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Rural Health
Resources by Topic: Policy

Addressing Rural Health Disparities Through Policy Change in the Stroke Belt
Examines the feasibility and acceptability of 24 Common Community Measures for Obesity Prevention (COCOMO) strategies based on local culture, infrastructure, funding, and community support by surveying and interviewing residents from rural Lenoir County, North Carolina.
Author(s): Stephanie B. Jilcott Pitts, Tosha W. Smith, Linden Maya Thayer, et al.
Citation: Journal of Public Health Management and Practice, 19(6), 503-510
Date: 11/2013
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State Repayment Programs for Health Care Education Loans
Studied state loan repayment and direct financial incentive programs for health professionals, requiring clinical service in underserved communities or practices. Analyzed types of programs by state and types and number of clinicians serving through loan repayment and financial incentive programs.
Author(s): Donald E. Pathman, Lynda Goldberg, Thomas R. Konrad, Jennifer Craft Morgan
Citation: JAMA: Journal of the American Medical Association, 310(18), 1982-1984
Date: 11/2013
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The Burden of Chronic Diseases in a Rural North Florida Sample
Discusses the frequency of four common and preventable chronic diseases (diabetes, cardiovascular disease, cancer, and arthritis), and the risk factors that may be associated with these diseases among residents in rural North Florida.
Author(s): Henrietta Logan, Yi Guo, Virginia J Dodd, et al.
Citation: BMC Public Health, 13, 906
Date: 10/2013
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Compacts of Free Association: Micronesia and the Marshall Islands Continue to Face Challenges Measuring Progress and Ensuring Accountability
Discusses Federated States of Micronesia and the Republic of the Marshall Islands spending of compact sector funds in the education and health sectors. Offers recommendations to ensure the reliability of indicators in education and health.
Additional links: Full Report
Date: 09/2013
Sponsoring organization: Government Accountability Office
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GME in the United States: A Review of State Initiatives
Reports results from a study examining what states are doing to address issues affecting the physician workforce, including shortages in rural areas. Report introduces maps and charts showing demographics and healthcare workforce data by state.
Author(s): Julie C. Spero, Erin P. Fraher, Thomas C. Ricketts, Paul H. Rockey
Date: 09/2013
Sponsoring organization: The Cecil G. Sheps Center for Health Services Research
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Twenty-First Report: Improving Value in Graduate Medical Education
Recommends changes in graduate medical education that will improve the value of physician training. Includes increasing funding for new residency programs, and funding training programs within regions with lower per capita supplies of physicians.
Author(s): David Reines, Kenneth Shine, Gamini S. Sooriyaarachchi, et al.
Date: 08/2013
Sponsoring organization: Council on Graduate Medical Education
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Redesigning Health Professions Education and Practice to Prepare the Interprofessional Team to Care for Populations
12th Annual Report to the Secretary of the United States Department of Health and Human Services and the Congress of the United States. Discusses the need to educate healthcare professionals to care for diverse needs including culture, language, economic status, cultural competency, and health disparities. Discusses the importance of telehealth and telemedicine in population health in rural areas and for those with unstable health conditions that require close monitoring by a health professional.
Date: 08/2013
Sponsoring organization: Advisory Committee on Interdisciplinary Community-Based Linkages
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Rural Implications of Changes to the Medicare Hospice Benefit
Policy brief highlights an April 2013 meeting in Grand Junction, Colorado, of the National Advisory Committee on Rural Health and Human Services. Presents the committee's recommendations and analyses of ACA provisions which may have rural implications regarding challenges and innovations in hospice and palliative care in rural and frontier areas.
Date: 08/2013
Sponsoring organization: National Advisory Committee on Rural Health and Human Services
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Most Critical Access Hospitals Would Not Meet the Location Requirements if Required to Re-Enroll in Medicare
Recommends that CMS seek legislative authority to remove the permanent distance exemption for Critical Access Hospitals (CAHs) that currently have Necessary Provider designations.
Date: 08/2013
Sponsoring organization: Office of Inspector General (HHS)
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Health Workforce Assessment: Tools for Policymakers and Planners
Provides information and statistics on the rural healthcare workforce, assessments, and other factors affecting the delivery of healthcare in Washington, Wyoming, Alaska, Montana, and Idaho.
Author(s): Susan M. Skillman, Davis G. Patterson, Denise M. Lishner, Mark P. Doescher, C. Holly A. Andrilla
Date: 07/2013
Sponsoring organization: WWAMI Rural Health Research Center
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