Over the past few years, life in the United States underwent a dramatic digitalization in almost every industry beyond anything seen since the birth of the internet. In health care, the rise of telehealth and consumer apps marks an industry-wide shift toward “anytime, anywhere” care models that aim to divert patients from overburdened clinics and hospitals, cut service delivery costs and engage hard-to-reach patients. But lack of critical broadband access among marginalized and underserved communities is leaving those families and individuals on the wrong side of a growing digital divide and threatening the successful transformation of 21st century health care.
Now, two legislative and regulatory watershed moments are creating the conditions to change this dynamic. First, the allocation of $65 billion of funding from the Biden administration’s Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act is available to states to improve broadband access in underserved and unserved communities, administered through the BEAD (Broadband Equity and Deployment) program. And second, a federal mandate from the NTIA (National Telecommunications and Information Administration) now outlines required statutory outcomes for state-level digital equity plans, including health care.
That arrival of federal funding, mandated requirements for action and monetary deployment programs now signals an unprecedented opportunity for health care providers to drive real progress in access to telehealth which can create better patient outcomes and cost savings. Providers, of course, cannot do this alone – and a true ecosystem of public and private partners aligned around a singular mission will be critical for change. Let’s take a closer look at what that means.
Understanding the current health care inequities landscape
Despite improvements over the past decade, 6.5%¹ of the US population still lacks broadband access. That’s especially significant given the world we live in. While the shift to internet-based services has been underway for a number of years, the pandemic accelerated both technological change and consumer acceptance in all walks of life from grocery deliveries to health care services. But it also exacerbated racial and socioeconomic disparities, highlighting the difficulties vulnerable communities and individuals face when attempting to receive medical care. For some patients in underserved communities, a doctor’s office visit, for instance, requires missing work and traveling to a clinic which can place greater financial strain on already burdened individuals and families.
As the health care sector and providers now look to care models that engage patients beyond the clinic – home testing and diagnostic wearables, e-reminders and online visits – key infrastructure needs must be met. The installation of broadband is an essential first step in increasing data speeds from 25 Mbps to the proposed federal minimum of 100 Mbps² – a mandated requirement of the Biden administration’s Bipartisan Infrastructure Law. But so, too, is assistance for families to pay internet service bills to access broadband, the necessary hardware for residents to use and digital literacy and skills training for those who need it. All of this requires the alliance of ecosystem partners.
