Rural Health
Resources by Topic: Policy
MedPAC Report to the Congress: Medicare and the Health Care Delivery System, June 2020
Evaluates Medicare payment issues and offers recommendations to the U.S. Congress. Includes chapters on value-based payment in Medicare, Accountable Care Organizations (ACOs), the Medicare Advantage quality bonus program, the impact of changes in the 21st Century Cures Act to risk adjustment for Medicare Advantage enrollees, Medicare Part D, separately payable drugs in the hospital outpatient prospective payment system, and the Medicare end-stage renal disease prospective payment system. Examines the current payment policy for low-volume and rural dialysis facilities and proposes changes.
Additional links: Executive Summary
Date: 06/2020
Sponsoring organization: Medicare Payment Advisory Commission
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Evaluates Medicare payment issues and offers recommendations to the U.S. Congress. Includes chapters on value-based payment in Medicare, Accountable Care Organizations (ACOs), the Medicare Advantage quality bonus program, the impact of changes in the 21st Century Cures Act to risk adjustment for Medicare Advantage enrollees, Medicare Part D, separately payable drugs in the hospital outpatient prospective payment system, and the Medicare end-stage renal disease prospective payment system. Examines the current payment policy for low-volume and rural dialysis facilities and proposes changes.
Additional links: Executive Summary
Date: 06/2020
Sponsoring organization: Medicare Payment Advisory Commission
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Report to Congress on Medicaid and CHIP, June 2020
Semi-annual report to Congress from the Medicaid and CHIP Payment and Access Commission (MACPAC). Discusses care integration for beneficiaries dually eligible for Medicaid and Medicare, recommendations for increasing enrollment in Medicare Shared Savings Programs, the role of Medicaid in relation to TRICARE, how to address increasing mortality and morbidity among pregnant and postpartum women, and the effects of substance use disorder on pregnant and postpartum women and their infants. Includes rural references throughout.
Date: 06/2020
Sponsoring organization: Medicaid and CHIP Payment and Access Commission
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Semi-annual report to Congress from the Medicaid and CHIP Payment and Access Commission (MACPAC). Discusses care integration for beneficiaries dually eligible for Medicaid and Medicare, recommendations for increasing enrollment in Medicare Shared Savings Programs, the role of Medicaid in relation to TRICARE, how to address increasing mortality and morbidity among pregnant and postpartum women, and the effects of substance use disorder on pregnant and postpartum women and their infants. Includes rural references throughout.
Date: 06/2020
Sponsoring organization: Medicaid and CHIP Payment and Access Commission
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COVID-19: Rural Hospital Compendium
Summarizes Missouri Hospital Association's (MHA) efforts to help rural hospitals address the COVID-19 pandemic. Includes information on advocacy and financial support, the rural healthcare workforce, telehealth, personal protective equipment, and more.
Date: 06/2020
Sponsoring organization: Missouri Hospital Association
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Summarizes Missouri Hospital Association's (MHA) efforts to help rural hospitals address the COVID-19 pandemic. Includes information on advocacy and financial support, the rural healthcare workforce, telehealth, personal protective equipment, and more.
Date: 06/2020
Sponsoring organization: Missouri Hospital Association
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Expanding the Capacity of Rural Cancer Care With Teleoncology
Discusses the geographic barriers rural patients may face when seeking cancer treatment. Provides an overview of policy solutions to date. Identifies federal and state policy options that could extend cancer care to rural areas through telehealth services.
Author(s): Jason Semprini
Citation: Online Journal of Rural Research & Policy, 15(2)
Date: 06/2020
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Discusses the geographic barriers rural patients may face when seeking cancer treatment. Provides an overview of policy solutions to date. Identifies federal and state policy options that could extend cancer care to rural areas through telehealth services.
Author(s): Jason Semprini
Citation: Online Journal of Rural Research & Policy, 15(2)
Date: 06/2020
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The Universal Service Fund and COVID-19: The FCC and Industry Response
An overview of three Federal Communications Commission (FCC) Universal Service Fund programs and actions taken through these programs in response to COVID-19. Describes the steps taken through the Rural Health Care Program to promote access to telehealth services during the public health emergency.
Date: 06/2020
Sponsoring organization: Congressional Research Service
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An overview of three Federal Communications Commission (FCC) Universal Service Fund programs and actions taken through these programs in response to COVID-19. Describes the steps taken through the Rural Health Care Program to promote access to telehealth services during the public health emergency.
Date: 06/2020
Sponsoring organization: Congressional Research Service
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CMS Roadmap: Strategy to Fight the Opioid Crisis
An overview of the efforts the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services is undertaking to address the opioid epidemic. Highlights a three-pronged approach focusing on prevention, treatment, and data utilization to target prevention and treatment activities.
Date: 06/2020
Sponsoring organization: Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services
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An overview of the efforts the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services is undertaking to address the opioid epidemic. Highlights a three-pronged approach focusing on prevention, treatment, and data utilization to target prevention and treatment activities.
Date: 06/2020
Sponsoring organization: Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services
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Telehealth and Telemedicine in Missouri
Discusses telehealth programs in Missouri, including the early contributions of the Missouri Telehealth Network to the growth of telehealth and the MO HealthNet program. Discusses telehealth's impact on rural healthcare access and state-level approaches to reimbursement, licensing, restrictions, and telemedicine delivery.
Author(s): Mirna Becevic, Lincoln R. Sheets, Emmanuelle Wallach, et al.
Citation: Missouri Medicine, 117(3), 228-234
Date: 05/2020
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Discusses telehealth programs in Missouri, including the early contributions of the Missouri Telehealth Network to the growth of telehealth and the MO HealthNet program. Discusses telehealth's impact on rural healthcare access and state-level approaches to reimbursement, licensing, restrictions, and telemedicine delivery.
Author(s): Mirna Becevic, Lincoln R. Sheets, Emmanuelle Wallach, et al.
Citation: Missouri Medicine, 117(3), 228-234
Date: 05/2020
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Report to Congress: Reducing Barriers to Furnishing Substance Use Disorder (SUD) Services Using Telehealth and Remote Patient Monitoring for Pediatric Populations under Medicaid - Final Report
Details methods to reduce barriers to the use of telehealth for mental health and substance abuse disorder treatment for pediatric patients covered by Medicaid. Highlights barriers, best practices, and costs, among other measures. Features several case studies across the U.S., including in rural communities.
Date: 05/2020
Sponsoring organizations: Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services, HHS Office of the Assistant Secretary for Planning and Evaluation
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Details methods to reduce barriers to the use of telehealth for mental health and substance abuse disorder treatment for pediatric patients covered by Medicaid. Highlights barriers, best practices, and costs, among other measures. Features several case studies across the U.S., including in rural communities.
Date: 05/2020
Sponsoring organizations: Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services, HHS Office of the Assistant Secretary for Planning and Evaluation
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A Cohort Comparison of Differences Between Regional and Buncombe County Patients of a Comprehensive Perinatal Substance Use Disorders Program in Western North Carolina
Presents a study on access to perinatal substance use disorder care in rural counties in western North Carolina compared to the more urban Buncombe County. Analyzes a hub-and-spoke model that aims to provide perinatal substance use disorder care across the state and discusses the barriers to care in rural areas.
Author(s): Shelley L. Galvin, Melinda Ramage, Catherine Leiner, et al.
Citation: North Carolina Medical Journal, 81(3), 157-165
Date: 05/2020
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Presents a study on access to perinatal substance use disorder care in rural counties in western North Carolina compared to the more urban Buncombe County. Analyzes a hub-and-spoke model that aims to provide perinatal substance use disorder care across the state and discusses the barriers to care in rural areas.
Author(s): Shelley L. Galvin, Melinda Ramage, Catherine Leiner, et al.
Citation: North Carolina Medical Journal, 81(3), 157-165
Date: 05/2020
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HIV Prevention and Treatment Challenges in Rural America
Provides an overview of the prevalence of HIV and access to HIV prevention and treatment services in rural communities. Discusses challenges to providing and accessing HIV prevention and treatment efforts in rural areas, including the lack of local healthcare services, the cost of care, and HIV-related stigma. Describes federal programs that support HIV prevention and treatment services in rural areas. Offers policy recommendations to address these barriers and to reduce rural HIV disparities.
Date: 05/2020
Sponsoring organization: National Advisory Committee on Rural Health and Human Services
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Provides an overview of the prevalence of HIV and access to HIV prevention and treatment services in rural communities. Discusses challenges to providing and accessing HIV prevention and treatment efforts in rural areas, including the lack of local healthcare services, the cost of care, and HIV-related stigma. Describes federal programs that support HIV prevention and treatment services in rural areas. Offers policy recommendations to address these barriers and to reduce rural HIV disparities.
Date: 05/2020
Sponsoring organization: National Advisory Committee on Rural Health and Human Services
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