[Congressional Record Volume 166, Number 4 (Wednesday, January 8, 2020)]
[House]
[Page H18]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                       IMPORTANCE OF RURAL HEALTH

  The SPEAKER pro tempore. The Chair recognizes the gentleman from 
Pennsylvania (Mr. Thompson) for 5 minutes.
  Mr. THOMPSON of Pennsylvania. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to discuss 
the importance of rural health and what it means to the nearly 60 
million Americans who call rural America home.
  No matter where you live, access to quality healthcare should not be 
considered a luxury. Recently, a local hospital in my district was 
recognized as a healthcare leader in rural America. The University of 
Pittsburgh Medical Center, Northwest campus in Venango County was one 
of 18 rural hospitals in the Nation to receive an award for excellence 
and patient safety and quality in 2019.
  The accolade is given annually by The Leapfrog Group serving more 
than 2,100 hospitals to find the Nation's best in healthcare safety and 
quality.
  Hospitals like UPMC Northwest are just one piece of the puzzle when 
it comes to building a network of reliable care in rural America.
  In many cases, rural residents can still live very far away from the 
closest hospital, which makes getting quality care even more difficult.
  Telehealth can help reduce barriers to health services for all 
residents, particularly the elderly, and those with limited mobility. 
The Northwest campus of UPMC has been a leader in telehealth and 
telemedicine.
  Telehealth options are becoming increasingly available in not only 
rural communities, but across the country. Ninety percent of healthcare 
executives say their organizations are developing or already offer 
telehealth services, and in 2018, approximately 7 million individuals 
took advantage of a telehealth consultation.

                              {time}  1030

  Telehealth services are a great tool for those who may live far away 
from a hospital, but it also takes much of the hassle out of scheduling 
an appointment and makes routine care much more efficient.
  Mr. Speaker, I have been proud to assist in leading the advancement 
of telehealth and telemedicine legislatively in this body, including 
the STEP Act, which greatly expanded access to telemedicine to our 
Active Duty military, Reserve, and Guard. That was signed by President 
Obama in the VETS Act, which did the same thing for our American 
veterans under the VA MISSION Act signed by President Trump.
  As we continue to explore ways to increase access, affordability, 
quality, and basic choice, telehealth or telemedicine must be a part of 
that conversation.

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