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Rural Health
Resources by Topic: Legislation and regulations

Public Health and Other Related Provisions in P.L 115-271, the SUPPORT for Patients and Communities Act
Summarizes Title VII and VIII provisions in the Substance Use-Disorder Prevention that Promotes Opioid Recovery and Treatment for Patients and Communities Act (SUPPORT Act). Addresses provisions affecting access to opioid abuse treatment and providers, data collection, child welfare, the Department of Justice, substance abuse prevention, and more. Sections highlighting rural authorize grants for first responder training, data collection on adverse childhood experiences, recovery support services, and reauthorization of the State and Tribal Response to the Opioid Abuse Crisis grant program with technical assistance for rural and underserved communities.
Date: 12/2018
Type: Document
Sponsoring organization: Congressional Research Service
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State Laws and Policies Affecting Broadband Access in Eight Northern Region States
Highlights several state-level broadband policies and their effect on healthcare access in rural communities in Idaho, Iowa, Minnesota, Montana, North Dakota, South Dakota, Wisconsin, and Wyoming. Compares broadband access in rural areas to state and national averages and breaks down the policies in each state.
Date: 11/2018
Type: Document
Sponsoring organization: The Network for Public Health Law
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Changes to the Merit-based Incentive Payment System Pertinent to Small and Rural Practices, 2018
Describes the importance of legislative changes to the Merit-Based Incentive Payment System that occurred as part of the Bipartisan Budget Act of 2018. Includes an appendix comparing the original framework for the system with changes for 2018/2019.
Author(s): Abiodun Salako, A. Clinton MacKinney, Fred Ullrich, Keith Mueller
Date: 11/2018
Type: Document
Sponsoring organization: RUPRI Center for Rural Health Policy Analysis
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VA Maintaining Internal Systems and Strengthening Integrated Outside Networks Act of 2018 (VA MISSION Act; P.L.115-182)
Provides an overview of the changes made to the VA MISSION Act, including establishing a permanent Veterans Community Care Program (VCCP) and provisions to help recruit and retain healthcare providers. Discusses provisions specific to healthcare access for veterans in rural and underserved areas.
Date: 11/2018
Type: Document
Sponsoring organization: Congressional Research Service
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MedPAC Comment on CMS's Proposed Rule on Medicare Shared Savings Program ACOs
Comments on an August 17, 2018, Federal Register proposed rule changing the Medicare Shared Savings Program (MSSP). Focuses on the proposed changes for Accountable Care Organizations (ACOs), including a move to two-sided risk models, using regional spending benchmarks, and more. Addresses potential impacts for small ACOs, which include rural ACOs.
Date: 10/2018
Type: Document
Sponsoring organization: Medicare Payment Advisory Commission
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Developing Telemental Health Partnerships Between State Medical Schools and Federally Qualified Health Centers: Navigating the Regulatory Landscape and Policy Recommendations
Provides recommendations for overcoming barriers to promoting telemental health services partnerships between medical schools and health centers. Discusses rural-urban disparities in provision of mental health services, credentialing, remote electronic health records access, insurance issues, and billing.
Author(s): John C. Fortney, Richard C. Veith, Amy M. Bauer, et al.
Citation: Journal of Rural Health, 35(3), 287-297
Date: 10/2018
Type: Document
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Promising Practice: Team Effort in Idaho Achieves New Funding for Physician Repayment Program
Presents a promising practice from the Idaho State Office of Rural Health who worked with the National Conference of State Legislatures (NCSL) to establish the state's first loan repayment program for physicians.
Author(s): Beth Blevins
Date: 09/2018
Type: Document
Sponsoring organization: National Organization of State Offices of Rural Health
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Nurse Practitioners: A Solution to America's Primary Care Crisis
Examines trends in supply and demand of nurse practitioners (NPs), including projected supply of physicians and NPs in rural areas. Includes a table listing state-level scope-of-practice regulatory restrictions on NPs as of 2018.
Author(s): Peter Buerhaus
Date: 09/2018
Type: Document
Sponsoring organization: American Enterprise Institute
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MedPAC Comment on CMS's Proposed Rule on the Physician Fee Schedule and Other Revisions to Part B for CY 2019
Comment on a July 2018 Federal Register proposed rule revising the physician fee schedule to improve payment systems for physicians and other Medicare Part B revisions.
Author(s): Francis J. Crosson
Date: 09/2018
Type: Document
Sponsoring organization: Medicare Payment Advisory Commission
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2018 Update on Priority Strategies: North Carolina Rural Health Action Plan
Details the progress North Carolina has made in 6 priority areas outlined in the 2014 Rural Health Action Plan. These include investment in local industries, ensuring that childhood settings promote educational success, encouraging healthy eating and active living, screening for and treating substance abuse and mental health issues, educating people about insurance and safety net options, and creating incentives to support recruitment and retention of providers to underserved areas.
Date: 08/2018
Type: Document
Sponsoring organization: North Carolina Institute of Medicine
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