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Rural Health
Resources by Topic: Hospice and palliative care

Study Protocol of Coaching End-of-Life Palliative Care for Advanced Heart Failure Patients and Their Family Caregivers in Rural Appalachia: A Randomized Controlled Trial
Describes a clinical trial to study an end-of-life palliative care program for heart failure patients in rural West Virginia. Discusses the prevalence of heart failure in rural Appalachia and the need for palliative care training for family caregivers.
Author(s): Ubolrat Piamjariyakul, Trisha Petitte, Angel Smothers, et al.
Citation: BMC Palliative Care, 18, 119
Date: 12/2019
Type: Document
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America's Care of Serious Illness: A State-by-State Report Card on Access to Palliative Care in Our Nation's Hospitals
Examines access to palliative care services in hospitals. Includes some data on access to palliative care in rural hospitals with 50 or more beds and in hospitals with fewer than 50 beds, many of which are in rural areas.
Date: 09/2019
Type: Document
Sponsoring organizations: Center to Advance Palliative Care, National Palliative Care Research Center
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Improving Access to and Equity of Care for People with Serious Illness Proceedings of a Workshop
Summarizes an April 2019 public workshop on models of care delivery for people with serious illness. Includes discussion of access to care in rural areas, including access to hospice and palliative care.
Additional links: Read Online
Author(s): Roundtable on Quality Care for People with Serious Illness
Date: 09/2019
Type: Document
Sponsoring organization: Health and Medicine Division (HMD), National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine
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Geriatrics and Palliative Care, Fall 2018 Cycle: CDP Report
Evaluates 5 quality measures related to geriatrics and palliative care and supports using them for quality improvement efforts and reporting programs. The measures include 1) improvement in ambulation/locomotion; 2) improvement in bathing; 3) improvement in bed transferring; 4) improvement in management of oral medication; and 5) improvement in pain interfering with activity. The measures were not risk-adjusted for rurality.
Date: 08/2019
Type: Document
Sponsoring organization: National Quality Forum
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Rural Palliative Care
Policy position paper focused on rural palliative care. Discusses the value of palliative care and identifies rural considerations. Includes policy recommendations.
Author(s): Margaret Woeppel, Leslie Marsh, Tanya Sharp
Date: 07/2019
Type: Document
Sponsoring organization: National Rural Health Association
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MedPAC Comment on CMS's Proposed Rule on Hospice for FY 2020
Comments on an April 25, 2019, Federal Register proposed rule updating payments for hospice and hospice quality reporting. Addresses proposed changes to the wage index system that would adjust for geographical differences, potentially impacting rural areas.
Date: 06/2019
Type: Document
Sponsoring organization: Medicare Payment Advisory Commission
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Life 'til the End: Hospice in Rural America
Describes the role of hospice in rural communities. Features a rural Iowa family sharing how hospice helped them care for their father at the end of his life. Also highlights a Critical Access Hospital (CAH) in Wisconsin that provides hospice care, explaining how this service supports the hospital's mission to provide care to the community.
Author(s): Tami Lichtenberg
Citation: Rural Monitor
Date: 06/2019
Type: Document
Sponsoring organization: Rural Health Information Hub
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MedPAC Report to the Congress: Medicare Payment Policy, 2019
Annual review of Medicare payment policies, with recommendations to Congress. Includes discussion on Medicare payment policies directly affecting rural providers and beneficiaries. Addresses opioids, Medicare Part D, Medicare Advantage, Medicare's quality incentive program for hospitals, and payment adequacy for healthcare facilities and services.
Date: 03/2019
Type: Document
Sponsoring organization: Medicare Payment Advisory Commission
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Offering Palliative Care in Rural Communities
Video introducing palliative care and how it is provided in a rural community. Discusses challenges to providing high quality palliative care with rural areas and the healthcare setting that can offer palliative care.
Date: 02/2019
Type: Video/Multimedia
Sponsoring organization: Washington State Office of Rural Health
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Healthcare Professionals' Views of Palliative Care for American War Veterans with Non-malignant Respiratory Disease Living in a Rural Area: A Qualitative Study
Discussed the views of healthcare professionals on palliative care for rural veterans with chronic lung diseases in Idaho. Highlights the providers' perception of veterans' understanding of the disease and it's progression, as well as barriers to palliative care services.
Author(s): Clare Mc Veigh, Joanne Reid, Paula Carvalho
Citation: BMC Palliative Care, 18, 22
Date: 02/2019
Type: Document
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