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Rural Health
Resources by Topic: Policy

Older Americans Act: Nutrition Services Program
Provides an overview of the Nutrition Services Program authorized under the Older Americans Act. Describes the administration of the Nutrition Services Program, its funding, service delivery, program participation, and program evaluation. Includes brief rural references throughout.
Date: 05/2020
Type: Document
Sponsoring organization: Congressional Research Service
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COVID-19 and the Indian Health Service
Discusses how the Indian Health Service (IHS) has been impacted by COVID-19. Describes concerns some tribes have, including the IHS testing capacity for COVID-19, workforce shortages, and lost revenue at IHS facilities. Outlines federal funding efforts to enhance the IHS COVID-19 response.
Date: 05/2020
Type: Document
Sponsoring organization: Congressional Research Service
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Medicare Primer
A general overview of the Medicare program. Describes the program's history, eligibility criteria, covered services, provider payment systems, and program administration, and financing. Includes information specific to rural areas.
Date: 05/2020
Type: Document
Sponsoring organization: Congressional Research Service
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Ohio State Health Improvement Plan (SHIP): 2020-2022
Provides an overview of Ohio's State Health Improvement Plan (SHIP) and outlines priorities, measurable objectives, evidence-based strategies, and an evaluation plan. Discusses the social determinants of health impacting equity for racial, gender, and other minorities. Includes information on community conditions, health behaviors, and access to care related to Appalachian and rural communities.
Author(s): Amy Bush Stevens, Hailey Akah, Zach Reat
Date: 04/2020
Type: Document
Sponsoring organizations: Health Policy Institute of Ohio, Ohio Department of Health
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April 2020 MedPAC Meeting Transcript
Transcript from the Medicare Payment Advisory Commission's (MedPAC) April 2020 meeting. Covers value-based payment in Medicare, challenges in maintaining and increasing savings from accountable care organizations, incentives in Medicare Part D, the Medicare Advantage quality bonus program, and Medicare's end-stage renal disease (ESRD) prospective payment system. Includes a discussion of ESRD payment adjustments for rural and low-volume providers.
Date: 04/2020
Type: Document
Sponsoring organization: Medicare Payment Advisory Commission
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Organizational Readiness to Implement System Changes in an Alaskan Tribal Dental Care Organization
Study of an Alaska tribal dental care organization's readiness for system-level changes based on surveys of dental providers, assistants, and support staff employed by the organization at 15 clinics in remote villages and 3 main dental clinics located in cities. Discusses perceptions of staff regarding workforce issues and support for change related to policies and evidence-based practices. Scores each area of readiness for change based on survey data, including organizational functioning, resources, and management.
Author(s): C.L. Randall, K. Hort, C.E. Huebner, et al.
Citation: Journal of Clinical and Translational Research, 5(2), 156-165
Date: 04/2020
Type: Document
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COVID-19 Exposes Threat to America's Broken Rural Health Care System
Recording of an April 21, 2020, webinar featuring members of the Bipartisan Policy Center's Rural Health Task Force. Discusses the Task Force's policy recommendations to stabilize the rural healthcare infrastructure and ensure local access to care as outlined in the report Confronting Rural America's Health Care Crisis. Describes how these recommendations will address the closures of obstetrics units, promote value-based care, provide incentives for clinicians to stay in rural areas, and remove barriers to telehealth. Transcript available by clicking the dots above the video description, then selecting Show Transcript.
Date: 04/2020
Type: Video/Multimedia
Sponsoring organization: Bipartisan Policy Center Rural Health Task Force
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Medicaid: State Views on Program Administration Challenges
Describes four federal Medicaid policies that pose barriers to effective program administration. Highlights the requirement for states to pay Federally Qualified Health Centers (FQHCs) and Rural Health Clinics (RHCs) under the prospective payment system as a challenge for states. Identifies three issues for federal policymakers to consider when addressing these administrative challenges.
Additional links: Full Report
Date: 04/2020
Type: Document
Sponsoring organization: Government Accountability Office
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Older Americans Act
Official compilation of the Older Americans Act of 1965, as amended through P.L. 116-131, enacted March 25, 2020. Provides federal funding for programs that support services for older adults. Provides states and localities with the flexibility to decide the allocation of National Family Caregiver Services between the populations served and extends authorization of the RAISE Family Caregiver Act and the Supporting Grandparents Raising Grandchildren Act by one additional year. Includes discussion of services to help rural older adults.
Date: 04/2020
Type: Document
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Rural Broadband in the Time of COVID-19
April 16, 2020 webinar recording highlights the state of rural broadband and its capacity to handle the demands of the COVID-19 pandemic. Discusses remote work, distance learning, telehealth, the CARES Act, and the pandemic in tribal communities. Webinar is presented in two parts.
Additional links: Part 2 - April 22, 2020
Date: 04/2020
Type: Video/Multimedia
Sponsoring organizations: Daily Yonder, Rural Assembly
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