Rural Health
Resources by Topic: Policy
Governor's Task Force on the Healthcare Workforce Report
Outlines a plan from a governor-appointed task force for growing the Wisconsin healthcare workforce. Highlights the current status of the healthcare workforce, and offers 10 recommendations and 26 action items related to education and training, recruitment and retention, and policy. Discusses rural throughout.
Author(s): Governor's Task Force on the Healthcare Workforce
Date: 08/2024
Sponsoring organization: Wisconsin Department of Health Services
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Outlines a plan from a governor-appointed task force for growing the Wisconsin healthcare workforce. Highlights the current status of the healthcare workforce, and offers 10 recommendations and 26 action items related to education and training, recruitment and retention, and policy. Discusses rural throughout.
Author(s): Governor's Task Force on the Healthcare Workforce
Date: 08/2024
Sponsoring organization: Wisconsin Department of Health Services
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The Cross-State Licensure Continuum: Out-of-State Telehealth Provider Policies
Provides an overview of policy alternatives to full in-state licensure for telehealth providers adopted by states. Describes limited licensure exceptions, telehealth license or registration processes, and interstate licensure compacts, as well as limitations to these policies. Includes a chart indicating which, if any, policies and compacts each state has implemented as of July 2024.
Date: 08/2024
Sponsoring organization: Center for Connected Health Policy: The National Telehealth Policy Resource Center
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Provides an overview of policy alternatives to full in-state licensure for telehealth providers adopted by states. Describes limited licensure exceptions, telehealth license or registration processes, and interstate licensure compacts, as well as limitations to these policies. Includes a chart indicating which, if any, policies and compacts each state has implemented as of July 2024.
Date: 08/2024
Sponsoring organization: Center for Connected Health Policy: The National Telehealth Policy Resource Center
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The Implicit and Explicit Exclusion of People with Disabilities in Clinical Trials
Reports on barriers for people with disabilities in participating in clinical research trials and offers recommendations to various federal agencies for removing those barriers. Discusses rural concerns including opportunities for participation due to distance.
Date: 08/2024
Sponsoring organization: National Council on Disability
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Reports on barriers for people with disabilities in participating in clinical research trials and offers recommendations to various federal agencies for removing those barriers. Discusses rural concerns including opportunities for participation due to distance.
Date: 08/2024
Sponsoring organization: National Council on Disability
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A Scoping Review of Policies to Encourage Breastfeeding, Healthy Eating, and Physical Activity among Rural People and Places in the United States
Scoping review of 122 studies, reports, and theses on breastfeeding, healthy eating, and physical activity policy, systems, and environment change initiatives in rural areas. Analyzes source design, objectives, setting, focus, results, and more. Summarizes research findings and discusses data collection and sharing for rural initiatives.
Author(s): M. Renée Umstattd Meyer, Bailey Houghtaling, Marilyn E. Wende, et al.
Citation: BMC Public Health, 24, 2160
Date: 08/2024
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Scoping review of 122 studies, reports, and theses on breastfeeding, healthy eating, and physical activity policy, systems, and environment change initiatives in rural areas. Analyzes source design, objectives, setting, focus, results, and more. Summarizes research findings and discusses data collection and sharing for rural initiatives.
Author(s): M. Renée Umstattd Meyer, Bailey Houghtaling, Marilyn E. Wende, et al.
Citation: BMC Public Health, 24, 2160
Date: 08/2024
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Delivery of High-Speed Broadband Services in Unserved and Underserved Areas of the Commonwealth (Pennsylvania): Fifth Annual Report
Provides an update on the role of broadband in education, telehealth, agriculture, and community and economic development; barriers to development; and funding resources. Discusses developments in Pennsylvania state and local initiatives and efforts to identify unserved and underserved Pennsylvania communities.
Author(s): Yvonne Llewellyn Hursh, Bryan W. DeWalt, Lydia Hack, Allison N. Kobzowicz, Wendy L. Baker
Date: 08/2024
Sponsoring organization: Joint State Government Commission, General Assembly of the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania
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Provides an update on the role of broadband in education, telehealth, agriculture, and community and economic development; barriers to development; and funding resources. Discusses developments in Pennsylvania state and local initiatives and efforts to identify unserved and underserved Pennsylvania communities.
Author(s): Yvonne Llewellyn Hursh, Bryan W. DeWalt, Lydia Hack, Allison N. Kobzowicz, Wendy L. Baker
Date: 08/2024
Sponsoring organization: Joint State Government Commission, General Assembly of the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania
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Applying AI to Rural Health, with Jordan Berg
An episode of the Exploring Rural Health podcast featuring Jordan Berg, Principal Investigator for the National Telehealth Technology Assessment Resource Center. Focuses on applications of AI in rural healthcare, as well as how patient information in an AI system is safeguarded.
Date: 08/2024
Sponsoring organization: Rural Health Information Hub
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An episode of the Exploring Rural Health podcast featuring Jordan Berg, Principal Investigator for the National Telehealth Technology Assessment Resource Center. Focuses on applications of AI in rural healthcare, as well as how patient information in an AI system is safeguarded.
Date: 08/2024
Sponsoring organization: Rural Health Information Hub
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Hunger Doesn't Take a Vacation: Summer Nutrition Status Report
Provides information on the use of federal nutrition programs in the summer of 2023, when COVID-19 waivers ended and normal operations resumed. Includes national and state findings, policy opportunities, and information about the the rural non-congregate meal option.
Author(s): Kelsey Boone, Crystal FitzSimons
Date: 08/2024
Sponsoring organization: Food Research & Action Center
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Provides information on the use of federal nutrition programs in the summer of 2023, when COVID-19 waivers ended and normal operations resumed. Includes national and state findings, policy opportunities, and information about the the rural non-congregate meal option.
Author(s): Kelsey Boone, Crystal FitzSimons
Date: 08/2024
Sponsoring organization: Food Research & Action Center
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FY 2025 Hospital Inpatient Prospective Payment System (IPPS) and Long-Term Care Hospital Prospective Payment System (LTCH PPS) Final Rule – CMS-1808-F
Fact sheet providing an overview of the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) fiscal year 2025 hospital inpatient prospective payment system (IPPS) and long-term care hospital prospective payment system (LTCH PPS) final rule. Includes information about the extension of the low-wage index hospital policy, a separate IPPS payment for small and independent hospitals to establish and maintain a buffer stock of essential medicines, the distribution of graduate medical education (GME) residency slots, updates to quality reporting programs, and more.
Date: 08/2024
Sponsoring organization: Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services
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Fact sheet providing an overview of the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) fiscal year 2025 hospital inpatient prospective payment system (IPPS) and long-term care hospital prospective payment system (LTCH PPS) final rule. Includes information about the extension of the low-wage index hospital policy, a separate IPPS payment for small and independent hospitals to establish and maintain a buffer stock of essential medicines, the distribution of graduate medical education (GME) residency slots, updates to quality reporting programs, and more.
Date: 08/2024
Sponsoring organization: Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services
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Veterans Health Care: VA's Video Telehealth Access Program Would Benefit from Performance Goals and Measures
Describes programs implemented by the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs Veterans Health Administration (VHA) to address veterans' barriers to accessing telehealth, with a focus on the Accessing Telehealth at Local Area Stations (ATLAS) Pilot Program. Examines telehealth performance and use data, veterans' satisfaction with VHA telehealth services, and VHA efforts to assess the quality of its telehealth services. Offers recommendations to the VHA regarding the development and use of performance goals and measures to assess the effectiveness and efficiency of the ATLAS program.
Additional links: Full Report
Date: 08/2024
Sponsoring organization: Government Accountability Office
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Describes programs implemented by the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs Veterans Health Administration (VHA) to address veterans' barriers to accessing telehealth, with a focus on the Accessing Telehealth at Local Area Stations (ATLAS) Pilot Program. Examines telehealth performance and use data, veterans' satisfaction with VHA telehealth services, and VHA efforts to assess the quality of its telehealth services. Offers recommendations to the VHA regarding the development and use of performance goals and measures to assess the effectiveness and efficiency of the ATLAS program.
Additional links: Full Report
Date: 08/2024
Sponsoring organization: Government Accountability Office
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Effects of Affordable Care Act on Uninsured Hospitalization: Evidence from Texas
Examines the impact of the Affordable Care Act (ACA) in Texas and its relationship to uninsured patient discharges. Analyzes 2011-2019 ACA Marketplace data with breakdowns according to patient race/ethnicity, age, sex, major diagnostic categories (MDCs), type of admission, and rural versus urban location.
Author(s): Nima Khodakarami, Benjamin Ukert
Citation: Health Services Research, 59(4), e14334
Date: 08/2024
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Examines the impact of the Affordable Care Act (ACA) in Texas and its relationship to uninsured patient discharges. Analyzes 2011-2019 ACA Marketplace data with breakdowns according to patient race/ethnicity, age, sex, major diagnostic categories (MDCs), type of admission, and rural versus urban location.
Author(s): Nima Khodakarami, Benjamin Ukert
Citation: Health Services Research, 59(4), e14334
Date: 08/2024
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