How mobile apps could transform rural healthcare

When it comes to rural health care, broadband is a matter of life or death. Rural residents seek services from primary-care doctors and emergency rooms, which works if the patient doesn't have a chronic or life-threatening condition. But when they do, rural patients don't always have access to the most comprehensive care. Medical specialists practice in cities, leaving rural doctors to weigh the choice between sending a patient away for treatment—costing both the patient and practice—or keeping them in house, where they risk patient outcomes but keep the paycheck.