Rural Health
Resources by Topic: Policy
Advancing Value-Based Payment Policies Relevant to Rural Areas – Continued Challenges and New Opportunities
Discusses lessons from the recent public health emergency, rising health care costs, improved quality measurement, and innovative technologies on the transition from volume-based payment to value-based payment. Outlines potential policy opportunities for the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) Innovation Center model design and CMS program inclusion to expand rural-appropriate opportunities to participate in the transition to value-based care. Builds on the 2020 publication How to Design Value‐based Care Models for Rural Participant Success: A Summit Findings Report.
Date: 12/2023
Type: Document
Sponsoring organization: Rural Health Value
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Discusses lessons from the recent public health emergency, rising health care costs, improved quality measurement, and innovative technologies on the transition from volume-based payment to value-based payment. Outlines potential policy opportunities for the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) Innovation Center model design and CMS program inclusion to expand rural-appropriate opportunities to participate in the transition to value-based care. Builds on the 2020 publication How to Design Value‐based Care Models for Rural Participant Success: A Summit Findings Report.
Date: 12/2023
Type: Document
Sponsoring organization: Rural Health Value
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Addressing the Direct Care Workforce Shortage: A Bipartisan Call to Action
Report discusses direct care worker shortages throughout the country. Details shortages of home health aids, certified nursing assistants, and residential care aids, among other direct care workers, and makes recommendations for decreasing shortages. Highlights some of the added barriers faced by rural communities.
Author(s): Lisa Harootunian, Kamryn Perry, Allison Buffett, et al.
Date: 12/2023
Type: Document
Sponsoring organization: Bipartisan Policy Center
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Report discusses direct care worker shortages throughout the country. Details shortages of home health aids, certified nursing assistants, and residential care aids, among other direct care workers, and makes recommendations for decreasing shortages. Highlights some of the added barriers faced by rural communities.
Author(s): Lisa Harootunian, Kamryn Perry, Allison Buffett, et al.
Date: 12/2023
Type: Document
Sponsoring organization: Bipartisan Policy Center
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The Need for Better Definitions and Data on "Rural" in Health Services Research
Blog post discussing the various definitions of rural used by the federal government. Describes how the different definitions of rural can complicate understanding health disparities between and within rural areas. Offers policy recommendations for standardizing rural definitions, data collection, and research methodologies to improve health equity.
Author(s): Kayla Alvis
Date: 12/2023
Type: Document
Sponsoring organization: AcademyHealth
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Blog post discussing the various definitions of rural used by the federal government. Describes how the different definitions of rural can complicate understanding health disparities between and within rural areas. Offers policy recommendations for standardizing rural definitions, data collection, and research methodologies to improve health equity.
Author(s): Kayla Alvis
Date: 12/2023
Type: Document
Sponsoring organization: AcademyHealth
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Support for Healthy Eating and Active Living in Rural Communities: Insights from a National Survey of Local Governments
Analyzes local government policies that support wellness, healthy eating, and physical activity in metro versus nonmetro areas. Utilizes Community Based Survey of Supports for Healthy Eating and Active Living (CBS HEAL) data to compare government structures, master plans, built environment policies, transit options, supportive food access policies, and more.
Author(s): Adee Athiyaman
Date: 12/2023
Type: Document
Sponsoring organization: Illinois Institute for Rural Affairs
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Analyzes local government policies that support wellness, healthy eating, and physical activity in metro versus nonmetro areas. Utilizes Community Based Survey of Supports for Healthy Eating and Active Living (CBS HEAL) data to compare government structures, master plans, built environment policies, transit options, supportive food access policies, and more.
Author(s): Adee Athiyaman
Date: 12/2023
Type: Document
Sponsoring organization: Illinois Institute for Rural Affairs
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Geographic Variations in Driving Time to U.S. Mental Health Care, Digital Access to Technology, & Household Crowdedness
Evaluated distance to mental health services, household crowdedness, and access to technology and broadband alongside rurality to determine barriers to mental healthcare for both rural and urban residents in 31,924 ZIP Code Tabulation Areas (ZCTAs). Discusses implications for telehealth and policy measures addressing the digital divide.
Author(s): Sophia N. D. Negaro, Rachel M. Hantman, Janice C. Probst, et al.
Citation: Health Affairs Scholar, 1(6)
Date: 12/2023
Type: Document
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Evaluated distance to mental health services, household crowdedness, and access to technology and broadband alongside rurality to determine barriers to mental healthcare for both rural and urban residents in 31,924 ZIP Code Tabulation Areas (ZCTAs). Discusses implications for telehealth and policy measures addressing the digital divide.
Author(s): Sophia N. D. Negaro, Rachel M. Hantman, Janice C. Probst, et al.
Citation: Health Affairs Scholar, 1(6)
Date: 12/2023
Type: Document
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School Meals and Other Child Nutrition Programs: Background and Funding
Provides an overview of federal child nutrition programs, including the National School Lunch Program (NSLP), School Breakfast Program (SBP), Child and Adult Care Food Program (CACFP), and Summer Food Service Program (SFSP), among others. Includes information on reimbursement rates for rural SFSP meal sites, as well as brief mentions of rural and tribal demonstration programs.
Date: 12/2023
Type: Document
Sponsoring organization: Congressional Research Service
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Provides an overview of federal child nutrition programs, including the National School Lunch Program (NSLP), School Breakfast Program (SBP), Child and Adult Care Food Program (CACFP), and Summer Food Service Program (SFSP), among others. Includes information on reimbursement rates for rural SFSP meal sites, as well as brief mentions of rural and tribal demonstration programs.
Date: 12/2023
Type: Document
Sponsoring organization: Congressional Research Service
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Farm Bill Primer: Rural Broadband Provisions
Highlights selected rural broadband programs and provisions included in the 2018 Farm Bill, including the Rural Broadband Program, Community Connect Grant Program, and Distance Learning and Telemedicine Program. Outlines considerations for Congress related to the ReConnect Program, rural health challenges, and expanding broadband to support increased telework opportunities.
Date: 12/2023
Type: Document
Sponsoring organization: Congressional Research Service
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Highlights selected rural broadband programs and provisions included in the 2018 Farm Bill, including the Rural Broadband Program, Community Connect Grant Program, and Distance Learning and Telemedicine Program. Outlines considerations for Congress related to the ReConnect Program, rural health challenges, and expanding broadband to support increased telework opportunities.
Date: 12/2023
Type: Document
Sponsoring organization: Congressional Research Service
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Farm Bill Primer: Rural Development Title
Provides an overview of the rural development provisions of the 2018 Farm Bill, including provisions related to rural broadband, water and waste disposal, and business creation and economic development. Offers considerations Congress may consider in the 2024 reauthorization of the Farm Bill related to the ReConnect Program and rural health challenges.
Date: 12/2023
Type: Document
Sponsoring organization: Congressional Research Service
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Provides an overview of the rural development provisions of the 2018 Farm Bill, including provisions related to rural broadband, water and waste disposal, and business creation and economic development. Offers considerations Congress may consider in the 2024 reauthorization of the Farm Bill related to the ReConnect Program and rural health challenges.
Date: 12/2023
Type: Document
Sponsoring organization: Congressional Research Service
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2023 March of Dimes Report Card: The State of Maternal and Infant Health for American Families
Provides information on U.S. and state-level maternal and infant health outcomes. Considers issues such as preterm birth, infant mortality rate, access to health care, policy efforts, social determinants of health, and more. Includes county-level grades of maternal vulnerability.
Date: 11/2023
Type: Document
Sponsoring organization: March of Dimes
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Provides information on U.S. and state-level maternal and infant health outcomes. Considers issues such as preterm birth, infant mortality rate, access to health care, policy efforts, social determinants of health, and more. Includes county-level grades of maternal vulnerability.
Date: 11/2023
Type: Document
Sponsoring organization: March of Dimes
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Health Panel Comment Letter - Minimum Staffing Standards for Long-Term Care Facilities and Medicaid Institutional Payment Transparency Reporting Proposed Rule
Comments offered in response to a September 6, 2023, proposed rule regarding minimum nurse staffing standards for long-term care facilities. Discusses considerations for the implementation timeline and including licensed practical nurses in the proposed staffing ratios and standards, the definition of rural utilized in the proposed rule to identify rural facilities, and conditions for hardship exemption eligibility.
Date: 11/2023
Type: Document
Sponsoring organization: Rural Policy Research Institute Rural Health Panel
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Comments offered in response to a September 6, 2023, proposed rule regarding minimum nurse staffing standards for long-term care facilities. Discusses considerations for the implementation timeline and including licensed practical nurses in the proposed staffing ratios and standards, the definition of rural utilized in the proposed rule to identify rural facilities, and conditions for hardship exemption eligibility.
Date: 11/2023
Type: Document
Sponsoring organization: Rural Policy Research Institute Rural Health Panel
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