A survey study exploring the potential of telehealth in critical access hospitals

Critical Access Hospitals (CAHs) were established as a category of limited service hospitals eligible for Medicare reimbursement based on a reasonable cost basis rather than a prospective payment system. This program aims,among other things, to enable rural facilities to address deferred capital improvements including information technology needs. The aim of this study is to identify the current use as well as readiness for the use of telehealthapplications in CAHs. A survey including 17 items was mailed to the administrators of all CAHs in one US state(Missouri). Twenty seven out of 33 surveys were returned. Information technology priorities included Electronic Medical Records (for 63% of respondents) and telehealth and bar code systems (for 23% of the respondents). Most respondents (66.7%) stated that their employees have been somewhat comfortable in using new technology. In a ChiSquare analysis CAH size (in number of employees) had no significant relationships (p<0.05) with the current telehealth resources in use, forecasted IT spending, or the perceived benefits of telehealth. Findings indicate that telehealth applications are currently underutilized in CAHs while it is recognized that telehealth can play an essential role in the sustainability of these organizations and quality improvement of their services.