Physicians practicing in rural areas often face significant financial challenges when trying to access the many benefits of health information technology (HIT).
To help combat these challenges, the U.S. Departments of Agriculture (USDA) and Health and Human Services (HHS) will sign an agreement linking rural hospitals and physicians to capital loan programs, enabling them to purchase the software, hardware, and other equipment necessary to implement an HIT system.
In another federal initiative aimed at promoting economic growth in rural areas, HHS will be issuing recommendations to expand eligibility for the National Health Services Corps loan repayment program. It will help more than 1,300 critical access hospitals (25 or fewer beds) across the country recruit new physicians. This is especially important at a time when
physician shortages are of great concern.
An implementation timeline for these initiatives has not yet been announced.
These initiatives are part of the White House Rural Council’s efforts to increase rural access to health care providers and technology. The Rural Council was established through an executive order signed by President Obama on June 9, 2011.