RME Collaborative Participates in Rural Matters Podcast Discussion on Importance of CME in Supporting Rural Clinicians
TRUMBULL, CT, April 15, 2019 — This week, Michelle Rathman welcomed Barbara Yawn, MD, a rural family medicine physician and educator, and Eric VanStone, Principal of RME Collaborative and Talem Health, to her podcast, Rural Matters.
During the 40-minute podcast episode on April 12, 2019, the trio discussed the challenges facing clinicians in rural and underserved areas of the United States today, including ways to deliver care to patients without immediate access to specialists. The conversation also centered around the key role continuing medical education plays in supporting these clinicians and reducing disparities in care.
Rathman, who works with rural health organizations and hospitals and is a speaker on topics such as rural health sustainability and workforce development, opened the conversation by noting that rural medicine presents “both a challenge and an opportunity.”
Rural communities face unique challenges to accessing care, including geographic isolation, limited broadband internet, difficulty accessing transportation, and a shortage of health professionals. These inequities result in numerous health disparities, such as poor health and higher mortality for chronic conditions compared with urban residents.
“Providers need to learn how to deliver care in a way they may not be used to,” Yawn points out. “That might include how to provide more with less, for example, through telehealth. One of the ways to engage busy rural primary care clinicians about what’s happening today in healthcare is to make sure the information provided is practical and useful for both them and their patients,” said Yawn.
Continuing medical education can play a key role in closing gaps in patient care and outcomes through the creation of CME/CE programs that are tailored and relevant to rural clinicians. For example, such initiatives can provide important clinical updates on commonly seen conditions, address rural-specific barriers, and share information about how to utilize practical tools and resources such as telehealth.
VanStone noted during the podcast that RME Collaborative, an education division of Talem Health, strives to meet these needs in all its educational initiatives. “From a rural perspective, we hone in on the specific needs and challenges of the learner. To help with retention, we focus on transferring value to these clinicians. We’re taking care of their specific needs and understanding how to deliver the education in order to best help improve their practice and, ultimately, patient outcomes,” he said.
RME Collaborative accomplishes these goals by forming partnerships with renowned educators such as Dr. Yawn, as well as other key partners. It also uses various educational formats, methods, and technologies that have been shown to improve access to education and training. Virtual learning formats provide clinicians with convenient, relevant, and interactive educational opportunities without having to travel.
For more information on RME Collaborative, please visit: https://talemhealth.com/rme-collaborative.
To listen to the full podcast episode, click here.
About Rural Medical Education Collaborative
Talem Health, LLC is a provider of medical education. Our mission is to engage and empower healthcare providers through high-quality, meaningful education.
Talem Health created Rural Medical Education (RME) Collaborative, an education division dedicated to developing and delivering high-quality, relevant continuing education for providers serving rural and underserved areas. Through strategic partnerships and planning, RME Collaborative devises educational programs that are tailored to the specific challenges of care in rural areas.
About Rural Matters Podcast
Rural Matters is a biweekly, 30-minute podcast hosted by rural advocate and speaker Michelle Rathman about rural education, business, and health. The podcast’s mission is to increase awareness, inform discussion, and expand the dialogue on the most important issues facing rural stakeholders every day. Guests on the podcast include rural education decision-makers, rural business owners and entrepreneurs, and rural health care representatives.