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Rural Health
Resources by Topic: Policy

Designating Health Professional Shortage Areas and Medically Underserved Populations/Medically Underserved Areas: A Primer on Basic Issues to Resolve
Includes discussion for interested parties considering issues related to the designation of Medically Underserved Areas (MUAs), Medically Underserved Populations (MUPs), and Health Professional Shortage Areas (HPSAs). Describes key issues on how the designations establish eligibility for programs important to rural healthcare delivery.
Author(s): Andrew F. Coburn, Jennifer P. Lundblad, A. Clinton MacKinney, Timothy D. McBride, Keith J. Mueller
Date: 08/2010
Type: Document
Sponsoring organization: Rural Policy Research Institute Rural Health Panel
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Improving Access to EMS and Health Care in Rural Communities: A Strategic Plan
Summarizes challenges emergency medical services (EMS) face in rural areas and offers recommendations and strategies to improve access to EMS in rural communities.
Date: 07/2010
Type: Document
Sponsoring organizations: Joint Committee of Rural Emergency Care, National Association of State EMS Officials, National Organization of State Offices of Rural Health
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Increases in Primary Care Physician Income due to the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act of 2010--Continued Tweaking of Physician Payment
Examines changes authorized by the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act (ACA) to the Resource-Based Relative Value Scale (RBRVS) system aimed at increasing primary care physician personal income and reducing geographic variation in primary care payment. Looks at ACA-authorized primary care payment adjustments in a prototypical rural primary care practice to assess the potential impact on physician personal income and the likelihood that the changes will achieve the desired policy outcome.
Author(s): A. Clinton MacKinney
Date: 07/2010
Type: Document
Sponsoring organization: RUPRI Center for Rural Health Policy Analysis
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Developing the Rural Primary Care Workforce in Hawai'i - A 10-Point Plan
Describes initiatives focused on addressing physician shortages in Hawaii. Covers a ten point plan to lay the framework for improving the rural physician training pipeline. Highlights the impact of a rural family medicine residency program.
Author(s): Allen L. Hixon, Lee E. Buenconsejo-Lum
Citation: Hawaii Medical Journal, 69(6), 53-55
Date: 06/2010
Type: Document
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National Advisory Committee on Rural Health & Human Services Meeting Minutes, Charleston, South Carolina, June 14-16, 2010
Minutes from the June 14-16, 2010, NACRHHS meeting in Charleston, South Carolina. NACRHHS provides recommendations on rural health and human services issues to the Secretary of the Department of Health and Human Services. Meeting included discussions on the following topics: childhood obesity, Early Head Start programs, and rural implications of payment bundling and accountable care organizations.
Date: 06/2010
Type: Document
Sponsoring organization: National Advisory Committee on Rural Health and Human Services
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MedPAC Report to Congress: Aligning Incentives in Medicare, June 2010
Focuses on how incentives in the Medicare program can be leveraged to promote healthcare quality and efficient use of resources, both of which are key elements of a high-value healthcare delivery system. Includes chapters focused on graduate medical education financing and inpatient psychiatric care.
Additional links: Executive Summary
Date: 06/2010
Type: Document
Sponsoring organization: Medicare Payment Advisory Commission
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The Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act: A Summary of Provisions Important to Rural Health Care Delivery
Summarizes the legislative provisions contained in P.L. 111-148, the Patient Protection and Affordability Act (PPACA) of 2010, that have significance for rural residents regarding the delivery of healthcare services in rural areas.
Author(s): Keith J. Mueller
Date: 06/2010
Type: Document
Sponsoring organization: RUPRI Center for Rural Health Policy Analysis
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The Redesign of Primary Care with Implications of Training: Eighth Annual Report to the Secretary of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services and to the U.S. Congress
Discusses funding medical training including directing funding for graduate medical education specifically to training in non-hospital sites that serve underserved and rural populations. Recommends the expansion of the National Health Service Corps loan repayment programs to address the severe primary care workforce shortages in medicine and dentistry.
Date: 05/2010
Type: Document
Sponsoring organization: Advisory Committee on Training in Primary Care Medicine and Dentistry
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The 2010 Report to the Secretary: Rural Health and Human Services Issues
Report to the Secretary of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services on issues related to rural America. Topics include home and community based care for rural seniors, rural primary care workforce, and rural health care provider integration.
Date: 05/2010
Type: Document
Sponsoring organization: National Advisory Committee on Rural Health and Human Services
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Encouraging Rural Health Clinics to Provide Mental Health Services: What are the Options?
Examines changes in the delivery of mental health services by Rural Health Clinics (RHCs), their operational characteristics, barriers to the development of services, and policy options to encourage more RHCs to deliver mental health services.
Author(s): John Gale, David Hartley, Barbara Shaw, Stephanie Loux
Date: 05/2010
Type: Document
Sponsoring organization: Maine Rural Health Research Center
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