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Rural Health
Resources by Topic: Licensure and certification of health professionals

Assessing the Feasibility of Creating a National Behavioral Health Workforce Database
Results of a project to determine the feasibility of developing a database of behavioral health providers and practices that offers up-to-date information to support research, policymaking, and public access. Identifies key elements, including demographics, licensure, education, and practice details. Includes information on databases focused on rural health.
Author(s): Frances Jiménez, Nicole Gauthreaux, Courtney Segal, et al.
Date: 01/2025
Type: Document
Sponsoring organization: HHS Office of the Assistant Secretary for Planning and Evaluation
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Select Committee on Advancing Rural and Small Town Health Care Final Report - To the General Assembly of Virginia
Recommendations for improvement in healthcare in rural Virginia, based on information from meetings with providers and citizens in rural areas. Areas of focus are health workforce, maternal health, dental care, obesity, telehealth, and transportation.
Date: 12/2024
Type: Document
Sponsoring organizations: Commonwealth of Virginia, House Select Committee on Advancing Rural and Small Town Health Care
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State of the U.S. Health Care Workforce, 2024
Offers demographic data on a variety of health professions from data sources between 2019 and 2023. Examines distribution, education and licensing, and projected shortages for the physician, nursing, and oral health fields. Describes challenges contributing to health workforce shortages. Highlights nonmetropolitan workforce shortages and state by state comparison of physician distribution.
Date: 11/2024
Type: Document
Sponsoring organizations: Health Resources and Services Administration, National Center for Health Workforce Analysis
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State Telehealth Laws and Reimbursement Policies Report, Fall 2024
Provides an overview of state telehealth policies as of early September 2024. Covers Medicaid reimbursement, private payer laws, and professional requirements.
Additional links: Executive Summary, Infographic, State Summary Chart
Date: 11/2024
Type: Document
Sponsoring organization: Center for Connected Health Policy: The National Telehealth Policy Resource Center
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The Making of a Physician: Pipeline Dwell Time, Knowledge Assessments, and Path to Licensure
An overview of the steps involved, as well as time invested and expense incurred, in physician education and licensure.
Author(s): Kay Miller Temple
Citation: Rural Monitor
Date: 11/2024
Type: Document
Sponsoring organization: Rural Health Information Hub
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Comparative Analysis of Physician Assistant/Associate National Certifying Examination (PANCE) Performance Trends: Pre and During COVID-19 Era
Analyzes the COVID-19 pandemic's influence on Physician Assistant National Certifying Examination (PANCE) scores and passing rates, utilizing 2017-2019 and 2020-2022 data of 59,459 Physician Assistant/Associate (PA) exam takers. Breaks down data by demographics and program details, including comparisons between small rural, large rural, and urban PA programs.
Author(s): Joshua Goodman, Andrzej Kozikowski, Andrew Dallas
Citation: BMC Medical Education, 24, 1071
Date: 09/2024
Type: Document
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State of Nursing in Kansas: Volume I
Provides an overview of nursing in Kansas, focusing on registered nurses (RNs), licensed practical nurses (LPNs), and nursing workforce data and educational tracks. Includes demographic data on nurse workforce as well as county-level data on RN, LPN, and advanced practice registered nurse (APRN) licenses; license to population ratio; live births and maternity care workforce; median nurse wages; and more.
Author(s): Amy Garcia, Barbara MacArthur, Shin Hye Park, Alexander Alsup
Date: 09/2024
Type: Document
Sponsoring organization: Kansas Nursing Workforce Center
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The Cross-State Licensure Continuum: Out-of-State Telehealth Provider Policies
Provides an overview of policy alternatives to full in-state licensure for telehealth providers adopted by states. Describes limited licensure exceptions, telehealth license or registration processes, and interstate licensure compacts, as well as limitations to these policies. Includes a chart indicating which, if any, policies and compacts each state has implemented.
Date: 08/2024
Type: Document
Sponsoring organization: Center for Connected Health Policy: The National Telehealth Policy Resource Center
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Indian Health Service: Opportunities Exist to Improve Clinician Screening Adherence and Oversight
Examines the Indian Health Service's (IHS) oversight of the credentialing and privileging process that reviews and verifies the professional qualifications of IHS physicians. Describes administrative tasks performed by IHS clinicians at federally operated facilities and the amount of time spent on these tasks. Offers recommendations to IHS, including the development of a single, authoritative source outlining procedures to meet credentialing and privileging requirements.
Additional links: Full Report
Date: 04/2024
Type: Document
Sponsoring organization: Government Accountability Office
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Healthcare Associate-Degree Career Discussion
A recorded panel discussion focused on high-demand health careers that require an associate degree. Highlights experiences from representatives in a variety of health fields.
Date: 03/2024
Type: Video/Multimedia
Sponsoring organization: Illinois Rural Health Association
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