To address rural healthcare access disparities, the Advanced Research Projects Agency for Health, an independent entity of the National Institutes of Health, seeks to create a scalable vehicle platform that can provide advanced medical services outside of a hospital setting.

WHY IT MATTERS

Rural populations are subject to higher rates of heart disease, cancer, trauma, lung disease and stroke than urban Americans, according to the draft Platform Accelerating Rural Access to Distributed & InteGrated Medical Care solicitation by ARPA-H.

The situation calls for a fundamental shift in how care is provided to rural Americans, Dr. Bon Ku ARPA-H PARADIGM program manager said in Tuesday's solicitation announcement.

To enhance early detection and management of high-rate diseases and improve access to care, PARADIGM has envisioned mobile-care delivery platforms taking the form of rugged electric vehicles with all the bells and whistles of the health systems that would deploy them on a large scale.

On board would be many different medical devices to treat a large variety of health conditions, and they'll need to be lighter, faster and connected.

"Achieving this goal will involve multiple parallel work streams," ARPA-H said in the draft solicitation.

With PARADIGM, ARPA-H intends to pioneer new developments in point-of-care diagnostics, ensure seamless data exchange between medical devices and electronic health records, and offer real-time guidance for medical tasks.

These include the development of a miniaturized self-shielded CT scanner that achieves >80% reduction in size, weight and power from standard scanners, along with software that connects remote medical devices with electronic health records and provides real-time, interactive decision support.

With a rugged mobile health center that can deliver "advanced and customized care delivery," rural healthcare workers would be enabled to "perform functions beyond their usual training," ARPA-H said. 

Once they are created, the intent is for health systems to test them across the country to evaluate clinical efficacy and financial sustainability. 

"Telehealth revolutionized access to primary care and mental health services," Ku noted. "PARADIGM will do the same for advanced hospital-level care."

ARPA-H plans to host a day for teams applying in Phoenix, Arizona during the week of February 12. PARADIGM abstracts are due February 27 and full proposals in April.

THE LARGER TREND

Virtual care and remote patient monitoring are two connected health technologies that have helped scale health delivery outside the walls of a hospital and improve access to care in rural communities.

For example, telehealth has helped many rural patients access specialists while they remain within their local community. Likewise, RPM has helped to solve many rural patient and provider problems, such as care-plan compliance, medication adherence and monitoring vitals.

However, "While there is a need for [RPM] in rural settings due to inadequate resources and limited access to medical facilities, actual utilization is low," said Kimberly O’Loughlin, CEO of Health Recovery Solutions, a remote patient monitoring company.

She told Healthcare IT News in June that staffing shortages, budget cuts and low patient volumes have forced some rural hospitals to close their doors or cut services.

Also, some patients who may not see their providers face to face very may not understand their condition and treatment regimen.

"RPM programs aren’t one-size-fits-all, and should evolve and expand for maximum benefit and impact," she said.

ON THE RECORD

"Imagine being able to offer advanced imaging tests, multi-cancer screenings, perinatal care and essential medical services in a mobile medical platform that meets patients where they are at," ARPA-H Director Renee Wegrzyn said in a statement.

"This would allow so many Americans who can’t get to a hospital to be treated for many different illnesses and conditions. The program’s impact has the potential to resonate far beyond the boundaries of a map, reaching into the lives and well-being of countless individuals across the nation," she added.

Andrea Fox is senior editor of Healthcare IT News.
Email: afox@himss.org
Healthcare IT News is a HIMSS Media publication.