An absolute requirement during the COVID-19 pandemic, telemedicine has been a game-changer for patients across the state of Rhode Island. Essential to this new method of care is wireless networks such as 5G that serve as the backbone of the service, enabling doctors, nurses, and patients to communicate and treat medical conditions remotely over phones and computers. Coming out of the pandemic, this technology continues to be a major success story, handling the increased demand for bandwidth without hiccups and allowing telehealth services to become a mainstream option for care.
Through the COVID-19 crisis, our Care Transformation Collaborative – consisting of primary care teams and industry experts statewide – worked to quickly pilot and scale ways to utilize this technology to better support care. Telehealth became a lifeline to families and quickly proved how our industry can embrace advancements to support care needs.
Last spring, we wrapped up our pilot program that engaged 21 practices as they expanded the use of technology to help patients better manage chronic conditions, and as a result, boosted patient access to care, supported better patient experiences and reduced emergency department visits and hospitalizations. This initiative affected over 2,700 Rhode Islanders.
As we think through the future realities of our primary care industry, telehealth will continue to play a vital role. From pediatric primary care to mental and behavioral health, this technology is being adopted across the health care industry.
Unfortunately, the primary care industry of tomorrow is at a standstill. A much-needed (and often forgotten) reality that makes technological advancements such as telehealth possible is the use of the wireless spectrum of radio frequencies. It’s what connects us to cellular networks and the wireless internet. With high-powered, licensed spectrum, cellular carrier networks provide internet connectivity to our practices and neighborhoods. This enables us to browse websites, use mobile apps that support telehealth, and access online services wherever we have cellphone coverage. But now, the availability of additional frequencies is limited.The Federal Communications Commission, which is charged with authority of the spectrum for our use, must be empowered by Congress to make more of this resource available through regulatory proceedings. Unfortunately, this authority has lapsed for the first time ever, and no new spectrum is being allocated for next-generation technology. Our congressional leaders have the power to reauthorize this authority and establish a pipeline of future spectrum proceedings. Taking these important steps will enable future technological advancements in telehealth and our primary care industry. It’s important we work to close the digital divide and ensure Rhode Islanders across our state can utilize the benefits of wireless internet access, including telemedicine.
New spectrum availability increases our digital infrastructure capacity and opens the door to enabling next-generation technology to expand and improve local residents’ internet accessibility and the opportunity to utilize telehealth applications in a whole new way.
As we work hard to address the needs of the primary care industry today, we must consider the needs of tomorrow. From real-time patient monitoring and support to telehealth consultations that help families overcome barriers to care such as transportation or childcare, access to reliable internet must be expanded to ensure everyone can utilize life-changing innovations in primary care.
Debra Hurwitz is the executive director of the Care Transformation Collaborative of Rhode Island.
