Crisis in Rural Healthcare: Solutions To Meet the Need for Rural Physicians

Abstract

Rural healthcare has reached a precipitous point in rural America. Despite significant growth in the number of medical students enrolled in medical schools, fewer students are choosing to practice in rural primary care settings. Low reimbursement, closure of rural hospitals and clinics as well as physician burnout have exacerbated the stress on the healthcare delivery system in underserved areas. Yet diseases such as diabetes, heart disease, stroke, and cancer are more prevalent per capita in rural communities than in urban areas. COVID-19 mortality also remains substantially higher in rural areas compared with urban ones. While rural medicine has been ignored in recent times, the healthcare supply has reached critically low levels, and changes to the system need to be prioritized. Solutions to help alleviate the rural physician shortage include opening new medical schools in rural communities, increasing exposure of medical students to underserved areas during their clinical years, and engaging in specific recruitment strategies for applicants from rural regions.