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Editorial
September 9, 2019

New Opportunities With School-Based Telehealth: Convenient Connections to Care

Author Affiliations
  • 1Department of Pediatrics, University of Rochester School of Medicine and Dentistry, Rochester, New York
JAMA Pediatr. 2019;173(11):1017-1018. doi:10.1001/jamapediatrics.2019.3083

Families living in medically underserved rural areas across the United States encounter many obstacles to accessing high-quality outpatient pediatric care, including limited transportation1 and clinician shortages.2 Children insured by Medicaid may face particular challenges finding a primary care physician or scheduling an appointment.3 Poor access to care can result in preventable pediatric visits to an emergency department (ED) for low-acuity illnesses and ambulatory care–sensitive conditions, such as asthma. Telehealth technology provides an opportunity to enhance access to care by connecting health care and community settings. Specifically, school-based telemedicine can facilitate the delivery of necessary, nonurgent care for children without requiring caregivers to miss work or arrange nonemergency medical transportation.

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