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Rural Health Information Hub

Barriers to Care Coordination in Rural Areas

Rural communities may experience challenges implementing care coordination strategies and activities. Specific barriers may include:

  • Shortages of healthcare providers and other workforce
  • Difficulty working with small, independent healthcare providers
  • Limited access to specialty services and providers
  • Legal, policy, and regulatory barriers
  • Financing to support program development and implementation, especially health information technology
  • Patient non-compliance and missed appointments

There are other common barriers that rural communities face – see Overview of Specific Issues in a Rural Context in the Rural Community Health Toolkit.