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Rural Health
Resources by Topic: Policy

Definition of Frontier
Policy paper discussing the various definitions of frontier and the methodologies for determining the different definitions. Offers support to state and federal programs in their selection of the most appropriate definition to attain their program goals.
Author(s): Susan Wilger, National Center for Frontier Communities
Date: 02/2016
Type: Document
Sponsoring organization: National Rural Health Association
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Report to Congress on Medicaid Disproportionate Share Hospital Payments
First annual report on Medicaid Disproportionate Share Hospital (DSH) payments, which provide support to safety-net hospitals to help offset uncompensated care costs for Medicaid and uninsured patients. Discusses Medicaid policy, current and future DSH allotments, and data needs. Table B-3 projects FY2018 DSH payments under different scenarios, with data for urban and rural hospitals and for Critical Access Hospitals.
Date: 02/2016
Type: Document
Sponsoring organization: Medicaid and CHIP Payment and Access Commission
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CMS Manual System: Revisions to Medicare State Operations Manual, Chapter 9 - Critical Access Hospital (CAH) Recertification Checklist: Rural and Distance or Necessary Provider Verification
Provides a list of the necessary components to be confirmed when Critical Access Hospitals (CAHs) are surveyed for recertification to determine if they meet the rural location and distance or necessary provider requirements to maintain their CAH status. Identifies the procedures used by the CMS Regional Office and state survey agencies to determine if CAHs meet the necessary requirements.
Date: 02/2016
Type: Document
Sponsoring organization: Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services
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Rural Reality: City Transit, Rural Transit
A discussion of rural versus urban transit use in Minnesota, with particular focus on transit dependent populations and policy issues. Includes a fact sheet with county-by-county breakdown.
Date: 01/2016
Type: Document
Sponsoring organization: Center for Rural Policy and Development
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Community Health Workers: Roles and Opportunities in Health Care Delivery System Reform
Identifies and discusses health services research on the utilization and integration of Community Health Workers (CHWs) into healthcare service delivery. Includes an analysis regarding the various CHW models, employment data, training and credentialing, and challenges associated with the development of this occupation.
Author(s): John E. Snyder
Date: 01/2016
Type: Document
Sponsoring organization: HHS Office of the Assistant Secretary for Planning and Evaluation
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2016 Rural Hospital Replacement Facility Study
Examines the effects of facility replacement on rural Critical Access Hospitals (CAHs), including service volumes, operating efficiency, financial performance, and healthcare quality.
Date: 2016
Type: Document
Sponsoring organizations: National Rural Health Association, Stroudwater Associates
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Alabama Rural Health Plan
Examines health status indicators in rural Alabama. Includes the number of practicing primary care physicians in Alabama by age, and the number of primary care physicians, dentists, and psychiatrists per 10,000 people for each Alabama county.
Date: 2016
Type: Document
Sponsoring organization: Alabama Office of Primary Care and Rural Health
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Utah's Physical Therapist Workforce, 2016
Describes the composition of Utah's physical therapy workforce in 2016. Includes statistics on demographics, practice characteristics, rural and urban distribution, and the supply and demand of physical therapists in Utah. Offers policy recommendations to strengthen the rural workforce.
Author(s): Jaron Halford
Date: 2016
Type: Document
Sponsoring organization: Utah Health Workforce Information Center
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Preventing Bullying Through Science, Policy, and Practice
Presents what is currently known about the field of bullying prevention and outlines where gaps in knowledge still exist. Discusses the scope of the problem, the consequences of bullying behavior, preventive interventions, law and policy, and future directions for research, policy, and practice. Chapter two includes an overview of what is known about whether bullying is more prevalent in urban schools or rural schools.
Additional links: Read Online
Author(s): Committee on the Biological and Psychosocial Effects of Peer Victimization: Lessons for Bullying Prevention
Date: 2016
Type: Document
Sponsoring organization: Health and Medicine Division (HMD), National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine
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Benefiting Hospitals, Not Patients: An Analysis of Charity Care Provided by Hospitals Enrolled in the 340B Discount Program
Examines charity care levels at 340B Disproportionate Share Hospitals (DSHs) to determine if eligibility criteria for DSH hospitals appropriately align with the 340B programs goal of supporting access to prescription drugs for uninsured and vulnerable populations. Appendix provides additional information and operating statistics specific to Critical Access Hospitals (CAHs).
Date: 2016
Type: Document
Sponsoring organization: Alliance for Integrity and Reform of 340B
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