AUSTIN, Texas —
As the City of Austin continues to grow, the need for health care providers is also increasing.
According to the Rural Health Information Hub (RHIhub), many counties in Central Texas have a shortage of professionals. Those areas are known as "primary care deserts," which is when there aren't enough primary care physicians to provide the health care services for most of the local population. This results in longer wait times, delayed care or rushed appointments.
As a way to bridge this gap, Teladoc is a virtual option that allows people to see a primary care doctor on their own terms, no matter where they live. It provides more flexibility for those who may be in an area with a shortage.
"Of course, one trying to get more providers out there physically, yes. But the other arm, the goal is to actually make use of services like this, especially in places to where people can't travel to get to their primary care doctors," said Dr. Tiffany Hendricks with Teladoc Health. "I mean, it's also the non-metro areas that have trouble, too. And so having somebody that can you can reach with easier access is hugely important. And that's what we provide with trying to do these visits over the video and over phone."
The RHIhub compiled the latest health professional shortage data from the federal government's Health Resources and Services Administration to find which counties had shortages.
In Williamson County, there are no shortage areas, part of Travis County has shortages and all other counties in the surrounding area reportedly have shortages throughout their entire county. Those counties include Bastrop, Blanco, Burnett, Caldwell, Fayette, Gillespie, Hays, Lee and Llano.
Hendricks explained that seeing a primary care provider regularly helps people maintain their health better and catch major illnesses sooner.
"I'm seeing a lot of patients that haven't been to a doctor in maybe ten years. I've seen somebody that much ten years. I had a patient the other day, 20 years. So we have 20 years of issues that they haven't dealt with," Hendricks said. "And so there are all these problems that we have to work out and try to help them feel better. It's the deserts. I mean, really do affect the whole overall healthcare period."
Teladoc accepts most major insurance providers and provides patients 24/7 access to urgent care, prevention, screenings and other services.