Author: Samantha D'Orio

Rural hospitals are vital to both community health and local economies, supporting 1 in 12 rural jobs and nearly $220 billion in economic activity nationwide. Yet many face growing financial pressures, workforce shortages, and aging infrastructure that put access to care and community stability at risk.

The Medical University of South Carolina (MUSC) is demonstrating how telehealth partnerships can help stabilize rural hospitals today while building a more sustainable model for the future. In South Carolina, where more than a quarter of residents live in rural areas and nearly 30% of rural hospitals are at risk of closure, MUSC has spent nearly two decades partnering with over 40 hospitals to implement telehealth services such as telestroke, tele-ICU, virtual nursing, and behavioral health. These partnerships have increased admissions, reduced transfers and readmissions, and improved care quality for rural patients.

The Rural Hospital Telehealth Playbook draws on this experience to help rural hospital leaders use telehealth strategically. It introduces a practical maturity model with early, operational, and transformational stages across key implementation domains, offering actionable tactics and real-world examples, including a case study of MUSC Health Black River Medical Center, a “rural hospital of the future.”

Together, the Playbook serves as a practical resource for rural hospital leaders seeking to strengthen sustainability, expand access to care, and continue serving their communities.

Access to evidence-based trauma treatment via Telehealth begins with early screening and detection. Over three days, Dr. Rosaura Orengo-Aguayo and Dr. Regan W. Stewart, co-directors of the MUSC Telehealth Outreach Program (TOP) and Puerto Rican Center for Trauma Training & Research, trained over 600 Puerto Rican Department of Education psychologists in evidence-based trauma and post-traumatic stress screening and assessment, and provided information about a COE/HRSA-funded randomized controlled trial evaluating the effectiveness of Trauma-Focused Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (TF-CBT) delivered via Telehealth and in person across the island of Puerto Rico. Together, this team is changing the world, one child at a time!

This report was developed by Manatt Health and the National Telehealth Center of Excellence at Medical University of South Carolina (MUSC) as a part of a collaboration to understand and describe opportunities for telehealth to address the emerging health care workforce crisis. Manatt and MUSC conducted background research, interviewed 20 telehealth and workforce leaders, and then convened these experts for an in-person expert roundtable in Washington, D.C., in February 2025. Participants represented a diverse array of health systems, provider associations, health technology companies, and workforce researchers. The findings and opportunities outlined in this report represent a combination of research and the input provided by participants. The views expressed here are solely those of Manatt Health and MUSC. Read the full report to learn more: Opportunities to Alleviate the Health Care Workforce Crisis With Telehealth and Emerging Technologies!

In addition to this report, we will be hosting a joint webinar on September 10, 2025 at 2:30-3:30 ET! Don't miss out on the opportunity to learn more and ask any questions you may have. Sign up today!