Rural Pennsylvania is bigger than the states of New Jersey, Massachusetts, New Hampshire and Vermont combined. Some 75%, or 33,394 square miles, of Pennsylvania are considered rural. The geography is diverse, from rugged mountainous terrain to large stretches of farmland.
High-profile health system Geisinger and its affiliated entities serve 45 predominantly rural counties throughout central and northeastern Pennsylvania, 31 of which are a part of Appalachia, a unique region of the Appalachian Mountains that cuts through the western part of the state, Healthcare IT News reports.
Geisinger now is able to offer telehealth appointments to patients for primary care, urgent care and more than 70 specialties. More than 8% of total outpatient visits now are conducted virtually, and more than 2,000 providers and more than 500 nurses have been trained to use telemedicine. Read more.
