10 Ideas to Increase Healthcare Access In Williamson County (and a Big Bonus!)
- Matt Pitcher
- Aug 11
- 12 min read
Updated: 3 days ago
According to a March 2025 University of Texas poll of 1,200 registered voters representing Republicans, Democrats, and Independents, 76% (the 2nd highest percentage of voters, the first being 84% who thought "improve state energy grid" was the top issue), said that "increase healthcare access" was their most important issue.
So, obviously, access to health care remains a critical challenge for many of our neighbors here in Williamson County. While advances in medicine and technology have made it possible to treat illnesses like never before, barriers to accessing care continue to affect communities across the county.
Many patients feel disempowered by a system that restricts their ability to make choices tailored to their needs and financial situations. Too much control over health care spending has been shifted to third-party payers, which limits flexibility and keeps costs high. Giving patients more freedom to choose providers and treatments tailored to their specific needs leads to improved outcomes and cost savings.
Here are ten strategies that can help expand health care access.
1. Personalized health care options and more choice
The current U.S. health care system often limits patients’ ability to make decisions that best fit their needs and budgets. Excessive centralization of control over health care spending by third-party payers like government programs and insurance companies limits competition and drives up costs. Respecting each person’s inherent dignity means prioritizing their right to choose their health. Empowering patients with greater freedom to select providers and treatments that best fit their unique needs fosters better outcomes and reduces costs. Expanding these options respects individual autonomy and creates a more responsive, patient-centered health care system.
2. Telehealth and AI: The future of accessible health care
Openness to innovation is key to improving health care access by integrating new technologies and flexible care models. Telehealth has transformed how care is delivered, bridging gaps for those in rural or underserved areas. AI-powered tools can personalize wellness plans, support mental health, and suggest lifestyle changes for improved well-being. This combination streamlines patient care, reduces waiting times, and empowers people to take charge of their health. By leveraging bottom-up innovations driven by patients’ personal needs and preferences — where solutions emerge from those closest to the problem — the health care system can deliver more flexible and efficient care, meeting patients where they are.
3. Fostering community-based mental health solutions
Traditional models of care often overlook the importance of community in addressing mental health. Self-actualization and community empowerment can help meet mental health needs by fostering peer support networks, holistic wellness programs, and local initiatives. Key strategies include: - Developing peer support networks to connect individuals facing similar challenges. - Encouraging community wellness programs like fitness classes and social clubs. - Supporting nonprofits that train local leaders to provide mental health support. - Focusing on preventative approaches to foster belonging and well-being.
4. Growing the supply of doctors and empowering nurse practitioners and pharmacists to expand access
A shortage of physicians in the U.S. has been a longstanding issue, particularly in rural areas. By expanding the supply of providers we can increase access to health care services.
Here are a few strategies to do just that:
- Increasing medical school slots and expanding residency programs.
- Offering incentives for doctors to serve in underserved regions.
- Simplifying the licensing process for international medical graduates.
Empowering skilled providers to operate independently enhances patient outcomes and relieves strain on the health care system. This creates a win-win situation where patients receive more timely and effective care while providers can fully utilize their skills and expertise.
Some tangible ideas to empower services that Nurse Practitioners can offer / deliver thus expanding access (many of us meet with NPs anyway, then wait forever or have to bounce around with various MDs ... this gives NPs more authority and autonomy while still keeping safeguards in place so we can potentially get the care we need all at once up front):
Removing Delegation Barriers: legislation to expand patient access to quality, local healthcare by changing Texas laws requiring NPs to contract with a physician before they can practice. Removing this barrier will allow NPs to provide care to the people who need it the most, especially in rural and medically underserved areas.
Schedule II Prescriptive Authority: legislation to extend physician-delegated Schedule II prescriptive authority to all NPs, regardless of practice setting or specialty. Texas is only one of a handful of states that does not extend Schedule II prescriptive authority to NPs, and such restrictions harm their ability to treat patients with mental health conditions, cancer, chronic disease, and other illnesses in a variety of practice settings.
Eliminating Insurance Requirement for Delegating Physicians: legislation to remove the requirement that NPs be in the same health insurance network as their delegating physician. Texas Senate Bill 654 (85R) eliminated this requirement for Medicaid/CHIP in 2017, but commercial plans were left out. Getting rid of this insurance barrier is necessary to keep pace with the growing number of NPs providing primary care in Texas and to increase network adequacy in areas with healthcare provider shortages.
Board Procedures for Complaints Against Healthcare Providers: legislation requiring regulatory agencies to refer any complaints for a licensed individual to the appropriate board of jurisdiction. For example, if a complaint against an NP were submitted to the Texas Medical Board (TMB), the TMB would be required to refer this complaint to the Texas Board of Nursing, the board of jurisdiction for NPs.
Graduate Nursing Education: Legislation to increase funding and identify new opportunities to invest in graduate nursing programs, including loan repayment assistance programs for NPs, funding for graduate nursing faculty, clinical training and preceptorships, and student scholarships.
5. Removing unnecessary regulatory barriers
The U.S. health care system is bogged down by outdated regulations that restrict innovation and drive up costs. Simplifying these regulations can unleash the creativity of health care providers and entrepreneurs to offer more efficient and effective care (thus some of the examples above). Encouraging a more flexible regulatory environment will empower providers and entrepreneurs to develop solutions that enhance care quality while keeping prices affordable.
Unlocking broader access care for all
Improving access to health care requires a multifaceted approach grounded in principles like openness, mutual benefit, and information. Embracing technology, increasing the supply of providers, and removing regulatory barriers can unleash bottom-up innovations that make health care more accessible. Empowering individuals and communities to lead the way creates a health care system that truly serves everyone, helping them to live better, healthier lives.
6. Work Site Health Clinics
You’ve likely heard about onsite clinics, but might be asking yourself, “How are they different from the traditional healthcare plan model we currently use?” According to the National Association of Worksite Health Centers, a workplace “onsite clinic” is a setting where an employer offers one or more medical and wellness services, delivered by licensed providers, to all or a portion of eligible employees and their family members. Onsite clinics have grown in popularity over the last fifteen years. According to Springbuk, what used to be just basic occupational health and safety services offered, has expanded.
A few of the services they sited that onsite clinics provide today include:
- Wellness Initiatives: Weight loss initiatives, health risk assessments, and health education.
- Preventative Care: Health screenings, flu shots, annual physical checkups.
- Acute Care: Short-term treatment of illnesses such as colds, the flu, minor infections, or minor sprains and cuts.
- Condition and Disease Management: Ongoing treatment of chronic health conditions, such as diabetes or heart disease.
- Specialty Care: Orthopedics, dietetics, physical therapy, and pharmacy. The best part, onsite clinics are located at your company. That means no drive time or waiting in crowded waiting rooms and unlike with a corporate healthcare plan, employees don’t have to worry about trying to determine if the physician they’re seeing is in-network or out-of-network before seeking care. A 2015 study by The InHouse Physicians found that patients can save up to 2 to 4 hours per visit using onsite clinics than those who have to travel off-site.
More resources about worksite healthcare:
7. Wearable Devices
Wearable devices are expanding access to healthcare by enabling remote data collection, continuous patient monitoring, and remote care. These devices are transforming clinical research processes, saving time, saving money, and increasing access to clinical trials for a broader group of people. Hospitals, digital health startups, and home health providers are adopting wearables to monitor chronic conditions, reduce ER visits, and extend care beyond clinic walls.
Deeper Dive examples:
- Harvard study: "Exploring the Promise of Wearable Devices to Further Medical Research"
- NIH National Library of Medicine white paper: "Recent Advances in Wearable Healthcare Devices: From Material to Application"
8. Information Exchanges
Municipalities can offer free information exchanges for their communities by providing the latest research available from public sources. They can also maintain a directory of local providers, services, healthy food sources, wellness programs, etc. This will only work if properly maintained and, thus, funded and that the public knows they exist. There is integration technology that exists like CivicPlus and others that can help ease and automate the maintenance and virality of this information. An educated public can make better choices for themselves for their healthcare and well being.
9. At Home Care / Patient Support Programs
Patient Support Programs (PSPs) reinforce patients’ care provided by health care professionals with the aim to improve adherence and patient empowerment. PSPs may include interventions such as home-based care, individualized medication counseling, support, training, and home delivery of medicines and/or devices. A recent 10 year study by Sage Journals assessed PSPs and its impact on patient-reported outcomes and health care savings. In general, home-based services and PSPs showed a positive impact on patients’ adherence to medication, patient satisfaction, and health-related quality of life. In addition, 14 (21.9%) services reported economic results, most of which showed that home therapy led to substantial cost savings. Clearly, there are improvements to be had here to health outcomes while also reducing costs so this is definitely an idea worth exploring more on how to expand these services either through expanding coverage qualifications (via subsidies? tax incentives for providers? direct policy?)
10. Preventive Care Services
Good health outcomes come not only from receiving high-quality medical care when it is needed, but also from the early detection and prevention of health problems. According to the NIH National Library of Medicine, however, the utilization of preventive care services is limited. Even for free services in the United States, only one in four middle-aged and older adults (50–64 years old) and one in two seniors (65 years and older) receive the recommended preventive care services. Continuing to promote the knowledge of preventive care services is necessary, and it is very important for people to have a good experience of undergoing health check-ups. A recent NIH study concluded that, therefore, for health check-ups in the hospital, meeting the person’s personalization needs, improving the quality of the medical devices and the completeness of items, and having appropriate process layout planning, a detailed interpretation of the results, and further follow-ups are important strategies that could improve the utilization of preventive care services in order to ensure personal health and well-being.
BIG BONUS: Mobile Health Clinics!
Mobile Health Clinics: The Basics
Despite efforts to improve access to quality health care, the United States faces increasing costs and high rates of chronic disease. Worse, vulnerable groups — including low-income people, those who belong to racial and ethnic minority groups, and rural communities — continue to face disproportionately negative health outcomes. To combat these disparities, health care must increase access to affordable, equitable, culturally sensitive health services. Mobile health clinics can bring such needed health services directly to underserved populations. These clinics take many forms, including buses, vans, RVs, and trailers that can operate independently from or as extensions of existing healthcare organizations. Mobile health clinics provide a wide range of services to people who may not otherwise receive care, including urgent care, primary care, and preventive health support.
Benefits of Mobile Clinics
Mobile health clinics benefit communities by making health care more affordable and accessible, which in turn improves patient outcomes.
Lower Costs for Patients and Providers
Mobile health clinics provide quality care at a lower cost than that of traditional healthcare delivery modes. According to Mobile Health Map, for every $1 spent on mobile health, $12 are saved, resulting in a return on investment of 12:1. In emergencies, mobile health clinics save patients money by helping them avoid expensive emergency room visits. Estimates show that each mobile clinic results in an average of 600 fewer emergency room visits each year. This translates to an average savings of one-fifth of the cost of care. Moreover, mobile clinics provide cost-effective prevention services that reduce the amount of care an individual needs over their lifetime. On average, each mobile health clinic saves 65 quality-adjusted life years (a common metric used by healthcare professionals) every year. Mobile health clinics extend healthcare access to vulnerable populations at a fraction of the cost of running a traditional hospital or care facility.
Greater Accessibility
Given the nature of mobile health clinics, healthcare providers can tailor their services to specific communities. Mobile health clinics offer flexible, responsive care for isolated and vulnerable groups and newly displaced populations. The flexibility mobile clinics provide allows professionals to respond dynamically to a population’s current and evolving health needs.
According to a self-report by 291 mobile health clinics, 56 percent of clinics specifically target uninsured patients, 55 percent aim to serve low-income patients, 38 percent target homeless patients, and 36 percent target rural patients.
Mobile health clinics improve access to health care in rural areas. The World Health Organization uses mobile healthcare teams to operate via bike, boat, vehicle, and even on foot when coordinating a crisis response. In the United States, mobile health clinics may stay in a given region for years, adjusting the health care they provide to fit the specific needs of the populations they serve.
Other populations frequently targeted by mobile health clinics include veterans (18 percent), migrants (17 percent), school-aged populations (14 percent), people in public housing (14 percent), and LGBTQIAP+ patients (13 percent). Clinics in this study were able to select more than one target population.
Such clinics may also operate in urban spaces to serve a specific population, such as unhoused or transitory individuals for whom healthcare costs may be a major deterrent to seeking treatment.
Mobile health clinics also connect patients to wider community resources. They collaborate with local agencies such as community health centers, churches, and other hospitals and clinics to offer their patients medical and social services. According to a 20-year study, patients who sought care at mobile health clinics reported feeling more empowered to navigate the broader healthcare systems’ complex medical scheduling and billing processes.
Mobile Health Clinic Services
Mobile clinics offer a wide range of healthcare services, including:
- Urgent care
- Primary care
- Preventive health screenings
- Chronic disease management
- Behavioral health services
- Dental care
- Prenatal care
- Pediatric care
Mobile health clinics can offer the first line of defense against illness for underserved populations. According to a longitudinal study of mobile clinics published in the International Journal for Equity in Health, 45 percent offer prevention screenings, 42 percent offer primary care, and 30 percent offer dental services. These essential services can bridge the gap between community health needs and traditional care delivery modes.
The same study found that many mobile health clinics also provide specialty care, such as mammography, mental health support, and ophthalmology services. These services make health care more affordable and easier to access.
Longer Term Ideas for Better Access
+ Investing and Studying Ethical Applications of Biotechnology, Genomic Medicine, Research, and AI
Ever since the sequencing of the human genome in the late 90s, breathtaking discoveries have occurred that have led to astonishing gene therapies. And, while much effort is being devoted rightfully so to trying to anticipate, understand, and address the ethical, legal, social, and political implications of genetics, genomics, and biotechnology, the impact these discoveries have had and will continue to have is unquestionable.
How, then, does this help increase access to healthcare?
This is a complicated, multifaceted issue better to be addressed in a deeper dive elsewhere. However, clinical genome and exome sequencing is currently used in only a small fraction of patients, yet large scale genomic initiatives are becoming more embedded in clinical services. A genomic dataset administered by the health system carries substantial societal benefits, and that the collective nature of this initiative means that at least those patients who benefit from genome sequencing, it could be argued, have an ethical obligation to share their health information. This obligation is grounded in considerations of fairness. Furthermore, some argue that the use of genomic data for the advancement of medical knowledge should be permitted without explicit consent, and that international and other bodies should be granted access to these data, provided certain conditions are satisfied such as privacy protections and ethics rule enforcement.
As for AI, some of the most promising early research in personalized medicine is in cancer therapy, where genetic testing of tumors and targeted immunotherapy regimes have made previously untreatable cases. AI-powered platforms are dedicated to formulating personalized oncology therapies for cancer patients. As such, AI enhances treatment effectiveness by considering that a patient's genetic profile is distinctive. AI for genomics enables healthcare providers to deliver tailored therapies, enhancing treatment outcomes.
Read more about ways to improve access to health care:
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