Rural Health
Resources by Topic: Legislation and regulations
Obstacles Persist for Rural Patients to Access Hospice
Discusses challenges to delivering hospice care in rural areas. Highlights changes to allow providers at Rural Health Centers and Federal Qualified Health Centers to serve as attending physicians for hospice patients. Explores the impact of COVID-19 on the delivery of hospice services, including the use of telehealth services and workforce concerns.
Author(s): Jim Parker
Date: 09/2021
Type: Document
Sponsoring organization: Hospice News
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Discusses challenges to delivering hospice care in rural areas. Highlights changes to allow providers at Rural Health Centers and Federal Qualified Health Centers to serve as attending physicians for hospice patients. Explores the impact of COVID-19 on the delivery of hospice services, including the use of telehealth services and workforce concerns.
Author(s): Jim Parker
Date: 09/2021
Type: Document
Sponsoring organization: Hospice News
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Emergency Preparedness Information Session with CMS
Recording of a September 15, 2021, webinar discussing health center emergency preparedness planning in compliance with federal, state, and local requirements. Provides an overview of recent regulatory changes and clarifications.
Date: 09/2021
Type: Document
Sponsoring organization: Health Resources and Services Administration
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Recording of a September 15, 2021, webinar discussing health center emergency preparedness planning in compliance with federal, state, and local requirements. Provides an overview of recent regulatory changes and clarifications.
Date: 09/2021
Type: Document
Sponsoring organization: Health Resources and Services Administration
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Air Ambulance Use and Surprise Billing
Provides an overview of air ambulance services, including the types and number of air ambulance providers and suppliers, utilization rates by patients, average costs, and the potential for balance billing for air ambulance transport. Summarizes key policies and legislation related to air ambulances, including the No Surprises Act. Presents data on air ambulance utilization by rurality between 2014-2018.
Author(s): Gina Turrini, Joel Ruhter, Andre R. Chappel, Nancy De Lew
Date: 09/2021
Type: Document
Sponsoring organization: HHS Office of the Assistant Secretary for Planning and Evaluation
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Provides an overview of air ambulance services, including the types and number of air ambulance providers and suppliers, utilization rates by patients, average costs, and the potential for balance billing for air ambulance transport. Summarizes key policies and legislation related to air ambulances, including the No Surprises Act. Presents data on air ambulance utilization by rurality between 2014-2018.
Author(s): Gina Turrini, Joel Ruhter, Andre R. Chappel, Nancy De Lew
Date: 09/2021
Type: Document
Sponsoring organization: HHS Office of the Assistant Secretary for Planning and Evaluation
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MedPAC Comment on CMS's Proposed Rule on the Physician Fee Schedule and Other Revisions to Part B for CY 2022
Comment on a July 23, 2021, Federal Register proposed rule revising the physician fee schedule to improve payment systems for physicians and other Medicare Part B revisions. Includes a discussion of the expansion of telehealth service coverage after the COVID-19 public health emergency, as well as reimbursement rates to Rural Health Clinics and Federally Qualified Health Centers for telehealth mental health services.
Date: 09/2021
Type: Document
Sponsoring organization: Medicare Payment Advisory Commission
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Comment on a July 23, 2021, Federal Register proposed rule revising the physician fee schedule to improve payment systems for physicians and other Medicare Part B revisions. Includes a discussion of the expansion of telehealth service coverage after the COVID-19 public health emergency, as well as reimbursement rates to Rural Health Clinics and Federally Qualified Health Centers for telehealth mental health services.
Date: 09/2021
Type: Document
Sponsoring organization: Medicare Payment Advisory Commission
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MedPAC Comment on CMS's Proposed Rule on the ESRD PPS for CY 2022
Comments on a July 9, 2021, Federal Register proposed rule related to Medicare payment policies for end-stage renal disease (ESRD). Includes comments addressing the low-volume payment adjustment (LVPA) and the rural adjustment.
Date: 08/2021
Type: Document
Sponsoring organization: Medicare Payment Advisory Commission
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Comments on a July 9, 2021, Federal Register proposed rule related to Medicare payment policies for end-stage renal disease (ESRD). Includes comments addressing the low-volume payment adjustment (LVPA) and the rural adjustment.
Date: 08/2021
Type: Document
Sponsoring organization: Medicare Payment Advisory Commission
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Rural Residency Training as a Strategy to Address Rural Health Disparities: Barriers to Expansion and Possible Solutions
Identifies barriers rural communities face in developing and sustaining graduate medical education programs, and proposes potential solutions including regulatory fixes and legislative action. Includes definitions of key concepts and terminology in the Supplementary Data section.
Additional links: Supplementary Data
Author(s): Emily M. Hawes, Erin Fraher, Steven Crane, et al.
Citation: Journal of Graduate Medical Education, 13(4), 461-465
Date: 08/2021
Type: Document
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Identifies barriers rural communities face in developing and sustaining graduate medical education programs, and proposes potential solutions including regulatory fixes and legislative action. Includes definitions of key concepts and terminology in the Supplementary Data section.
Additional links: Supplementary Data
Author(s): Emily M. Hawes, Erin Fraher, Steven Crane, et al.
Citation: Journal of Graduate Medical Education, 13(4), 461-465
Date: 08/2021
Type: Document
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The Rural Emergency Hospital and Value-Based Care
Summarizes the new Rural Emergency Hospital (REH) legislation, outlines local considerations before REH conversion, and prepares stakeholders to comment when the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services releases REH proposed rules for public input. Addresses questions regarding anticipated proposed rules and describes opportunities to inform REH rulemaking.
Date: 08/2021
Type: Document
Sponsoring organization: Rural Health Value
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Summarizes the new Rural Emergency Hospital (REH) legislation, outlines local considerations before REH conversion, and prepares stakeholders to comment when the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services releases REH proposed rules for public input. Addresses questions regarding anticipated proposed rules and describes opportunities to inform REH rulemaking.
Date: 08/2021
Type: Document
Sponsoring organization: Rural Health Value
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Telebehavioral Health During the COVID-19 Pandemic: A Qualitative Analysis of Provider Experiences and Perspectives
Examines behavioral health provider perspectives on use of telebehavioral health before and during the pandemic, based on interviews with 31 behavioral health providers in Michigan. Describes how policy changes affected access to and use of behavioral health services, especially among rural residents. Includes statistics on provider characteristics, with breakdowns by urban or rural primary practice location.
Author(s): Victoria Schoebel, Caitlyn Wayment, Maria Gaiser, et al.
Citation: Telemedicine and e-Health, 27(8), 947-954
Date: 08/2021
Type: Document
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Examines behavioral health provider perspectives on use of telebehavioral health before and during the pandemic, based on interviews with 31 behavioral health providers in Michigan. Describes how policy changes affected access to and use of behavioral health services, especially among rural residents. Includes statistics on provider characteristics, with breakdowns by urban or rural primary practice location.
Author(s): Victoria Schoebel, Caitlyn Wayment, Maria Gaiser, et al.
Citation: Telemedicine and e-Health, 27(8), 947-954
Date: 08/2021
Type: Document
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Telehealth, COVID-19 and Looking Ahead
Discusses COVID-19 telehealth policy flexibilities that may be made permanent through legislation or other state-level action as of July 2021. Offers a map indicating states where legislation seeks to make policy changes permanent, presents an overview of specific policy flexibilities, and discusses state-level approaches, including temporary extensions of policy changes and non-legislative action.
Author(s): Jack Pitsor
Date: 07/2021
Type: Document
Sponsoring organization: National Conference of State Legislatures
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Discusses COVID-19 telehealth policy flexibilities that may be made permanent through legislation or other state-level action as of July 2021. Offers a map indicating states where legislation seeks to make policy changes permanent, presents an overview of specific policy flexibilities, and discusses state-level approaches, including temporary extensions of policy changes and non-legislative action.
Author(s): Jack Pitsor
Date: 07/2021
Type: Document
Sponsoring organization: National Conference of State Legislatures
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DATA 2000 Waiver Training Payment Program
Recording of a July 29, 2021, webinar providing technical assistance for Federally Qualified Health Centers (FQHCs) and Rural Health Clinics (RHCs) applying for the Drug Addiction Treatment Act of 2000 (DATA 2000) Waiver Training Payment Program. Identifies organizations' eligibility to apply for payments and discusses the application process and requirements. Part of the Rural Health Clinic Technical Assistance Series.
Additional links: Presentation Slides, Transcript
Date: 07/2021
Type: Video/Multimedia
Sponsoring organization: National Association of Rural Health Clinics
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Recording of a July 29, 2021, webinar providing technical assistance for Federally Qualified Health Centers (FQHCs) and Rural Health Clinics (RHCs) applying for the Drug Addiction Treatment Act of 2000 (DATA 2000) Waiver Training Payment Program. Identifies organizations' eligibility to apply for payments and discusses the application process and requirements. Part of the Rural Health Clinic Technical Assistance Series.
Additional links: Presentation Slides, Transcript
Date: 07/2021
Type: Video/Multimedia
Sponsoring organization: National Association of Rural Health Clinics
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