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Rural Health
Resources by Topic: Policy

Community Pharmacies as Access Points for Addiction Treatment
Investigates the distribution of community pharmacies in rural and urban counties of Wisconsin and the connection it has on county-level opioid-related overdose death rates and the number of treatment facilities.
Author(s): Kevin A. Look, Mercedes Kile, Katie Morgan, Andrew Roberts
Citation: Research in Social & Administrative Pharmacy, 15(4), 404-409
Date: 04/2019
Type: Document
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Buprenorphine Prescribing by Nurse Practitioners, Physician Assistants and Physicians After CARA 2016
Investigates the differences in buprenorphine prescribing patterns among nurse practitioners (NPs), physician assistants (PAs) and physicians in Medicaid following implementation of the Comprehensive Addiction and Recovery Act (CARA) addressing opioid use disorder (OUD). Retail pharmacy claims from July 2017 to June 2018 were analyzed to identify prescriber type, number of patients, payer type, rural and urban differences, and Medicaid trends for FDA-approved buprenorphine drugs for the treatment of OUD.
Author(s): Rekha Varghese, Karin Johnson, Bo Feng, et al.
Date: 04/2019
Type: Document
Sponsoring organizations: IMPAQ International, LLC, Medicaid and CHIP Payment and Access Commission
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The Center for Medicare and Medicaid Innovation 2018 Report to Congress
Reports to Congress on payment and service delivery models and initiatives tested or announced by the Center for Medicare and Medicaid Innovation between October 2016 and 2018. Addresses Accountable Care Organization (ACO) models, population-based payment models, bundled payment models, and models that integrated Medicaid and Medicare beneficiary care. Identifies model adaptations for rural health organizations, such as the ACO Investment model, and includes a section on the Pennsylvania Rural Health Model.
Date: 04/2019
Type: Document
Sponsoring organization: Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services
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Implementation Plan for the White House Opportunity and Revitalization Council
Details the implementation plan for Opportunity Zones in economically distressed communities in rural, suburban, and urban areas. Details the roles of various federal agencies in the White House Opportunity and Revitalization Council and the goals for each agency withing the Opportunity Zones program.
Date: 04/2019
Type: Document
Sponsoring organization: White House Opportunity and Revitalization Council
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Independent Evaluation of Comprehensive Primary Care Plus (CPC+): First Annual Report
Provides an overview of first-year findings for CPC+, including who participated, the supports practices received, how practices implemented CPC+, and the impacts on cost, service use, and outcomes for Medicare beneficiaries. Features statistics with breakdowns by rural, suburban, or urban location.
Additional links: Appendices to the Supplemental Volume, Findings at a Glance, Supplemental Volume
Author(s): Deborah Peikes, Grace Anglin, Mary Harrington, et al.
Date: 04/2019
Type: Document
Sponsoring organizations: Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services, Mathematica Policy Research
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Health Center Operational Site Visit (OSV)
Video intended to help Federally Qualified Health Centers prepare for the operational site visit (OSV). Includes updates from the Bipartisan Budget Act of 2018 and answers to frequently asked questions about OSVs.
Date: 04/2019
Type: Video/Multimedia
Sponsoring organization: Health Resources and Services Administration
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Veterans Health Care: VA Needs to Address Challenges as It Implements the Veterans Community Care Program
Examines challenges and lessons learned from the former Veterans Choice Program in order to help the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) implement the new Veterans Community Care Program (VCCP), which allows veterans to seek healthcare services from non-VA facilities in certain situations. Addresses the proposed access standards for the VCCP program. Offered as testimony at the April 10, 2019 U.S. Senate hearing, VA MISSION Act: Implementing the Veterans Community Care Program.
Additional links: Full Report
Date: 04/2019
Type: Document
Sponsoring organization: Government Accountability Office
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Broadband Mapping: Challenges and Solutions
Recording of a hearing from the U.S. Senate Committee on Commerce, Science, and Transportation focusing on efforts to collect more accurate broadband coverage information. Includes testimonies from the U.S. Telecom Association, Competitive Carriers Association, Mississippi Farm Bureau Federation, and others regarding current mapping challenges and the importance of broadband access for rural communities, including for healthcare services.
Additional links: Jonathan Spalter Testimony, Mike McCormick Testimony, Mike Oblizalo Testimony, Tim Donovan Testimony
Date: 04/2019
Type: Video/Multimedia
Sponsoring organizations: Committee on Commerce, Science, and Transportation, U.S. Senate
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Integrating Care through Dual Eligible Special Needs Plans (D-SNPs): Opportunities and Challenges
Examines state and federal policy options for increasing alignment and integration of people eligible for Medicare and Medicaid through Dual Eligible Special Needs Plans (D-SNPs). Reviews the literature on the topic, provides case studies from 5 states, reports on a meeting with officials from states working on D-SNPs, and addresses challenges for offering D-SNPs in rural areas.
Author(s): Nancy Archibald, Michelle Soper, Leah Smith, Alexandra Kruse, Joshua Wiener
Date: 04/2019
Type: Document
Sponsoring organization: HHS Office of the Assistant Secretary for Planning and Evaluation
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Oral Health: Targeting Rural Areas
Compiles articles from a special issue of the Texas Public Health Journal focusing on rural oral health in Texas, Louisiana, and Oklahoma. Covers emergency department use in Texas for oral health needs in rural versus urban counties, geriatric oral health and workforce options such as teledentistry, a Delivery System Reform Incentive Payment project under a state waiver targeting rural communities, partnerships to reach underserved areas and pregnant women, and oral health initiatives in Louisiana and Oklahoma.
Citation: Texas Public Health Journal, 71(2), 2-16
Date: 04/2019
Type: Document
Sponsoring organization: Texas Public Health Association
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