Leveraging Quality Measurement to Improve Rural Health, Telehealth, and Healthcare System Readiness - Final Environmental Scan Report 

Telehealth is defined as the provision of healthcare services and health education via information and telecommunication technologies. Despite barriers such as limited availability of broadband, telehealth has the potential to improve access to care in rural communities by overcoming geographic restrictions and allowing a greater variety of clinicians to deliver care to patients in remote areas. Based on this opportunity, the National Quality Forum (NQF) convened a multistakeholder Rural Telehealth and Healthcare System Readiness Committee to create a framework guiding quality measurement for care delivered via telehealth in rural areas during disasters. This Environmental Scan provides an overview of literature related to barriers and facilitators of rural telehealth for healthcare system readiness, as well as a summary of policies and practices related to telehealth and a scan of quality measures relevant to rural telehealth during emergencies. The content from this scan will inform the Committee's discussion and development of the measurement framework.