This website is being reviewed for updates. Some information is offline. We apologize for any inconvenience.
Skip to main content
Rural Health Information Hub

Rural Health
Resources by Topic: Policy

MedPAC Report to Congress: Regional Variation in Medicare Service Use
Presents data on regional variations in Medicare spending and Medicare-covered service use, including for nonmetropolitan areas. Data used was adjusted to account for differences in small rural hospital and Critical Access Hospital Medicare payment rates.
Date: 01/2011
Sponsoring organization: Medicare Payment Advisory Commission
view details
Rural Veterans: Invisible Heroes, Special People, Special Issues
Introduces a thematic issue focused on the healthcare needs and the health status of rural veterans.
Author(s): Hilda R. Heady
Citation: Journal of Rural Social Sciences, 26(3), 1-13
Date: 2011
view details
White House Rural Council: Feedback from Rural America
Provides an overview of the challenges and opportunities rural Americans voiced during the White House Rural Council's visits to rural communities during the Obama administration.
Date: 2011
Sponsoring organization: White House Rural Council (Obama Administration)
view details
Iowa Rural and Agricultural Health and Safety Resource Plan, 2011
Presents the Iowa Department of Public Health strategic plan, including a rural health care resource plan. Discusses rural facts, access to health services, agricultural health and safety, and rural health workforce and information technology implications.
Date: 2011
Sponsoring organization: Iowa Department of Health and Human Services
view details
COGME Twentieth Report: Advancing Primary Care
Makes recommendations related to the ideal number of primary care physicians, primary care physician reimbursement, financial aid programs, as well as physician education and distribution. Addresses rural and underserved areas, Rural Health Clinics (RHCs), and community health centers (CHCs).
Author(s): Jerry Kruse, Mark Kelley, Tom Keane, et al.
Date: 12/2010
Sponsoring organization: Council on Graduate Medical Education
view details
State Perspectives Discussion Paper on Development of Community Paramedic Programs
Summarizes the status of community paramedicine programs in 2010 and presents a synopsis of some of the opportunities and challenges state EMS offices will face as these programs are contemplated in local communities.
Date: 12/2010
Sponsoring organization: National Association of State EMS Officials
view details
Securing High Quality Health Care in Rural America: The Impetus for Change in the Affordable Care Act
Analyzes the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act's call for the development of a National Health Care Quality Strategy and Plan, or National Quality Strategy, that will affect healthcare for millions of rural Americans and thousands of rural healthcare providers. Works to answer the question, "What rural considerations should be addressed in a National Quality Strategy?"
Author(s): A. Clinton MacKinney, Jennifer P. Lundblad, Andrew F. Coburn, Timothy D. McBride, Keith J. Mueller
Date: 12/2010
Sponsoring organization: Rural Policy Research Institute Rural Health Panel
view details
Telecommunications: FCC's Performance Management Weaknesses Could Jeopardize Proposed Reforms of the Rural Health Care Program
Evaluates the Federal Communications Commission's (FCC) management of the Rural Health Care Program. Focuses on how well the program is addressing the needs of rural healthcare providers, the impact of the FCC's pilot program design and implementation, and the FCC's performance goals and measures.
Additional links: Full Report
Date: 11/2010
Sponsoring organization: Government Accountability Office
view details
Preparing the Interprofessional Healthcare Workforce to Address Health Behavior Change: Ensuring A High Quality and Cost-Effective Healthcare System
10th Annual Report to the Secretary of the United States Department of Health and Human Services and the Congress of the United States. Focuses on education and training needed to help the healthcare workforce promote positive health behaviors. Discusses task shifting to community members in rural areas such as the use of lay health workers, including promotoras and patient navigators.
Date: 09/2010
Sponsoring organization: Advisory Committee on Interdisciplinary Community-Based Linkages
view details
The Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act of 2010: Impacts on Rural People, Places, and Providers: A First Look
Summarizes six issue areas of the Affordable Care Act (ACA) and discusses implications for access to services and improving the health status of rural residents. These issue areas are: health insurance coverage; Medicare and Medicaid payment; quality, financing, and delivery system reform; public health; healthcare workforce; and long-term care.
Author(s): Andrew F. Coburn, Jennifer P. Lundblad, A. Clinton MacKinney, Timothy D. McBride, Keith J. Mueller
Date: 09/2010
Sponsoring organization: Rural Policy Research Institute Rural Health Panel
view details