Healthcare's Quadruple Aim establishes goals that give context to rural providers’ aspirational priorities. In today’s evolving healthcare ecosystem, many of these priorities depend on robust and reliable network connectivity. This presents a particular challenge for rural healthcare providers that have fewer options for high-quality connections. While they feel adequately prepared to support current initiatives such as telemedicine and patient satisfaction, they feel less prepared to address future initiatives such as population health and precision medicine, according to a study conducted by HIMSS Analytics. The increasing importance of connectivity in rural healthcare delivery means that broadband connectivity is playing a larger role as a social determinant of health.
