Rural Health
Resources by Topic: Policy
Montana Healthcare Workforce: Statewide Strategic Plan, 2017
Provides guidance and outlines a healthcare workforce plan to address the unique needs of the state of Montana. Presents strategies in four main areas: engaging Montanans in understanding and addressing the state's healthcare workforce needs; educating and training the state's healthcare workforce to serve in frontier, rural, and underserved communities; recruiting health professionals to health professional shortage areas; and retaining a skilled healthcare workforce. Appendix includes numerous maps that allow comparison of health professions and sector trends at the county level.
Date: 2017
Sponsoring organization: Montana Healthcare Workforce Advisory Committee
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Provides guidance and outlines a healthcare workforce plan to address the unique needs of the state of Montana. Presents strategies in four main areas: engaging Montanans in understanding and addressing the state's healthcare workforce needs; educating and training the state's healthcare workforce to serve in frontier, rural, and underserved communities; recruiting health professionals to health professional shortage areas; and retaining a skilled healthcare workforce. Appendix includes numerous maps that allow comparison of health professions and sector trends at the county level.
Date: 2017
Sponsoring organization: Montana Healthcare Workforce Advisory Committee
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Health Districts in Oregon
Describes Oregon's current health district landscape and explains the legal role of health districts under Oregon law. Includes background information on the organization and purpose of health districts, and the role they play in maintaining healthcare access for rural areas.
Author(s): Paul B. McGinnis, Sonya Howk, Emerson Ong, Jennifer Simeon
Date: 12/2016
Sponsoring organization: Oregon Office of Rural Health
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Describes Oregon's current health district landscape and explains the legal role of health districts under Oregon law. Includes background information on the organization and purpose of health districts, and the role they play in maintaining healthcare access for rural areas.
Author(s): Paul B. McGinnis, Sonya Howk, Emerson Ong, Jennifer Simeon
Date: 12/2016
Sponsoring organization: Oregon Office of Rural Health
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Iowa Department of Public Health Workforce Report to the Iowa Legislature
Reports on state funding and how it aligns with the priorities and goals of the public health department's healthcare workforce programs. Provides recommendations, describes strategies, and identifies appropriated allocations in support of rural and urban healthcare workforce initiatives within the state.
Date: 12/2016
Sponsoring organization: Iowa Department of Health and Human Services
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Reports on state funding and how it aligns with the priorities and goals of the public health department's healthcare workforce programs. Provides recommendations, describes strategies, and identifies appropriated allocations in support of rural and urban healthcare workforce initiatives within the state.
Date: 12/2016
Sponsoring organization: Iowa Department of Health and Human Services
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Rural Maryland Council Health Care Committee Executive Summary, 2015-2016
Report on the work of the Rural Maryland Health Care Committee for 2015-2016. Includes meeting agendas and minutes, presentation slides, discussion of white papers, correspondence, and focused topics such as telehealth and telepsychiatry. The focus of the committee during this biennium was mental and behavioral health in school age children.
Date: 12/2016
Sponsoring organization: Rural Maryland Council
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Report on the work of the Rural Maryland Health Care Committee for 2015-2016. Includes meeting agendas and minutes, presentation slides, discussion of white papers, correspondence, and focused topics such as telehealth and telepsychiatry. The focus of the committee during this biennium was mental and behavioral health in school age children.
Date: 12/2016
Sponsoring organization: Rural Maryland Council
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Suicide Prevention in Indian Country
A fact sheet describing suicide prevention in Indian Country, and how the 2012 National Strategy for Suicide Prevention can align with tribal communities.
Date: 12/2016
Sponsoring organization: Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration
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A fact sheet describing suicide prevention in Indian Country, and how the 2012 National Strategy for Suicide Prevention can align with tribal communities.
Date: 12/2016
Sponsoring organization: Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration
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Center for Medicare and Medicaid Innovation: Report to Congress
Details the activities and progress of the CMS Innovation Center, focusing on the time period between October 1, 2014, and September 30, 2016. Includes updates on multiple rural-relevant models and initiatives such as the Accountable Care Organization Investment Model, Health Care Innovation Awards, and the Strong Start for Mothers and Newborns initiative.
Date: 12/2016
Sponsoring organization: Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services
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Details the activities and progress of the CMS Innovation Center, focusing on the time period between October 1, 2014, and September 30, 2016. Includes updates on multiple rural-relevant models and initiatives such as the Accountable Care Organization Investment Model, Health Care Innovation Awards, and the Strong Start for Mothers and Newborns initiative.
Date: 12/2016
Sponsoring organization: Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services
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Report to Congress: Social Risk Factors and Performance Under Medicare's Value-Based Purchasing Program
Uses Medicare data to examine the relationship between social risk factors and the performance of value-based purchasing programs. Discusses policy considerations that could help ensure value-based purchasing programs achieve their intended results, especially among high social risk populations. Categorizes rurality as a community risk factor and discusses whether beneficiaries with social risk factors such as rurality have worse outcomes due to their social risk profile, or because of the providers they see. Also provides rural-specific statistics and recommendations for using value-based purchasing to improve health outcomes among high social risk populations. Appendices summarize and provide additional details for each of the 9 programs evaluated. See the second report.
Additional links: Appendices
Date: 12/2016
Sponsoring organization: HHS Office of the Assistant Secretary for Planning and Evaluation
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Uses Medicare data to examine the relationship between social risk factors and the performance of value-based purchasing programs. Discusses policy considerations that could help ensure value-based purchasing programs achieve their intended results, especially among high social risk populations. Categorizes rurality as a community risk factor and discusses whether beneficiaries with social risk factors such as rurality have worse outcomes due to their social risk profile, or because of the providers they see. Also provides rural-specific statistics and recommendations for using value-based purchasing to improve health outcomes among high social risk populations. Appendices summarize and provide additional details for each of the 9 programs evaluated. See the second report.
Additional links: Appendices
Date: 12/2016
Sponsoring organization: HHS Office of the Assistant Secretary for Planning and Evaluation
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Medicare Value-Based Payment Models: Participation Challenges and Available Assistance for Small and Rural Practices
Identifies challenges faced by small and rural physician practices when participating in Medicare's new value-based payment models, and groups them into five key areas: financial resources and risk management, health IT and data, population health management care delivery, quality and efficiency performance measurement and reporting, and effects of model participation and managing compliance with requirements. Also identifies two types of organizations, partner and non-partner, along with the services they provide, that can help small and rural practices overcome these challenges.
Additional links: Full Report
Date: 12/2016
Sponsoring organization: Government Accountability Office
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Identifies challenges faced by small and rural physician practices when participating in Medicare's new value-based payment models, and groups them into five key areas: financial resources and risk management, health IT and data, population health management care delivery, quality and efficiency performance measurement and reporting, and effects of model participation and managing compliance with requirements. Also identifies two types of organizations, partner and non-partner, along with the services they provide, that can help small and rural practices overcome these challenges.
Additional links: Full Report
Date: 12/2016
Sponsoring organization: Government Accountability Office
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Improving Community Health through Hospital Community Benefit Spending: Charting a Path to Reform
Provides background on the origin and importance of nonprofit hospital community benefit spending, and explains the difference between community building and community benefit activities. Examines policy options that the IRS could use to enhance community benefit spending focused on improving social determinants of health community-wide. Includes rural-specific statistics and multiple comparisons of items identified in community health needs assessments (CHNAs).
Author(s): Sara Rosenbaum, Maureen Byrnes, Sara Rothenberg, Rachel Gunsalus
Date: 12/2016
Sponsoring organizations: George Washington University Milken Institute School of Public Health Department of Health Policy and Management, Milken Institute School of Public Health
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Provides background on the origin and importance of nonprofit hospital community benefit spending, and explains the difference between community building and community benefit activities. Examines policy options that the IRS could use to enhance community benefit spending focused on improving social determinants of health community-wide. Includes rural-specific statistics and multiple comparisons of items identified in community health needs assessments (CHNAs).
Author(s): Sara Rosenbaum, Maureen Byrnes, Sara Rothenberg, Rachel Gunsalus
Date: 12/2016
Sponsoring organizations: George Washington University Milken Institute School of Public Health Department of Health Policy and Management, Milken Institute School of Public Health
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Health Impact Assessments (HIAs) Lessons Learned
Provides an overview of Arizona's Health Impact Assessments (HIAs), which examines the health impacts of a potential policy, plan, program, or project, and offers lessons learned. Highlights challenges for rural HIAs on page 20.
Date: 11/2016
Sponsoring organization: Vitalyst Health Foundation
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Provides an overview of Arizona's Health Impact Assessments (HIAs), which examines the health impacts of a potential policy, plan, program, or project, and offers lessons learned. Highlights challenges for rural HIAs on page 20.
Date: 11/2016
Sponsoring organization: Vitalyst Health Foundation
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