Determinants of Telemedicine Utilization in Rural America

Abstract

Health organizations in rural America are often unable to fulfill local demands due to shortages of physicians and medical facilities. Telemedicine has emerged as a promising technology to compensate these inadequacies by means of virtual care. Yet, acceptance towards telemedicine varies, as administrators are unsure the costs and benefits of this new technology for their respective organizations. Previous research has analyzed empirical data to account for variations in telemedicine utilization but often without interpreting the findings with a conceptual lens. This paper analyzes a set of preliminary data with the dynamic theory framework borrowed from management scholars. The analysis will help health administrators make better sense of variations in telemedicine utilization and better utilize this technology to address the problem of unequal access in the rural health sector.