The State of Florida Department of Health Office of Rural Health (FDOH ORH) commissioned CommHIT to provide practical technical assistance to support and enhance Florida’s rural healthcare delivery system and healthcare workforce—particularly now that COVID has adjusted the healthcare delivery landscape to one that must be even more reliant on telehealth.
In 2024, CommHIT successfully completed its role in assessing and expanding telehealth and cybersecurity in rural communities for the FDOH ORH.
CommHIT advised the ORH on the barriers to telemedicine and telehealth for rural providers (and residents) and assist critical access hospitals (CAHs) in the establishment of telehealth and telemedicine practices that would make Florida more resilient to pandemics and disasters.
During the pandemic, Florida’s CAHs and small rural providers had to quickly adapt to a new way of delivering services to their patients through telehealth. While the CARES Act provided some funding to small rural hospitals for telehealth expenses, most small rural hospitals need more support regarding technical expertise and knowledge to effectively implement sustainable telehealth platforms and stay abreast of the state and federal policies and reimbursement rates among Medicare, Medicaid, and private insurers. CAHs also need staff that can help them leverage various government and private grant funding opportunities to expand telehealth.
CommHIT serves as the ORH SME on rural telehealth and cybersecurity, assessed the cybersecurity program maturity and workforce needs for Florida CAHs, and provided direct technical assistance to Florida CAHs as they navigate telehealth and cybersecurity program maturity.
CommHIT, like the ORH, is committed to improving the rural health infrastructure and the care continuum.