Richard Freeman

Richard Freeman is Executive Vice President and Chief Physician Executive at Wellstar Health System. He is a physician executive and thoracic surgeon whose leadership work focuses on clinical quality, healthcare access, physician practice, and care delivery across the health system.

Telehealth Specialists Are Helping Rural Hospitals Reverse Default Transfers

Wellstar Health System and its rural partners argue that the rural care crisis cannot be solved by transferring more patients to urban hospitals or acquiring local facilities. They describe a Digital Care Network that gives rural emergency, inpatient, and ICU teams 24/7 specialist support by telemedicine, allowing many patients who would previously have been transferred to stay in their local hospital. Matt Lyon of Augusta University’s Medical College of Georgia said the mature model has reversed the expected pattern, with about 70% of comparable patients kept locally rather than sent out.

The Aspen InstituteJun 24, 202622 min read