# Healthcare Deserts * **Definition:** Areas or regions that lack adequate access to healthcare services, including hospitals, clinics, and healthcare professionals, often resulting in significant barriers to receiving necessary medical care. * **Taxonomy:** Healthcare Topics / Healthcare Deserts ## News * Selected news on the topic of **Healthcare Deserts**, for healthcare technology leaders * 2.1K news items are in the system for this topic * Posts have been filtered for tech and healthcare-related keywords | Date | Title | Source | | --- | --- | --- | | 5/30/2025 | [**The Growing Importance Of AI In Provider Data Management**](https://www.forbes.com/councils/forbestechcouncil/2025/05/30/the-growing-importance-of-ai-in-provider-data-management/) | [[Forbes]] | | 5/23/2025 | [**Trump budget bill includes Medicare pay boost: 5 notes**](https://www.beckershospitalreview.com/finance/trump-budget-bill-includes-medicare-pay-boost-5-notes/) | [[Beckers Hospital Review]] | | 5/14/2025 | [**Building California's Physician Pipeline: A Conversation with Dorothy Seleski of Health Net**](https://www.beckershospitalreview.com/podcasts/uncategorized/building-californias-physician-pipeline-a-conversation-with-dorothy-seleski-of-health-net/) | [[Beckers Hospital Review]] | | 5/5/2025 | [**Reimbursement Trends May Reshape Rural Emergency Healthcare Services**](https://www.beckershospitalreview.com/strategy/reimbursement-trends-may-reshape-rural-emergency-healthcare-services/) | [[Beckers Hospital Review]] | | 4/29/2025 | [**Amazon Pharmacy, Photon Partner to Improve Rx Access + Price Transparency**](https://hitconsultant.net/2025/04/29/amazon-pharmacy-partners-w-photon-to-improve-rx-access-price-transparency/) | [[HIT Consultant]] | | 4/18/2025 | [**Wasteful Spending on Remote Monitoring? New Report Urges Policy Overhaul**](https://hitconsultant.net/2025/04/18/wasteful-spending-on-remote-monitoring-new-report-urges-policy-overhaul/) | [[HIT Consultant]] | | 1/28/2025 | [**How Technology is Democratizing Healthcare - by Brooke Walker - Jan, 2025 - Medium**](https://medium.com/@walkerbrooke301/how-technology-is-democratizing-healthcare-e99590a77506) | [[Medium]] | | 1/9/2025 | [**Healthcare Workforce - 2025 Health IT Predictions**](https://www.healthcareittoday.com/2025/01/09/healthcare-workforce-2025-health-it-predictions/) | [[Healthcare IT Today]] | | 1/7/2025 | [**Hosts Open Mic on 2025**](https://www.healthitanswers.net/hosts-open-mic-on-2025/) | [[Health IT Answers]] | | 1/2/2025 | [**How To Close The Healthcare Desert Gap And Improve Access In The US - Forbes**](https://www.forbes.com/councils/forbesbusinesscouncil/2025/01/02/how-to-close-the-healthcare-desert-gap-and-improve-access-in-the-us/) | [[Forbes]] | | 1/1/2025 | [**Patient trends in 2025: What to expect in the year ahead - Chief Healthcare Executive**](https://www.chiefhealthcareexecutive.com/view/patient-trends-in-2025-what-to-expect-in-the-year-ahead) | [[Chief Healthcare Executive]] | | 12/31/2024 | [**Precision Medicine Software Market Focused Insights 2024-2029, with Key Player Profiles of ...**](https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20241231013633/en/Precision-Medicine-Software-Market-Focused-Insights-2024-2029-with-Key-Player-Profiles-of-Syapse-AccessDX-Laboratory-Fabric-Genomics-Foundation-Medicine-Intel-and-IBM---ResearchAndMarkets.com) | [[Business Wire]] | | 12/31/2024 | [**Precision Medicine Software Market Focused Insights 2024-2029, with Key Player Profiles of Syapse, AccessDX Laboratory, Fabric Genomics, Foundation Medicine, Intel and IBM - ResearchAndMarkets.com**](http://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20241231013633/en/Precision-Medicine-Software-Market-Focused-Insights-2024-2029-with-Key-Player-Profiles-of-Syapse-AccessDX-Laboratory-Fabric-Genomics-Foundation-Medicine-Intel-and-IBM---ResearchAndMarkets.com/?feedref=JjAwJuNHiystnCoBq_hl-Q-tiwWZwkcswR1UZtV7eGe24xL9TZOyQUMS3J72mJlQ7fxFuNFTHSunhvli30RlBNXya2izy9YOgHlBiZQk2LOzmn6JePCpHPCiYGaEx4DL1Rq8pNwkf3AarimpDzQGuQ==) | [[Business Wire]] | | 12/20/2024 | [**The Download: Digital Twins, AI Data, and the Future of Healthcare - Medium**](https://medium.com/vanguard-industry-foresight/the-download-digital-twins-ai-data-and-the-future-of-healthcare-64cb675dfb58) | [[Medium]] | | 12/12/2024 | [**Robotic surgery's impact on improving outcomes and access - Becker's Hospital Review**](https://www.beckershospitalreview.com/strategy/robotic-surgerys-impact-on-improving-outcomes-and-access.html) | [[Beckers Hospital Review]] | | 12/11/2024 | [**Studies, Surveys and Reports: What Can We Learn?**](https://www.healthitanswers.net/studies-surveys-and-reports-what-can-we-learn-3/) | [[Health IT Answers]] | | 12/2/2024 | [**Future Market Trends for Electronic Health Records (EHR) System: Forecasting Size, Share ...**](https://www.linkedin.com/pulse/future-market-trends-electronic-health-records-ehr-system-forecasting-r1hde) | [[Linkedin]] | | 11/21/2024 | [**Providing both historical trends and future projections, the Telemedicine Technologies and ...**](https://www.linkedin.com/pulse/providing-both-historical-trends-future-projections-telemedicine-evdre) | [[Linkedin]] | | 11/21/2024 | [**Telerehabilitation Systems Market to Expand by USD 532.9 Million (2024-2028), Rising ...**](https://www.marketwatch.com/press-release/telerehabilitation-systems-market-to-expand-by-usd-532-9-million-2024-2028-rising-chronic-disease-cases-driving-revenue-ai-impacting-market-trends-technavio-40f87815) | [[MarketWatch]] | | 10/26/2024 | [**Weekly Roundup - October 26, 2024 - Healthcare IT Today**](https://www.healthcareittoday.com/2024/10/26/weekly-roundup-october-26-2024/) | [[Healthcare IT Today]] | | 10/24/2024 | [**The Convergence of Digital Health and Life Sciences**](https://medcitynews.com/2024/10/the-convergence-of-digital-health-and-life-sciences/) | [[MedCity News]] | | 10/21/2024 | [**Remote Patient Monitoring Services Market Size, Share & Trends Analysis Report - LinkedIn**](https://www.linkedin.com/pulse/remote-patient-monitoring-services-market-size-share-trends-bbu9f) | [[Linkedin]] | | 7/17/2024 | [**CrossTx Partners With Artemis Global RPM to Expand Remote Patient Monitoring and ...**](https://finance.yahoo.com/news/crosstx-partners-artemis-global-rpm-120000954.html) | [[Yahoo Finance]] | | 6/27/2024 | [**Healthcare Analytics Information, News and Tips - TechTarget**](https://www.techtarget.com/healthtechanalytics/) | techtarget.com | | 6/17/2024 | [**Why Conditions are Ripe for Enabling Care Everywhere**](https://medcitynews.com/2024/06/why-conditions-are-ripe-for-enabling-care-everywhere/) | [[MedCity News]] | ## Topic Overview (Some LLM-derived content — please confirm with above primary sources) ### Key Players - **GoodRx**: A healthcare technology platform that provides information on prescription drug prices and has conducted research highlighting the prevalence of healthcare deserts in the U.S. - **Included Health**: A healthcare organization collaborating with Blue Shield of California and CalPERS to enhance virtual care access and improve care management. - **Avel eCare**: A telemedicine provider focused on enhancing healthcare access in rural and underserved communities. - **myphysician360**: A healthcare organization focused on expanding accessible healthcare services in rural areas through telemedicine and community pharmacy collaborations. - **Priority OnDemand**: A healthcare service provider integrating emergency and non-emergency services to improve patient access to care. - **Cibolo Health**: An organization empowering independent rural hospitals to create integrated healthcare networks. - **DocGo Inc.**: A mobile healthcare provider enhancing access to cardiovascular diagnostics in underserved communities through partnerships with SHL Telemedicine. - **OnMed**: A healthcare technology company known for its innovative CareStation, which provides hybrid care solutions to improve access to healthcare in underserved communities. - **Hydreight Technologies**: Provider of the VSDHOne platform, which offers telemedicine solutions to businesses, facilitating direct-to-consumer healthcare. - **Millie**: A tech-enabled maternity clinic targeting underserved communities with improved maternal healthcare outcomes. - **Photon Health**: A healthcare technology company partnering with Amazon Pharmacy to enhance prescription access and transparency. - **Lightbeam Health Solutions**: A company providing advanced solutions to Accountable Care Organizations (ACOs) to enhance health equity and reduce costs. - **Steer Health**: An AI-powered healthcare solutions provider recognized for improving patient engagement and operational efficiency. - **UniDoc Health Corp**: Developer of the H3 Health Cube, an eHealth platform integrating telemedicine and AI to improve primary care access. - **Black Book Research**: A research firm providing insights on healthcare technology adoption, including Electronic Health Records (EHR) systems. - **CrossTx**: A healthcare technology company focused on enhancing Remote Patient Monitoring (RPM) and Chronic Care Management (CCM) programs. - **Takeda**: A pharmaceutical company collaborating with Partners in Health to promote health equity and dismantle barriers to healthcare access. - **Octane**: An organization fostering technology growth in Southern California, hosting events to discuss healthcare innovations. ### Partnerships and Collaborations - **myphysician360 and community pharmacies**: Collaboration to improve healthcare access in rural areas through telemedicine. - **Avel eCare and Cibolo Health**: A partnership aimed at enhancing healthcare access in rural areas through telemedicine. - **Takeda and Partners in Health**: Establishing Health Equity Communities of Practice to address social determinants of health and improve healthcare access. - **Photon Health and Amazon Pharmacy**: Partnership to improve prescription access and transparency for patients in underserved areas. - **LunaJoy Health and Medical Institutions**: Exploring partnerships to address educational gaps in behavioral health care for underserved populations. - **ATA Center of Digital Excellence (CODE)**: Collaborates with leading health systems to promote digital health solutions and improve patient-centered care. - **Telehealth Network of Minas Gerais**: Collaboration with various health systems to provide telecardiology services, improving access in rural areas. - **Blue Shield of California and CalPERS with Included Health**: This partnership aims to enhance virtual care access and improve care management for members. - **Avel eCare and Amwell Psychiatric Care**: The acquisition enhances Avel eCare's telemedicine capabilities, particularly in behavioral health services. - **Suki and EHR Vendors**: Partnerships with MEDENT and Azalea Health to integrate AI capabilities into EHR solutions, enhancing patient care. - **DocGo and SHL Telemedicine**: Integration of SmartHeart portable ECG devices into mobile health units to enhance cardiovascular diagnostics. - **FDB and Health Systems**: Health systems partnering with FDB to enhance medication decision support through innovative solutions. - **CrossTx and Artemis Global RPM**: A partnership aimed at enhancing RPM and CCM programs across the U.S., focusing on chronic condition management. - **SEQSTER PDM Inc. and Antidote Technologies**: Collaboration to improve patient identification for clinical trials, enhancing diversity and engagement. - **UNC-Chapel Hill Collaboration**: Collaboration among faculty from over 12 departments to develop data tools for cancer diagnosis and treatment. ### Innovations, Trends, and Initiatives - **Mobile Health Units**: Utilization of mobile health units equipped with advanced diagnostic tools to reach patients in healthcare deserts. - **Virtual Hospitals**: Utilizing telemedicine to provide remote healthcare services, reducing the need for physical infrastructure. - **Telemedicine**: Increasing adoption of telemedicine services to provide healthcare access in rural and underserved areas. - **Telehealth Expansion**: The growth of telehealth services is seen as a critical solution to improve access to healthcare in rural and underserved areas. - **Home Testing Kits**: The rise of at-home diagnostic tests is transforming healthcare access for individuals in healthcare deserts, providing affordable alternatives to traditional visits. - **Telemedicine Growth**: The adoption of telemedicine has accelerated, particularly in rural areas, improving access to specialty care. - **OnMed CareStation**: A hybrid care solution that integrates technology for immediate healthcare access, addressing the needs of communities lacking sufficient primary care. - **Portable Diagnostic Imaging**: The market is growing due to technological advancements, addressing the need for accessible medical care in rural areas. - **Health Kiosks**: Integration of AI and IoT in health kiosks to improve diagnostics and patient management, enhancing access in underserved areas. - **Digital Health Tools**: Innovative platforms like The Clinic by Cleveland Clinic leverage digital technology to provide remote access to specialists. - **Remote Patient Monitoring**: Technologies enabling proactive interventions for chronic conditions, reducing the need for in-person visits. - **AI in Healthcare**: AI technologies are being integrated into healthcare delivery to enhance operational efficiency and improve patient outcomes, particularly in rural settings. - **Automated Patient Messaging**: A new system linked to EHRs aimed at helping community health centers manage uncontrolled diabetes. - **Techquity**: The strategic design and deployment of technology aimed at advancing health equity, particularly through EHR systems. - **Remote Patient Monitoring (RPM)**: A transformative healthcare innovation enabling continuous patient health monitoring, though adoption is slow due to various challenges. - **Remote Patient Monitoring Services**: Projected growth in RPM services, focusing on chronic disease management and efficiency improvements. - **ECHO Model**: A model enhancing diabetes care in rural areas by empowering primary care providers through telementoring. - **Value-Based Care**: A payment model focusing on rewarding providers for high-quality care, supported by technology like data analytics and EHRs. ### Challenges and Concerns - **Healthcare Deserts**: Areas with limited access to healthcare services, exacerbated by low digital literacy and technological infrastructure. - **Economic Decline in Affected Communities**: Healthcare deserts contribute to economic decline and reduced quality of life for residents, particularly those with chronic conditions. - **Healthcare Worker Shortage**: A growing shortage of healthcare workers exacerbates the challenges faced by healthcare deserts, limiting access to essential services. - **Healthcare Disparities**: Significant disparities exist in healthcare access and outcomes, particularly in rural and underserved areas. - **Healthcare Access**: Significant barriers remain in accessing healthcare services, particularly in rural areas due to hospital closures and staffing shortages. - **Staffing Shortages**: The U.S. faces a severe staffing crisis, particularly in rural healthcare, impacting access to care. - **Health Disparities**: Significant racial disparities in healthcare access and treatment, highlighting the need for equitable solutions. - **Workforce Shortages**: The U.S. healthcare system faces challenges such as workforce shortages, particularly in specialized care like cardiology. - **Financial Sustainability**: Rural healthcare facilities face financial instability due to reliance on federal funding and potential reimbursement cuts. - **Integration Issues**: Challenges in integrating new technologies into existing healthcare systems, particularly for smaller providers. - **Technology Adoption**: Limited internet access in rural areas hinders the effective implementation of telehealth and other digital health innovations. - **DEA Restrictions on Telehealth**: Proposed restrictions on telehealth prescribing highlight the need for innovative solutions to maintain access to care in underserved regions. - **Regulatory Barriers**: Varying regulations across regions that can hinder the adoption of telemedicine and virtual healthcare solutions. - **Data Privacy and Integration**: Concerns regarding data privacy and the integration of social determinants of health into healthcare systems. - **Data Security and Privacy**: Concerns regarding data security and privacy in telehealth and health kiosks that may undermine user trust. - **Cybersecurity Threats**: Healthcare organizations face increasing cybersecurity risks, particularly from ransomware attacks. - **Algorithmic Bias**: Concerns about AI systems discriminating against marginalized populations, highlighting the need for ethical AI practices. ## Related Topics [[Healthcare Disparities]]; [[Healthcare Access Disparities]]