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Rural Health
Resources by Topic: Policy

Metropolitan Statistical Areas: New Standards and Their Impact on Selected Federal Programs
Describes the Office of Management and Budget's revised standards for defining metropolitan areas, and the impact these changes will have on federally funded programs that use the OMB's definition to determine program eligibility. The programs addressed are the Community Development Block Grant program, Locality Pay Program for General Schedule Employees, Medicare Hospital Reimbursement System and Ryan White CARE Act Program.
Additional links: Full Report
Date: 06/2004
Type: Document
Sponsoring organization: Government Accountability Office
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Delta States Initiative Report
Provides a summary of FORHP's Delta States Initiative and details activities conducted by the Delta States Rural Development Network Grant Program and the Delta Rural Hospital Performance Improvement Project.
Date: 05/2004
Type: Document
Sponsoring organization: Federal Office of Rural Health Policy
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Highway Safety: Federal and State Efforts to Address Rural Road Safety Challenges
Identifies the factors contributing to rural road fatalities. Discusses federal and state efforts to improve safety and the challenges to making improvements in rural road safety.
Additional links: Full Report
Date: 05/2004
Type: Document
Sponsoring organization: Government Accountability Office
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The 2004 Report to the Secretary: Rural Health and Human Service Issues
Report to the Secretary of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. Overview of key issues and trends affecting health and human service delivery in rural communities. Detailed information on the integration of behavioral health and primary care, access to oral health care, and aging-related services.
Date: 04/2004
Type: Document
Sponsoring organization: National Advisory Committee on Rural Health and Human Services
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Rural Hospitals' Strategies for Achieving Compliance with HIPAA Privacy Requirements
Discusses a survey of hospital administrators in rural areas regarding the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act (HIPAA). Includes an overview of HIPAA compliance efforts in rural hospitals, as well as examples of specific strategies to meet HIPAA requirements.
Date: 03/2004
Type: Document
Sponsoring organization: NORC Walsh Center for Rural Health Analysis
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MedPAC Report to the Congress: Medicare Payment Policy, 2004
Annual review of Medicare payment policies, with recommendations to Congress. Discussion of rural aspects of Medicare payment policies are included throughout the report. Includes discussion of the growth of Medicare spending and quality of care Medicare recipients receive.
Date: 03/2004
Type: Document
Sponsoring organization: Medicare Payment Advisory Commission
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National Advisory Committee on Rural Health & Human Services Meeting Minutes, Washington DC, February 22-24, 2004
Minutes from a February 2004 meeting of the National Advisory Committee on Rural Health and Human Services in Washington, DC. Meeting included staff updates, a presentation on framing public policy for rural health and human services, and rural priorities of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services.
Date: 02/2004
Type: Document
Sponsoring organization: National Advisory Committee on Rural Health and Human Services
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Medicare Home Health: Payments to Freestanding Home Health Agencies More Than Covered Their Costs
Discusses an evaluation of Medicare payments to freestanding home health agencies (HHAs). Includes comparison of Medicare margins for urban and rural HHAs.
Additional links: Full Report
Date: 02/2004
Type: Document
Sponsoring organization: Government Accountability Office
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Legal and Historical Roots of Health Care for American Indians and Alaska Natives in the United States
Discusses the history of healthcare provision to American Indians and Alaska Natives (AI/AN). Includes a timeline of legislative and historical events as well as detailed overview of the laws, federal agencies, and issues involved. Also includes a brief section on more recent issues in AI/AN healthcare.
Author(s): Brett Lee Shelton
Date: 02/2004
Type: Document
Sponsoring organization: KFF
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Medicare Prescription Drug, Improvement, and Modernization Act of 2003 (P.L. 108-173): A Summary of Provisions Important to Rural Health Care Delivery
Overview of the Medicare Prescription Drug, Improvement, and Modernization Act of 2003 (P.L. 108-173) as it relates to rural healthcare. Includes information on how this Act impacts beneficiaries, healthcare access, and payments to rural healthcare providers.
Author(s): Keith J. Mueller
Date: 01/2004
Type: Document
Sponsoring organizations: RUPRI Center for Rural Health Policy Analysis, Rural Policy Research Institute
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