The rural physician shortage is having a catastrophic impact on the health of communities across the U.S. This Rural Health Day, we’re sharing some strategies that can help rebuild healthcare in rural areas.

65% of rural communities suffer from a shortage of primary care doctors, and rural communities have one-tenth of the amount of providers that metropolitan areas have. That lack of care has a significant impact: in 2022, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention reported that people living in rural areas are more likely to die at an earlier age from preventable causes, like heart disease, than people in cities.

Here are four strategies to revitalize rural healthcare:

1. Take Action Against Declining Reimbursement Rates

At a time when medical school debt is ballooning, shrinking reimbursement rates are having a severe impact on physicians–especially those in independent practices. 

While hospitals and other providers’ Medicare rates adjust according to inflation, physician payments are the only ones whose rates are not tied to annual inflation changes. That means that, when accounting for inflation, Medicare reimbursements have effectively declined nearly 30% in the last two decades.

It’s not just Medicare. Commercial insurance companies also tie their reimbursement rates to Medicare, which means doctors make less money than they did a few years ago, while spending more on their practices and student debt. 

Rising costs and decreasing reimbursement rates put practices in the position of making decisions on what hours they can afford to stay open, and how many staff they can afford to pay. Reforming the Medicare payment system to tie Medicare physician payments to inflation–and thus increase commercial reimbursement rates as well–is one powerful way to combat the deficit of rural physicians.

2. Build Tomorrow’s Rural Workforce Through Residency Programs

To combat the rural physician shortage, it’s not enough to support existing physicians. We also must invest in training and developing physicians in rural communities.

The Department of Health and Human Services recently invested $11 million in developing and expanding medical residencies in rural communities, with a particular focus on family medicine and obstetrics training. This is a crucial investment, because nearly 70% of areas most impacted by the physician shortage are rural, and over half of rural U.S. counties are without hospital obstetric services.

Expanding residency programs in rural communities that need doctors is a crucial strategy to build sustainable healthcare access. This approach not only trains new physicians, but also increases the likelihood they’ll stay and practice in these communities long-term––thus expanding healthcare access in some of America’s most underserved communities.

3. Expand Healthcare in Rural Areas through Telehealth

One major challenge of providing healthcare in rural areas is the comparatively small number of physicians that are expected to cover a much larger geographic area. That’s especially true of specialists, which are much harder to find in rural areas. This shortage of rural physicians makes it difficult for patients to access care close to home, especially for more complex conditions.

Expanding telehealth services can help. Telehealth allows providers to offer quality care–including specialist care–without patients traveling a burdensome number of miles to access it.

That’s especially important for primary care providers in rural areas. Telehealth ensures that these providers are able to support their patients in addressing a much broader range of diagnoses, by collaborating with specialists through virtual consultations. 

It can also make a huge difference to rural healthcare facilities, by enabling them to rely on telehealth to provide specialty services, instead of depending on their ability to find specialty providers on-site. Telehealth empowers rural healthcare facilities to more effectively care for their patients, knowing that they’re equipped to deal with whatever comes in the door–whether on-site or virtually.

4. Bridge the Rural Healthcare Gap through Locums

While some of the strategies above require systemic change, there is one solution that hospitals can rely on right now to expand healthcare in rural areas: locum tenens.

In a rural hospital, an unexpected physician departure can be the difference between keeping service lines open to provide patient care or closing a department–or even an entire hospital. As every hospital recruiter knows, these positions can take a long time to fill. Locums can help prevent these gaps in staffing from becoming gaps in care. 

Locum tenens provides a reliable source of skilled, dedicated physicians who can provide quality care for patients until you find a permanent provider. These providers can help facilities address backlogs for specialist services and offer support to current staff who may otherwise be at risk of burning out–and, most importantly, provide care for patients who need it.

“Before locums, I had only practiced in a busy big metropolitan area. I had never practiced it in a more rural area,” said Hayes Locums urologist Dr. Fenwa Milhouse. “Locums is a great way to feel like you’re doing work that matters. Because these are places that really need you. Patients are so grateful to be taken care of, because they’ve been on the waitlist for months and months.”

At Hayes Locums, one thing we’re proudest of is the opportunity to partner with rural healthcare facilities to make sure that every patient can access quality care. If you’re ready to tackle your staffing gaps, we’re ready to help!