Rural Health
Resources by Topic: Policy
Integrating Behavioral Health into Your RHC
Recording of a July 19, 2022, webinar regarding Rural Health Clinic (RHC) billing for behavioral health services. Part of the Rural Health Clinic Technical Assistance Series.
Additional links: Presentation Slides, Transcript
Date: 07/2022
Type: Video/Multimedia
Sponsoring organization: National Association of Rural Health Clinics
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Recording of a July 19, 2022, webinar regarding Rural Health Clinic (RHC) billing for behavioral health services. Part of the Rural Health Clinic Technical Assistance Series.
Additional links: Presentation Slides, Transcript
Date: 07/2022
Type: Video/Multimedia
Sponsoring organization: National Association of Rural Health Clinics
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How Increased Funding Can Advance the Mission of the Indian Health Service to Improve Health Outcomes for American Indians and Alaska Natives
Provides an overview of health and healthcare disparities experienced by American Indian and Alaska Native (AI/AN) populations. Describes the role of the federal government in financing and providing healthcare services to these populations. Discusses how enhanced funding could help further the Indian Health Service's mission to ensure that tribal communities have access to high-quality healthcare services.
Date: 07/2022
Type: Document
Sponsoring organization: HHS Office of the Assistant Secretary for Planning and Evaluation
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Provides an overview of health and healthcare disparities experienced by American Indian and Alaska Native (AI/AN) populations. Describes the role of the federal government in financing and providing healthcare services to these populations. Discusses how enhanced funding could help further the Indian Health Service's mission to ensure that tribal communities have access to high-quality healthcare services.
Date: 07/2022
Type: Document
Sponsoring organization: HHS Office of the Assistant Secretary for Planning and Evaluation
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Synthesis of Evaluation Results across 21 Medicare Models, 2012-2020
Summarizes results from evaluations of 21 Centers for Medicare & Medicaid (CMS) Innovation Center models. Examines measures related to gross and net Medicare spending, utilization, and quality of care. Identifies themes among models with similar participant types and interventions used. Offers considerations for acute or specialty care and targeted populations models and prevention and population management models.
Additional links: Findings at a Glance, Synthesis of Evaluation Results Across 21 Medicare Models Slides, Transcript, Webinar Recording
Date: 07/2022
Type: Document
Sponsoring organization: Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services
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Summarizes results from evaluations of 21 Centers for Medicare & Medicaid (CMS) Innovation Center models. Examines measures related to gross and net Medicare spending, utilization, and quality of care. Identifies themes among models with similar participant types and interventions used. Offers considerations for acute or specialty care and targeted populations models and prevention and population management models.
Additional links: Findings at a Glance, Synthesis of Evaluation Results Across 21 Medicare Models Slides, Transcript, Webinar Recording
Date: 07/2022
Type: Document
Sponsoring organization: Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services
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Supporting Communities and Local Public Health Departments During COVID-19 and Beyond: A Roadmap for Equitable and Transformative Change
Examines strategies to strengthen public health systems in California to create more equitable and resilient communities. Utilizes interview and survey data from community and public health stakeholders as well as reviews of policy and best practices. Includes discussions about collaborating along local, regional, and state levels to improve healthcare in rural and underserved areas.
Additional links: Executive Summary
Date: 07/2022
Type: Document
Sponsoring organizations: Public Health Alliance of Southern California, Public Health Institute
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Examines strategies to strengthen public health systems in California to create more equitable and resilient communities. Utilizes interview and survey data from community and public health stakeholders as well as reviews of policy and best practices. Includes discussions about collaborating along local, regional, and state levels to improve healthcare in rural and underserved areas.
Additional links: Executive Summary
Date: 07/2022
Type: Document
Sponsoring organizations: Public Health Alliance of Southern California, Public Health Institute
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Strategies for Enhancing Prehospital Outcomes for Cardiac Arrest (EPOC)
Analyzes results of the National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute–funded Enhancing Prehospital Outcomes for Cardiac Arrest (EPOC) study, which lays the foundation for future quality improvement efforts in out-of-hospital cardiac arrest (OHCA). Identifies 49 strategies across the incident, stakeholder, and system levels to improve pre-hospital OHCA survival and care delivery. Includes rural references and considerations throughout.
Author(s): Mahshid Abir, Stephen R. Dowker, Wilson Nham, et al.
Date: 07/2022
Type: Document
Sponsoring organization: RAND Corporation
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Analyzes results of the National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute–funded Enhancing Prehospital Outcomes for Cardiac Arrest (EPOC) study, which lays the foundation for future quality improvement efforts in out-of-hospital cardiac arrest (OHCA). Identifies 49 strategies across the incident, stakeholder, and system levels to improve pre-hospital OHCA survival and care delivery. Includes rural references and considerations throughout.
Author(s): Mahshid Abir, Stephen R. Dowker, Wilson Nham, et al.
Date: 07/2022
Type: Document
Sponsoring organization: RAND Corporation
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ARPA Impact Report: An Analysis of How Counties are Addressing National Issues with Local Investments
Describes how counties are investing American Rescue Plan Act (ARPA) funds to strengthen the workforce, address behavioral health needs, reinforce public health preparedness, improve housing access, ensure access to clean water, and build prosperous communities. Includes examples from rural counties throughout.
Date: 07/2022
Type: Document
Sponsoring organization: National Association of Counties
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Describes how counties are investing American Rescue Plan Act (ARPA) funds to strengthen the workforce, address behavioral health needs, reinforce public health preparedness, improve housing access, ensure access to clean water, and build prosperous communities. Includes examples from rural counties throughout.
Date: 07/2022
Type: Document
Sponsoring organization: National Association of Counties
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Understanding CMS' Changes to Hospital Overall Star Ratings
Summarizes an analysis of the effects of methodological changes to the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) star ratings system. Compares hospital star ratings in 2020 and 2021 and examines differences in ratings by hospital characteristics. Explores the equitability of the ratings by peer groups. Highlights challenges to comparing the ratings of small hospitals and Critical Access Hospitals. Provides recommendations for CMS to improve the equity of the star ratings.
Date: 07/2022
Type: Document
Sponsoring organization: American Hospital Association
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Summarizes an analysis of the effects of methodological changes to the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) star ratings system. Compares hospital star ratings in 2020 and 2021 and examines differences in ratings by hospital characteristics. Explores the equitability of the ratings by peer groups. Highlights challenges to comparing the ratings of small hospitals and Critical Access Hospitals. Provides recommendations for CMS to improve the equity of the star ratings.
Date: 07/2022
Type: Document
Sponsoring organization: American Hospital Association
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Supporting Dental Therapy through Title VII Training Programs: A Meaningful Strategy for Implementing Equitable Oral Health Care - Nineteenth Annual Report to the Secretary of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services and to Congress
Offers policy and program development recommendations to the Secretary of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services regarding primary care and dental training and education. Provides an overview of the importance of oral health, oral health disparities, and the dental therapy profession. Recommendations cover federal funding for dental therapy programs, dental therapy faculty and dental therapists' inclusion in loan forgiveness programs, and a longitudinal tracking mechanism for dental therapy trainees, faculty, and graduates. Highlights a dental therapy pilot program serving tribal communities in Alaska.
Date: 07/2022
Type: Document
Sponsoring organization: Advisory Committee on Training in Primary Care Medicine and Dentistry
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Offers policy and program development recommendations to the Secretary of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services regarding primary care and dental training and education. Provides an overview of the importance of oral health, oral health disparities, and the dental therapy profession. Recommendations cover federal funding for dental therapy programs, dental therapy faculty and dental therapists' inclusion in loan forgiveness programs, and a longitudinal tracking mechanism for dental therapy trainees, faculty, and graduates. Highlights a dental therapy pilot program serving tribal communities in Alaska.
Date: 07/2022
Type: Document
Sponsoring organization: Advisory Committee on Training in Primary Care Medicine and Dentistry
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Community Partnerships: Advancing Behavioral Health Access in Rural Communities
Profiles Eagle Valley Behavioral Health (EVBH), a nonprofit and community mental health center (CMHC) developed to lead community collaboration working to ensure access to high-quality behavioral healthcare in Eagle County, Colorado. Discusses EVBH's collaboration with Building Hope Summit County, a community-wide initiative in a neighboring county focused on suicide prevention efforts. Describes how these initiatives were able to shape local policy, expand the local behavioral health workforce, fund their efforts, and identify and fill gaps in care.
Date: 07/2022
Type: Document
Sponsoring organization: American Hospital Association
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Profiles Eagle Valley Behavioral Health (EVBH), a nonprofit and community mental health center (CMHC) developed to lead community collaboration working to ensure access to high-quality behavioral healthcare in Eagle County, Colorado. Discusses EVBH's collaboration with Building Hope Summit County, a community-wide initiative in a neighboring county focused on suicide prevention efforts. Describes how these initiatives were able to shape local policy, expand the local behavioral health workforce, fund their efforts, and identify and fill gaps in care.
Date: 07/2022
Type: Document
Sponsoring organization: American Hospital Association
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Report to Congress: Unified Payment for Medicare-Covered Post-Acute Care
Presents a prototype for a Unified Post-acute Care (PAC) prospective payment system (PPS) that would set payment for PAC services on the basis of the clinical characteristics of the patient rather than the type of provider. Details the structure of the prototype and the data used in the analyses to design and calibrate the PPS. Explores key considerations for unifying PAC payment, such as cost-sharing and value-based payment. Includes data on PAC provider characteristics, including facility size and rural status, as well as rural payment adjustments.
Additional links: Appendices
Author(s): Benjamin Silver, Anne Deutsch, Nicole Coomer, et al.
Date: 07/2022
Type: Document
Sponsoring organizations: Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services, RTI International
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Presents a prototype for a Unified Post-acute Care (PAC) prospective payment system (PPS) that would set payment for PAC services on the basis of the clinical characteristics of the patient rather than the type of provider. Details the structure of the prototype and the data used in the analyses to design and calibrate the PPS. Explores key considerations for unifying PAC payment, such as cost-sharing and value-based payment. Includes data on PAC provider characteristics, including facility size and rural status, as well as rural payment adjustments.
Additional links: Appendices
Author(s): Benjamin Silver, Anne Deutsch, Nicole Coomer, et al.
Date: 07/2022
Type: Document
Sponsoring organizations: Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services, RTI International
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