Skip to main content
Rural Health Information Hub

Rural Health
Resources by Topic: Policy

Challenges for Improving Health Care Access in Rural America: A Compendium of Research and Policy Analysis Studies of Rural Health Research and Policy Analysis Centers 2009-2010
A collection of twenty-four research and policy analysis studies on health care access in rural America from the Federal Office of Rural Health Policy Rural Health Research and Policy Analysis Centers. Topics covered include health insurance, access to care, the impact of the economic downturn, health workforce shortages, and health system challenges.
Date: 2010
Type: Document
Sponsoring organization: Federal Office of Rural Health Policy
view details
National Advisory Committee on Rural Health & Human Services Meeting Minutes, Washington, D.C. February 17-19, 2010
Summarizes a meeting of the National Advisory Committee on Rural Health and Human Services. Topics addressed include: an update from HRSA director Mary Wakefield, the 2010 Report to the Secretary, committee discussion, issues facing the rural elderly, key issues in rural health and human services, and health information technology (HIT) meaningful use.
Date: 2010
Type: Document
Sponsoring organization: National Advisory Committee on Rural Health and Human Services
view details
The Potential Impact of Pay-for-Performance on the Financial Health of Critical Access Hospitals
Models the impact of different Medicare pay-for-performance (P4P) incentives on the financial health of Critical Access Hospitals (CAHs) using quality performance measures for pneumonia and heart failure from several data sources.
Additional links: Policy Brief, February 2010
Author(s): Robert Town, Ira Moscovice
Date: 12/2009
Type: Document
Sponsoring organization: Flex Monitoring Team
view details
Impact of the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act on Covered Persons as Amended
Analyzes the Patient Protection and Affordable Coverage Act (as amended on December 19, 2009 by the Senate Majority Leader's Manager's Amendment) using statistics and data to identify how it would reduce the number of uninsured in nonmetropolitan areas.
Author(s): Tim McBride
Date: 12/2009
Type: Document
Sponsoring organization: Rural Policy Research Institute Rural Health Panel
view details
A Community Benefit Reporting Toolkit for Critical Access Hospitals
Provides guidance to Critical Access Hospitals (CAHs) in collecting and reporting community benefit data to comply with federal and/or state community benefit reporting requirements or to prepare community benefit reports for internal and external audiences.
Author(s): John Gale, Melanie Race
Date: 10/2009
Type: Document
Sponsoring organization: Flex Monitoring Team
view details
Workforce Challenges in Delivering Health Care to Elderly and Low-Income Populations in Wyoming: Medical Providers' Acceptance of Medicaid and Medicare Patients
Examines medical professionals in urban and rural Wyoming providing care to Medicaid and Medicare enrollees, and factors associated with provider acceptance of new patients. Includes policy considerations to inform state-level policy and program implementation for low-income and elderly populations.
Author(s): Davis G. Patterson, Susan M. Skillman, C. Holly A. Andrilla, Mark P. Doescher
Date: 09/2009
Type: Document
Sponsoring organization: UW Center for Health Workforce Studies
view details
Obstacles to Providing High-Quality Patient Care: Findings from a Survey of Wyoming's Medical Care Providers
Examines obstacles to providing high-quality patient care identified by Wyoming's rural and urban healthcare providers through surveys conducted in 2009. Identified obstacles in three areas: patient care and service delivery, financial, and profession management. Includes policy considerations to address the identified obstacles.
Author(s): Davis G. Patterson, Susan M. Skillman, Mark P. Doescher, C. Holly A. Andrilla
Date: 08/2009
Type: Document
Sponsoring organization: UW Center for Health Workforce Studies
view details
Climate Change and Rural Communities in the U.S.
Describes the effects of climate change on rural populations and economies. Discusses climate change legislation and policies under consideration in the U.S.
Author(s): Jennifer Keller Jensen
Date: 08/2009
Type: Document
Sponsoring organization: Rural Policy Research Institute
view details
Foreign Medical Graduates: A Brief Overview of the J-1 Visa Waiver Program
Provides background information on the J-1 Visa Waiver Program, which allows foreign medical graduates to remain in the U.S. after completing graduate medical education in exchange for working at least three years in a designated Health Professional Shortage Area (HPSA). Includes a description of the waiver application process.
Date: 08/2009
Type: Document
Sponsoring organization: Congressional Research Service
view details
Federal Tort Claims Act: Information Related to Implications of Extending Coverage to Volunteers at HRSA-Funded Health Centers
Describes information on claims and lawsuits paid under current FTCA coverage for Health Centers, potential financial implications of extending FTCA coverage to volunteers in Health Centers, and how this extension could have an impact on volunteerism at Health Centers.
Additional links: Full Report
Date: 06/2009
Type: Document
Sponsoring organization: Government Accountability Office
view details