Copyright Live 5 News WCSC
CHARLESTON, S.C. (WCSC) - Health care leaders will discuss telehealth’s role in rural communities at the 13th Annual Telehealth Summit Tuesday at the Francis Marion Hotel. Gov. Henry McMaster and local providers plan to share strategies for educating patients on telehealth technology. Major Lowcountry health care providers, including MUSC, are sponsoring the event. Organizers want to address the lack of internet access and digital literacy needed for telehealth visits. Leaders are pushing for broadband expansion in rural areas and offering digital literacy training to teach patients how to make appointments and set up equipment. Palmetto Care Connections CEO Kathy Schwarting, who founded the event, said patients can get quicker treatment through telehealth. “We just had a mom recently go on Facebook and basically say in the little community of Bamberg, telehealth is great,” Schwarting said. “They called me today, my child was sick. They said, ‘Oh, we have telehealth.’ They were able to take care of my child.” Providers are also focusing on integrating telehealth appointments into daily schedules, especially for follow-up visits.
