can be amplified when coupled with the challenges associated with recruiting and retaining healthcare professionals. In addition to implementing telehealth solutions, the RHIhub Rural Health Workforce topic guide explores state and federal policies and programs to improve the supply of rural healthcare workers, such as loan repayment and visa waivers.
Traveling to receive healthcare is often challenging for rural patients, especially those with low incomes, no paid time off from work or physical limitations. This can also lead to delays in receiving treatment, which can be exacerbated during periods of pandemics.
A solution to this problem is establishing freestanding emergency departments, which provide high-quality emergency care in rural communities without the costs of a full-service hospital. A 2016 RUPRI health panel report provides an overview of this alternative model, and the March 2017 Becker’s Healthcare CEO+CFO Roundtable explored case studies on how these facilities are succeeding. rural healthcare medical solutions