Rural Health
Resources by Topic: Policy
Rural Hospital Closures Threaten Access: Solutions to Preserve Care in Local Communities
Provides an overview of rural hospital closures between 2010-2021. Discusses rural demographics and outlines trends affecting rural hospital financial sustainability, including patient volume and health, reimbursement, staffing shortages, COVID-19, new models of care, and more.
Date: 09/2022
Type: Document
Sponsoring organization: American Hospital Association
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Provides an overview of rural hospital closures between 2010-2021. Discusses rural demographics and outlines trends affecting rural hospital financial sustainability, including patient volume and health, reimbursement, staffing shortages, COVID-19, new models of care, and more.
Date: 09/2022
Type: Document
Sponsoring organization: American Hospital Association
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MedPAC Comment on CMS's Proposed Rule on the Physician Fee Schedule and Other Revisions to Part B for CY 2023
Comment on a July 29, 2022, Federal Register proposed rule revising the physician fee schedule to improve payment systems for physicians and other Medicare Part B revisions. Includes a discussion of the coverage of certain telehealth services after the COVID-19 public health emergency, as well as rebasing and revising the Medicare Economic Index (MEI).
Date: 09/2022
Type: Document
Sponsoring organization: Medicare Payment Advisory Commission
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Comment on a July 29, 2022, Federal Register proposed rule revising the physician fee schedule to improve payment systems for physicians and other Medicare Part B revisions. Includes a discussion of the coverage of certain telehealth services after the COVID-19 public health emergency, as well as rebasing and revising the Medicare Economic Index (MEI).
Date: 09/2022
Type: Document
Sponsoring organization: Medicare Payment Advisory Commission
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America's Rural Roads: Beautiful and Deadly
Examines rural road fatal crashes using data for years 2016-2020. Describes where people crash on rural roads, who crashes, and what risky behaviors may contribute to crashes. Includes statistics on road fatalities, proportions of rural and urban population compared with proportions of road fatalities, fatalities per vehicle miles traveled, crash type and vehicle type, sex, race and ethnicity, age, alcohol use, drug involvement, and speeding, with breakdowns by rural or urban location. Includes state-level statistics on fatalities by state maximum speed limit.
Author(s): Paula Raymond
Date: 09/2022
Type: Document
Sponsoring organizations: Governors Highway Safety Association, State Farm
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Examines rural road fatal crashes using data for years 2016-2020. Describes where people crash on rural roads, who crashes, and what risky behaviors may contribute to crashes. Includes statistics on road fatalities, proportions of rural and urban population compared with proportions of road fatalities, fatalities per vehicle miles traveled, crash type and vehicle type, sex, race and ethnicity, age, alcohol use, drug involvement, and speeding, with breakdowns by rural or urban location. Includes state-level statistics on fatalities by state maximum speed limit.
Author(s): Paula Raymond
Date: 09/2022
Type: Document
Sponsoring organizations: Governors Highway Safety Association, State Farm
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Disability and Telehealth since the COVID-19 Pandemic
Discusses the importance of telehealth for people with disabilities in context of the COVID-19 public health emergency. Describes telehealth's benefits and barriers for individuals as well as institutional advantages and limitations, including discussion of increased need and accessibility issues in rural areas. Describes specific policy and funding modifications during the public health emergency. Provides policy and infrastructure recommendations.
Author(s): Natalie Lawson, Jaque King, Robyn Rontal
Date: 08/2022
Type: Document
Sponsoring organization: Center for Health and Research Transformation at the University of Michigan (CHRT)
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Discusses the importance of telehealth for people with disabilities in context of the COVID-19 public health emergency. Describes telehealth's benefits and barriers for individuals as well as institutional advantages and limitations, including discussion of increased need and accessibility issues in rural areas. Describes specific policy and funding modifications during the public health emergency. Provides policy and infrastructure recommendations.
Author(s): Natalie Lawson, Jaque King, Robyn Rontal
Date: 08/2022
Type: Document
Sponsoring organization: Center for Health and Research Transformation at the University of Michigan (CHRT)
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Advisory Committee on Interdisciplinary, Community-Based Linkages (ACICBL) Meeting Minutes, August 26, 2022
Summarizes the Advisory Committee on Interdisciplinary, Community-Based Linkages (ACICBL) meeting held on August 26, 2022. Includes updates from the Bureau of Health Workforce and a discussion on the Geriatric Academic Career Award program (GACA) and Geriatric Workforce Enhancement Program (GWEP). Includes rural references throughout.
Date: 08/2022
Type: Document
Sponsoring organization: Advisory Committee on Interdisciplinary Community-Based Linkages
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Summarizes the Advisory Committee on Interdisciplinary, Community-Based Linkages (ACICBL) meeting held on August 26, 2022. Includes updates from the Bureau of Health Workforce and a discussion on the Geriatric Academic Career Award program (GACA) and Geriatric Workforce Enhancement Program (GWEP). Includes rural references throughout.
Date: 08/2022
Type: Document
Sponsoring organization: Advisory Committee on Interdisciplinary Community-Based Linkages
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Advisory Committee on Training in Primary Care Medicine and Dentistry (ACTPCMD) Meeting Minutes, August 2, 2022
Summarizes the Advisory Committee on Training in Primary Care Medicine and Dentistry (ACTPCMD) meeting held August 2, 2022. Features updates from the Bureau of Health Workforce on the Title VII Dental Faculty Loan Repayment Program (DFLRP) and Title VII and preventive medicine, including information on the shortage of preventive medicine physicians in rural areas.
Additional links: Presentations
Date: 08/2022
Type: Document
Sponsoring organization: Advisory Committee on Training in Primary Care Medicine and Dentistry
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Summarizes the Advisory Committee on Training in Primary Care Medicine and Dentistry (ACTPCMD) meeting held August 2, 2022. Features updates from the Bureau of Health Workforce on the Title VII Dental Faculty Loan Repayment Program (DFLRP) and Title VII and preventive medicine, including information on the shortage of preventive medicine physicians in rural areas.
Additional links: Presentations
Date: 08/2022
Type: Document
Sponsoring organization: Advisory Committee on Training in Primary Care Medicine and Dentistry
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Informing the White House Conference: Ambitious, Actionable Recommendations to End Hunger, Advance Nutrition, and Improve Health in the United States
Provides food security and nutrition policy recommendations on issues such as federal nutrition programs, public health and nutrition education, healthcare, research and science, business and innovation, and federal coordination. Includes data on health disparities as they relate to food access. Rural considerations throughout the report.
Additional links: Executive Summary
Author(s): Task Force on Hunger, Nutrition, and Health
Date: 08/2022
Type: Document
Sponsoring organizations: Food Systems for the Future, The Chicago Council on Global Affairs, Tufts University: Gerald J. and Dorothy R. Friedman School of Nutrition Science and Policy, World Central Kitchen
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Provides food security and nutrition policy recommendations on issues such as federal nutrition programs, public health and nutrition education, healthcare, research and science, business and innovation, and federal coordination. Includes data on health disparities as they relate to food access. Rural considerations throughout the report.
Additional links: Executive Summary
Author(s): Task Force on Hunger, Nutrition, and Health
Date: 08/2022
Type: Document
Sponsoring organizations: Food Systems for the Future, The Chicago Council on Global Affairs, Tufts University: Gerald J. and Dorothy R. Friedman School of Nutrition Science and Policy, World Central Kitchen
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Health Panel Comment Letter – Medicare Advantage Program
Offers comments in response to the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) Request for Information on various aspects of the Medicare Advantage (MA) program. Presents a rural perspective on the MA program and discusses health equity in the MA program, expanding access to care, and value-based contracting. Includes data on the proportion of MA plans offering supplemental benefits in noncore, micropolitan, and metropolitan counties in 2020.
Date: 08/2022
Type: Document
Sponsoring organization: Rural Policy Research Institute Rural Health Panel
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Offers comments in response to the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) Request for Information on various aspects of the Medicare Advantage (MA) program. Presents a rural perspective on the MA program and discusses health equity in the MA program, expanding access to care, and value-based contracting. Includes data on the proportion of MA plans offering supplemental benefits in noncore, micropolitan, and metropolitan counties in 2020.
Date: 08/2022
Type: Document
Sponsoring organization: Rural Policy Research Institute Rural Health Panel
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Integrated Care for Kids (InCK) Model Evaluation: Report 1
Presents findings from the 2020-2021 pre-implementation period of the Integrated Care for Kids (InCK) Model, which aims to improve health outcomes for Medicaid-enrolled children with complex physical and behavioral health needs. Provides an overview of the InCK Model and profiles each InCK award recipient's model, community context, planned approach, and progress with implementing the model. Identifies models serving rural areas and service gaps in these areas.
Additional links: Findings at a Glance
Date: 08/2022
Type: Document
Sponsoring organizations: Abt Associates, Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services
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Presents findings from the 2020-2021 pre-implementation period of the Integrated Care for Kids (InCK) Model, which aims to improve health outcomes for Medicaid-enrolled children with complex physical and behavioral health needs. Provides an overview of the InCK Model and profiles each InCK award recipient's model, community context, planned approach, and progress with implementing the model. Identifies models serving rural areas and service gaps in these areas.
Additional links: Findings at a Glance
Date: 08/2022
Type: Document
Sponsoring organizations: Abt Associates, Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services
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MedPAC Comment on CMS's Proposed Rule on the ESRD PPS Update for CY 2023
Comments on a June 28, 2022, Federal Register proposed rule related to Medicare payment policies for end-stage renal disease (ESRD). Includes comments addressing the low-volume payment adjustment (LVPA) and the rural adjustment.
Date: 08/2022
Type: Document
Sponsoring organization: Medicare Payment Advisory Commission
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Comments on a June 28, 2022, Federal Register proposed rule related to Medicare payment policies for end-stage renal disease (ESRD). Includes comments addressing the low-volume payment adjustment (LVPA) and the rural adjustment.
Date: 08/2022
Type: Document
Sponsoring organization: Medicare Payment Advisory Commission
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