Telehealth

New York State Issues Telepractice Guidance for Healthcare Providers

The New York State Education Department’s Office of the Professions (OP) has released guidance for healthcare providers on the use of telepractice. The guidance is intended to help providers understand their legal and ethical responsibilities when using telepractice to deliver healthcare services. Telepractice, which involves the use of technology to deliver healthcare services remotely, has become increasingly popular in recent years, especially in rural areas where access to healthcare services can be limited. However, the use of telepractice raises unique legal and ethical issues that healthcare providers must consider. The OP’s guidance provides a comprehensive overview of the legal and ethical considerations for telepractice in New York State. It covers topics such as lice...

Should States Fund Municipal Broadband and Cooperatives?

March 24, 2022 By Kevin Schwartzbach Despite the more than $1.6 trillion private internet service providers (ISPs) have invested in broadband infrastructure since 1996, the internet landscape in the US faces significant challenges. Over 30 percent of American households do not have broadband at home, while as many as 42 million do not have the option to purchase it in the first place, especially in rural areas. Millions more are unsatisfied with the internet they do have. Moreover, large ISPs face little or no competition in most US markets, resulting in internet service that is comparatively more expensive than most peer nations while also not being relatively fast. As private ISPs have struggled to tackle these issues, two related models have emerged as creative alternatives: municipal b...

The State of Rural Upstate New York

Cornell University Professor, John W. Sipple and PhD students Peter Fiduccia, Kate Foster, and Kristie LeBeau recently presented at the 2022 Rural Alliance Symposium. Their presentation focused on data for rural New York and covered the following topics: population change, education, housing, employment, internet access, and public health. View their slides here: The State of Rural New York-Cornell 

Some Digital Divides Persist Between Rural, Urban and Suburban America

  PEW RESEARCH TRUST AUGUST 19, 2021 BY EMILY A. VOGELS Rural Americans have made large gains in adopting digital technology over the past decade and have narrowed some digital gaps. However, rural adults remain less likely than suburban adults to have home broadband and less likely than urban adults to own a smartphone, tablet computer or traditional computer. Read more