Jan 20, 2026
Digital Pathways to Health Care: Strengthening Access and Improving Care Delivery in Rural Areas
Rural America is home to 61 million people, or nearly 20% of the U.S. population. Despite their numbers, rural communities face persistent health care challenges, including limited access to care, inadequate infrastructure, and higher rates of chronic conditions. The strain has worsened through workforce shortages, as the share of family physicians in rural areas fell by 11% in the last five years.
At the same time, health care continues to evolve as patients demand convenience, providers seek efficiency, and health systems aim to cut costs. These pressures are fueling the rise of digital tools and virtual care, which can be especially beneficial in rural and underserved areas where access is limited.
Virtual platforms are helping to bridge long-standing gaps by overcoming geographic isolation, transportation challenges, and provider shortages. Through telemedicine, remote monitoring, and digital health solutions, patients gain timely, continuous care and access to specialists.
UPMC Enterprises’ Portfolio Is Supporting Scalable Solutions in Rural and Underserved Areas
UPMC Enterprises drives health care transformation by investing in scalable innovations in digital health, data analytics, and technology. These investments support solutions that are deployable across diverse settings, strengthening models of care beyond Pittsburgh, and in some cases, into rural areas. Examples of UPMC Enterprises’ portfolio companies committed to virtual care delivery in underserved areas include the following:
208 million U.S. citizens live in counties with no or below average ID physician coverage. In the face of ID physician shortages throughout the U.S., it is becoming increasingly difficult for hospitals to recruit and retain top talent to meet their ID patient needs.
Officially launched by UPMC Enterprises in 2019, Infectious Disease Connect (ID Connect) was developed to transform how patients, pharmacists, and providers access infectious disease expertise. Through its telemedicine-based clinical services, ID Connect bridges geographic and resource gaps, ensuring that rural communities gain access to academic-trained specialists and advanced methods for infectious disease management, serving more than 118 facilities in 26 states.
ID Connect is a medical practice of 40+ board-certified, academic physicians who manage the full spectrum of ID care from initial consult and daily rounding to discharge and outpatient management through a robust telehealth platform. Using audio-video visits, asynchronous management and monitoring, and a telephonic support system, ID Connect’s physicians can personalize care for each ID patient that is evaluated, just as if they were in person. Pediatric telemedicine programs further extend timely access to specialists, reducing costly transfers and delays. In one rural hospital, ID Connect’s services cut the average length of stay by 20%, highlighting measurable improvements in outcomes and efficiency.
By pairing technology with compassionate care, ID Connect provides a lifeline for rural hospitals and patients, reducing costs, improving adherence, and elevating outcomes. Recognized twice by Becker’s Health IT as a “Telehealth Company to Know,” ID Connect continues to set the standard for innovative infectious disease management nationwide.
Not only are patients in rural areas in need of accessible support, but advanced practice providers (APPs) and other health care staff also do not have the same resources readily available as urban health systems. To support the development and retention of advanced practice providers (APPs), UPMC Enterprises partnered with ThriveAP in 2024.
ThriveAP is an industry-leading online educational organization dedicated to advancing support and education for the APP workforce and their employers across the country. Through a one-year online course as well as supplementary workshops and webinars, ThriveAP allows advanced practitioners to more quickly transition new advanced practitioners into clinical practice. This fully online platform provides rigorous online coursework to new and advanced APPs to ensure confidence and expertise in their respective specialties.
Ben Reynolds, PA-C, chief advanced practice officer and physician assistant practicing trauma surgery at UPMC, is the clinical champion for ThriveAP, supporting its implementation across the UPMC system. APPs at UPMC can utilize ThriveAP’s resources to advance their careers and bridge the gap between their academic studies and real-world experiences.
“The ability for ThriveAP to support our rural workforce is the greatest benefit for UPMC. Our rural practices are providing expert care, but they don’t have access to the same kinds of resources as some of the bigger cities,” Reynolds said. “ThriveAP is succeeding at bringing state-of-the-art education to these rural areas.”
Health systems are adapting to new ways to attract, develop, and retain a well-educated and high quality workforce across a wide range of specialties. Research has shown that technology is the leading solution to overcome such hurdles in the past few years. Applications like ThriveAP are ensuring that providers and patents have access to the highest quality care.
“We’ve been applying the ThriveAP program for a while now, putting UPMC ahead of the curve for successful online professional training,” Reynolds said.
Percipio Health, a groundbreaking population health monitoring platform backed by UPMC Enterprises, officially launched in January 2025 following a $20 million Series A funding round. Its mission is closely aligned with UPMC’s commitment to making health care more efficient, accessible, and impactful, particularly in underserved rural regions where physician shortages are most severe.
In a recent article from Percipio titled “The Realities of Rural Care: A Rapidly Rising Risk,” the company noted that nearly two-thirds of Primary Care Health Professional Shortage Areas are in rural regions, where only 9% of physicians practice. For patients managing chronic conditions, or those at risk but undiagnosed, these shortages often mean delayed care, higher costs, and poorer outcomes.
Percipio is directly addressing these issues through its remote patient monitoring platform. Unlike traditional remote patient monitoring programs that rely on costly devices, Percipio’s AI‑powered solution works through a single smartphone app, collecting multiple health signals to provide a whole‑person view of health. Clinicians benefit from predictive insights, next‑best‑actions, and automated documentation that reduce administrative burden, while patients engage with a user‑friendly platform that supports adherence and earlier interventions.
Percipio leaders, alongside Oklahoma State University Center for Health Sciences leaders, recently discussed “4 Ways Device Free Monitoring Improves Rural Health Care,” noting how it aids shortages in the workforce, the ease of scaling across delivery systems, earlier detection of diseases and conditions, and usable data for clinicians and education for patients.
Percipio’s value-based care delivery can be best summarized by CEO and co-founder Eric Rock, as he emphasized in his recent MedCity News article that Percipio’s remote patient monitoring platform “enables proactive, preventive, and personalized care by eliminating barriers to access, especially for patients who live in underserved rural or low-income urban areas.” For a deeper look into Percipio’s 2026 vision, explore their new article “How Dual RPM + AI will Power Rural Health Transformation in 2026.”
Access to specialized menopause care has long been uneven, with women in rural regions, low-income communities, and those relying on public insurance often left without adequate support. Elektra Health was created to address this gap, offering a comprehensive model that blends clinical expertise, education, coaching, and community in a way that is accessible to women everywhere through telemedicine.
Acknowledging the need for improved menopause resource delivery, UPMC Enterprises partnered with the UPMC Midlife Health Center (MLHC) to better understand patient and provider needs, uncovering challenges such as provider bandwidth, misinformation, and, through a patient survey, a strong interest in technology-based support in the menopause space. After a rigorous due diligence process, the MLHC began a partnership with Elektra Health to help bring the solution to patients across UPMC’s service area. In February 2024, UPMC Enterprises led a $3.3M funding round to help scale Elektra’s model.
With Elektra, patients can receive evidence-based education, clinical care, and support from health coaches and platform members. The model combines immediate clinical care with long-term guidance, offering evidence-based resources, virtual events, individualized wellness plans, and unlimited messaging for continuous accountability.
Elektra’s commitment to access is clear in its health plan partnerships and focus on patients across all lines of business. In 2024, it became the first virtual menopause care provider to accept Medicare and Medicaid, expanding options for millions of women, especially in underserved communities limited by cost, geography, and provider shortages.
The company’s collaboration with Oscar Health further underscores its mission. Together, they launched HelloMeno, an ACA Marketplace women’s health plan offering no-cost visits, tests, prescriptions, menopause-trained doctors, plus 24/7 support and a private community. While not yet nationwide, HelloMeno is already available in several states including North Carolina, Texas, Tennessee, Oklahoma, Nebraska, Ohio, Arizona, Florida, Missouri, Georgia, and Iowa, which are regions where access to menopause specialists has often been scarce.
By uniting clinical care, education, coaching, and community, Elektra offers a first-of-its-kind ecosystem that provides women, especially in underserved areas, not just access to care, but dignity, empowerment, and the tools to thrive.
eVisit is revolutionizing rural health care by redesigning delivery models to overcome distance, workforce shortages, and limited resources. Powered by intelligent automation and real-time insights, it expands access, reduces wait times, lowers costs, and elevates both patient and provider experiences. By integrating in-person and digital pathways, eVisit enables rural and government health systems to scale virtual care, coordinate services, and deliver timely, high-quality care to communities, as well as veterans and military families.
Recognizing the widespread reach of eVisit, UPMC Enterprises partnered with eVisit in 2024 through the acquisition of its inpatient teleconsult platform, dramatically expanding eVisit’s inpatient telehealth capabilities. This collaboration created a comprehensive, end-to-end virtual care solution that brings expert care to underserved communities nationwide and strengthens eVisit’s leadership across ambulatory, inpatient, and rural settings.
As outlined in eVisit’s recent whitepaper “Transforming Rural Health Access: A Shared National Purpose,” eVisit delivers a unified platform that connects access, workforce, technology, innovation, and measurement into one coordinated system of care. Data, scheduling, and documentation flow seamlessly, enabling CMS and state partners to track performance and improve outcomes.
Recognized for two consecutive years as a Best in KLAS Virtual Care Platform (Non-EHR), eVisit continues to modernize care delivery, ensuring even the most remote communities receive timely, connected, and high-quality health care.
Next Steps
- Download the Center for Connected Medicine at UPMC’s report, “At the Tipping Point: Remote Patient Monitoring’s Potential to Revolutionize Health Care Delivery.”
UPMC has a financial interest in Elektra Health, eVisit, Infectious Disease Connect, Percipio Health, and ThriveAP.
