Skip to main content
Rural Health Information Hub

Rural Health
Resources by Topic: Policy

Implementing Physical Activity Recommendations in a Tri-Ethnic Rural Community through a Community-University Partnership
Details the findings of a study on community-university partnerships to improve health and encourage physical activity in rural communities with limited resources. Presents a timeline of the partnership formation and the steps to designing and implementing evidence-based strategies to increase physical activity.
Author(s): Sally M. Davis, Theresa Cruz, Julia Meredith Hess, Richard Kozoll, Janet Page-Reeves
Citation: Progress in Community Health Partnerships: Research, Education, and Action, 11(2), 149-159
Date: 07/2017
Type: Document
view details
Rethinking Rural Hospitals
Discusses the various factors associated with rural hospital closures, and makes the case for adopting new, innovative approaches to rural healthcare delivery.
Author(s): Diana J. Mason
Citation: JAMA: Journal of the American Medical Association, 318(2), 114-115
Date: 07/2017
Type: Document
view details
Air Ambulance: Data Collection and Transparency Needed to Enhance DOT Oversight
Addresses various aspects of air transport for critically ill patients, including the amount charged for service, factors affecting the service, and actions the federal government could take to provide pricing oversight. Discusses the implications and importance of air transport for rural areas throughout.
Additional links: Full Report
Date: 07/2017
Type: Document
Sponsoring organization: Government Accountability Office
view details
Achieving Telehealth's Promise for Rural Health: Insights from Telehealth Leaders
Features five rural leaders discussing barriers to the use of telehealth in rural areas and the changes needed to fully implement telehealth in rural healthcare delivery.
Author(s): Jenn Lukens
Citation: Rural Monitor
Date: 07/2017
Type: Document
Sponsoring organization: Rural Health Information Hub
view details
Telehealth: Use in Medicare and Medicaid
Discusses the extent to which telehealth is used by Medicare and Medicaid, the factors affecting the use of telehealth in Medicare, and how emerging payment and delivery models could affect future telehealth use. Includes rural-specific information throughout with particular attention paid to the role of rural healthcare facilities as originating sites.
Additional links: Full Report
Date: 07/2017
Type: Document
Sponsoring organization: Government Accountability Office
view details
Drug Discount Program: Update on Agency Efforts to Improve 340B Program Oversight
Testimony before the Subcommittee on Oversight and Investigations, Committee on Energy and Commerce, U.S. House of Representatives, describing the Health Resources and Services Administration's (HRSA) actions and plans for improving 340B program oversight. Also provides an update on the Government Accountability Office's work regarding the 340B program and HRSA oversight. Includes information on 340B program participants, background, structure, audit frequency, and more.
Additional links: Examining HRSA's Oversight of the 340B Drug Pricing Program, Full Report
Date: 07/2017
Type: Document
Sponsoring organization: Government Accountability Office
view details
Coverage Trends for American Indian and Alaska Native Children and Families
Analyzes data from the U.S. Census Bureau to show trends in health insurance coverage rates among American Indian and Alaska Native (AI/AN) children and families between 2008 and 2015. Examines the expanded role of Medicaid and the Children's Health Insurance Program (CHIP) in driving down the AI/AN uninsured rates, particularly in states with the largest AI/AN populations.
Author(s): Joan Alker, Karina Wagnerman, Andy Schneider
Date: 07/2017
Type: Document
Sponsoring organization: Georgetown University Health Policy Institute
view details
Changes in Hospital Quality Associated with Hospital Value-Based Purchasing
Examines whether quality improved more in acute care hospitals exposed to Medicare's Hospital Value-Based Purchasing (HVBP) program. Uses Critical Access Hospitals as a comparison for clinical process, patient experience, and mortality measures.
Author(s): Andrew M. Ryan, Sam Krinsky, Kristen A. Maurer, Justin B. Dimick
Citation: New England Journal of Medicine, 376(24), 2358-2366
Date: 06/2017
Type: Document
view details
Medicaid Expansion: Behavioral Health Treatment Use in Selected States in 2014
Report to Congress describing the population of Medicaid expansion enrollees with behavioral health diagnoses in 2014, and the use of behavioral health treatment among the enrolled population. Results are based on the experience of four states: Iowa, New York, Washington, and West Virginia. Includes a discussion on rural/urban geographic distribution of enrollees and the barriers to accessing treatment for enrollees living in rural areas.
Additional links: Full Report
Date: 06/2017
Type: Document
Sponsoring organization: Government Accountability Office
view details
The Health Care Views and Experiences of Rural Americans: Findings from the Kaiser Family Foundation/Washington Post Survey of Rural America
Examines rural Americans' political views as they relate to healthcare and healthcare benefits. Discusses results within the context of the 2016 presidential election, and compares the views of rural residents with the views of those living in urban or suburban settings. Includes a number of charts and graphs highlighting rural residents' perceptions on issues such as the biggest problems facing rural communities, support for Affordable Care Act (ACA) repeal efforts, and the importance of Medicaid in rural America. Linked Topline & Methodology document provides additional information about survey questions, results, and methodology.
Additional links: Topline & Methodology
Author(s): Liz Hamel, Bryan Wu, Mollyann Brodie
Date: 06/2017
Type: Document
Sponsoring organization: KFF
view details