 - Even though the Affordable Care Act served to alleviate some of the medical care costs for those who are uninsured or underinsured, others still cannot get the access they need because of where they live or work. 


Accessibility in Healthcare

- Quality has always been an issue in healthcare; from people falsifying their credentials and expertise to exercising authority they didn't have, quality among practitioners has hardly seen an increase. 

 - Quality health care is mainly found in urban areas because the education system also favors specialization; that, coupled with widespread technology in urban areas leads to an uneven distribution in quality healthcare in non-urban areas.
 

Inequity in Healthcare

 - Inequity in Healthcare 
 - Costs of Healthcare 
 - Accessibility of Healthcare

University of Michigan - Ann Arbor

Telemedicine and Telehealth serve to:

 - make medicine and healthcare more accessible for all 
 - reduces inequity in the obtainment of medicine 
 - reduces costs related to healthcare services, vital for a time in which healthcare costs are soaring 
 - allows for a redistribution of quality (in terms of healthcare services)

Goals of Telemedicine / Telehealth 

Bashshur, R. L., Shannon, G. W., Smith, B. R., Alverson, D. C., Antoniotti, N., Barsan, W. G., Bashshur, N., Brown, E. M., Coye, M. J., Doarn, C. R., Ferguson, S., Grigsby, J., Krupinski, E. A., Kvedar, J. C., Linkous, J., Merrell, R. C., Nesbitt, T., Poropatich, R., Rheuban, K. S., … Yellowlees, P. (2014, September). The empirical foundations of telemedicine interventions for chronic disease management. Telemedicine journal and e-health : the official journal of the American Telemedicine Association. Retrieved October 7, 2021, from https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC4148063/. 

The Empirical Foundations of Telemedicine Interventions for Chronic Disease Management

Addressing Inequity, Costs, and Accessibility 

1. The makeup of our population is following a trend in which birthrates are decreasing whilst life expectancy is increasing; older people often experience chronic illness which accounts for a large part of the cost increases observed.


2. Advancement in technology such as diagnostic tools, medicine, and medical devices. Although they do contribute to positive health outcomes, they also account for rising costs.

3. Advances in public awareness and health sophistication increase demand for medical care.

4. Finally, inconsistencies in our systems: discontinuities in patient care, inefficiencies in financing and delivery of care, and increased observability of unhealthy lifestyles have all contributed to the issue.

Reasons for increased costs in healthcare

Telehealth's goals, increasing quality, and coverage of healthcare are especially pronounced when dealing with Chronic Diseases. Chronic Diseases are often very costly even though they are common and easily preventable (Approximately 70% of all U.S. deaths are a result of Chronic Diseases). Telehealth's involvement and engagement with patients – their symptoms and care – is what allows it to be considered as an effective way of responding to chronic diseases. 

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