In a 21st century world of convenience, we’ve already got the ability to visit with doctors from the comfort of our own homes through telemedicine and virtual visits. But there’s another post-pandemic trend on the verge of emergence in the way that we visit the doctor. Mobile clinics are on the rise.
They’ve already been around for a few decades, but thanks to recently passed legislation—mobile healthcare clinics are about to get an overhaul and become a lot more commonplace, picking up 40% growth since 2019.
Find out what the new law is and how it is slated to impact your healthcare in a great big way!
The MOBILE Health Care Act is a new law (passed in 2022) that makes it easier for Medicaid healthcare providers to use federal funding to purchase and operate mobile clinics. The law was created in order to cut some red tape that previously required a brick-and-mortar facility in the region before federal funding could be used for mobile units. By eliminating the physical location requirement, it’s anticipated to expand healthcare access to harder-to-reach areas like rural communities.
Everyone can benefit from the new law. However, it’s especially exciting for rural communities that have limited options for healthcare. Other groups that will likely experience better access to healthcare include:
It’s important to note that low-income families who depend on Medicaid to pay for medical expenses are often limited by choice. Combining the monetary limitations of only having a small selection of doctors who accept Medicaid with the physical boundaries of rural areas can drastically reduce access to healthcare in these regions. Mobile clinics offer an opportunity to reach more Medicaid patients where they live and work.
My Virtual Physician is excited about the future of healthcare and how the new MOBILE Health Care Act can increase access to patients even further than telemedicine alone. We see a future where these mobile healthcare vans provide easy and convenient access to specialists to all patients—regardless of location, income level, or other circumstances. We understand there are inherent hurdles to overcome with patient access to telemedicine, and we embrace the future of merging telemedicine with mobile healthcare when and where it’s appropriate.
By combining telemedicine services with mobile clinics, patients will be granted access to hundreds of doctors rather than just the ones who are physically aboard the van. Today, technology and new legislation is letting doctors shift to meeting patients more effectively where they’re at rather than the other way around.
The MOBILE Health Care Act takes the future of healthcare a step in the right direction.
