Barrier

Impact

Technology Solution

Transportation and mobility

Telemedicine and mHealth technology bring healthcare right into the home. They create mechanisms for communicating with doctors on a meaningful level, allowing the doctor to get real data on the patient’s condition from images of or sensors placed on the body. They are especially useful in connecting patients to faraway specialists.

Business hours

Medicaid populations have lower education levels and tend to work in hourly jobs that do not let them take off without clocking out. Yet, most clinics and doctors’ offices are open during business hours, which means seeing a doctor in an ambulatory setting likely costs Medicaid beneficiaries income they may not be able to lose.

Technology can allow for asynchronous communication. As with E-mail, a patient can send information—both healthcare data as well as written questions—to a healthcare professional after hours, and the professional can respond during business hours.

Diseases caused by poverty

The conditions in which the poor must live cause physical ailments, such as asthma and obesity. So if we choose to focus on those particular ailments in order to increase access, we are improving the access of the poor.

mHealth is tailor-made for chronic disease management because it’s always on. People nearly always have their cell phones with them, so they can transmitting data and receive instructions any time. The development of sophisticated new sensors will only increase the utility of these technologies.

Diseases that cause poverty

On the other side of the coin, certain diseases, such as mental illness and substance abuse, disproportionately lead to poverty. So if we focus on those diseases, we are likewise helping those in poverty get access to care.

mHealth technologies can be particularly useful in treating mental illness and substance abuse because they accompany the patient at all times, which is useful both for reporting symptoms as well as for getting therapeutic guidance.

 Language

 Many of those living in poverty are recent immigrants for whom English is not their primary language. Not speaking English can be a substantial barrier to getting quality healthcare in the United States

 Translation technology can be a bridge that allows for communication substantively, with regard to symptoms and medical history, as well as procedurally, in setting up appointments and otherwise navigating the healthcare system.

Costs that insurance does not cover

Insurance is never going to cover all care. Wherever we can drive down the cost of uninsured care, we will help the poor gain access. 

Telemedicine and mHealth can help drive down the cost of care delivery, especially for preventative care. Healthcare providers are experimenting with using text messaging and other such vehicles to provide basic prenatal care and reminders. Further, companies are developing ways to use mobile apps to assess vision, potentially driving down the cost of getting prescription glasses. Telemedicine and mHealth are perhaps most useful in driving down the cost of managing long-term chronic disease or disability. 

Population

Level of Access

The poor generally

The young poor

Homeless

Rural poor

Hispanics