- AI offers solutions for Utah's rural health care challenges but many don't have the time to incorporate it.
- The Rural Health Association of Utah's director hopes a new federal program can help providers get a start on new technologies.
- A technology conference it held in St. George helped connect providers with technology companies.
ST. GEORGE — Some of the problems faced by rural health care providers could be addressed by new technologies and AI, but clinics may not have the time or staff to incorporate them.
Kasey Shakespear, executive director of the Rural Health Association of Utah, said despite how useful these tools are, there is a barrier to entry — based both in financial and staffing constraints. He hopes the Rural Health Transformation Program, authorized as part of the "One Big Beautiful Bill," will help some break through that barrier and leave an impact.
"We're hopeful that that's what the outcome will be," he said.
The Rural Health Association of Utah holds a conference each year, but last week was the first time it held a second conference centered around technology. Shakespear said he hopes the conference helps people understand the opportunities brought by the Rural Health Transformation Program. He said there were about 130 attendees and "a lot of energy" as the health care providers and technology companies collaborated.
Shakespear said there is a lot of burnout in rural health care because people wear so many hats, but AI has evolved to the point that it can take over some responsibilities. He said using AI to chart notes is possibly the most widely used, but it can also review prescriptions, do appointment management, deal with rejected insurance claims, or take on other time-consuming tasks. He said beginning to use one automation tool can make it easier for providers to incorporate more of them.
"Especially as automation and AI comes in and starts to take over some of the basic processes that are so time consuming, it opens up possibilities," he said.
Ryan Wedig said the conference was the start of an important conversation, and it received more interest than they anticipated.
"It's just been really amazing to watch how people are mobilizing because everybody knows this is an issue," he said.
He is the CEO of Vasion, a company that helps with "intelligent printing" or using AI to summarize and index scans, and hosted the conference. Wedig said about 30% of his business is in health care companies, both large hospital systems and rural clinics.
What really led him to get involved with the rural health association and volunteer to host the conference was his father's career, which put him in health care settings and ultimately connected him to the association, where his father is now on the board.
"I was listening to the challenges that the rural health care community in Utah was facing — specifically as the Big, Beautiful Bill was coming out," he said.
He explained that in order to get the funds from the bill, rural health care companies have to show they know how to be efficient.
Wedig said Utah's government was supportive of the conference and sent multiple people to attend.
Shakespear said often smaller practices don't file an appeal when a claim is denied by insurance, so they end up providing a service and not getting paid for it.
"They're so understaffed, they're just trying to make it through the day and provide the care," he said, but those denials can be addressed with technology.
Cybersecurity is another technology important for rural providers. Smaller health care organizations are more at risk for cyber attacks because they lack the resources to fight back, Shakespear said.
"When a rural hospital falls for an attack like that, it can put it out of business," he said.
He said the conference also focused on telehealth, which has been significant for rural patients, especially as remote patient monitoring devices have stretched how far telehealth can go. Although he said it will never eliminate the need for rural Utahns to travel for specialty care, it is still making a significant difference.
"Every trip you can save somebody … is a win," he said.
Telehealth is underutilized, according to Shakespear, because insurance won't always cover a telehealth visit even when there is not a need to be at an office in person.
