Rural Health
Resources by Topic: Scope of practice
How States Can Expand Health Care Access in Rural Communities
Discusses policy options states could use to increase access to care and the supply of healthcare providers in rural areas. Covers financial assistance programs for medical and dental education; malpractice reform; scope of practice changes for advanced practice registered nurses, physician assistants, and dental health aide therapists; telemedicine parity; and mobile clinics.
Date: 02/2022
Type: Document
Sponsoring organization: Center for American Progress
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Discusses policy options states could use to increase access to care and the supply of healthcare providers in rural areas. Covers financial assistance programs for medical and dental education; malpractice reform; scope of practice changes for advanced practice registered nurses, physician assistants, and dental health aide therapists; telemedicine parity; and mobile clinics.
Date: 02/2022
Type: Document
Sponsoring organization: Center for American Progress
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The Effectiveness of Policies to Improve Primary Care Access for Underserved Populations: An Assessment of the Literature
Review of research literature to assess whether policy initiatives targeting primary care access for rural and underserved populations has been effective in reducing healthcare disparities. Initiatives considered include availability, accessibility, accommodation, affordability, and acceptability.
Additional links: Fact Sheet: Alleviating Structural Barriers to Obtaining Primary Care Services, Fact Sheet: Bringing Outpatient Clinics into Communities, Fact Sheet: Ensuring Comfort and Communication in the Delivery of Primary Care Services, Fact Sheet: Increasing the Availability of Primary Care Clinicians, Fact Sheet: Removing Financial Barriers to Primary Care
Author(s): Maanasa Kona, Megan Houston, Nia Gooding
Date: 01/2022
Type: Document
Sponsoring organization: Milbank Memorial Fund
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Review of research literature to assess whether policy initiatives targeting primary care access for rural and underserved populations has been effective in reducing healthcare disparities. Initiatives considered include availability, accessibility, accommodation, affordability, and acceptability.
Additional links: Fact Sheet: Alleviating Structural Barriers to Obtaining Primary Care Services, Fact Sheet: Bringing Outpatient Clinics into Communities, Fact Sheet: Ensuring Comfort and Communication in the Delivery of Primary Care Services, Fact Sheet: Increasing the Availability of Primary Care Clinicians, Fact Sheet: Removing Financial Barriers to Primary Care
Author(s): Maanasa Kona, Megan Houston, Nia Gooding
Date: 01/2022
Type: Document
Sponsoring organization: Milbank Memorial Fund
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Expanding Pharmacists' Prescriptive Authority: Options for Reform
Explores why states may want to consider expanding pharmacists' prescriptive authority. Presents state policy options for expanding prescriptive authority for pharmacists, including advantages and disadvantages of each and examples from states. Also addresses potential concerns about the increased prescriptive authority of pharmacists.
Author(s): James Broughel, Elise Amez-Droz
Date: 12/2021
Type: Document
Sponsoring organization: Mercatus Center
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Explores why states may want to consider expanding pharmacists' prescriptive authority. Presents state policy options for expanding prescriptive authority for pharmacists, including advantages and disadvantages of each and examples from states. Also addresses potential concerns about the increased prescriptive authority of pharmacists.
Author(s): James Broughel, Elise Amez-Droz
Date: 12/2021
Type: Document
Sponsoring organization: Mercatus Center
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Family Physicians in Rural America: Training, Distribution, and Scope of Practice
Webinar presented November 9, 2021, exploring training of family physicians in rural areas, family physician workforce distribution, and rural/urban differences in scope of practice. Features statistics including availability of obstetrical clinicians as of 2019, with breakdowns by metropolitan, micropolitan, and noncore locations.
Additional links: Presentation Slides, Transcript
Author(s): Lars Peterson, Davis Patterson
Date: 11/2021
Type: Video/Multimedia
Sponsoring organization: Rural Health Research Gateway
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Webinar presented November 9, 2021, exploring training of family physicians in rural areas, family physician workforce distribution, and rural/urban differences in scope of practice. Features statistics including availability of obstetrical clinicians as of 2019, with breakdowns by metropolitan, micropolitan, and noncore locations.
Additional links: Presentation Slides, Transcript
Author(s): Lars Peterson, Davis Patterson
Date: 11/2021
Type: Video/Multimedia
Sponsoring organization: Rural Health Research Gateway
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Health Workforce Strategic Plan
Provides a framework for health workforce improvements and addresses long-standing barriers to strengthening the health workforce. Focuses on recruiting and training health professionals from underserved communities to build a diverse, representative health workforce; ensuring equitable distribution of the workforce across geographic areas and health professions; strengthening the ability of the workforce to deliver high-quality care, including through strengthening cultural and linguistic competency of professionals; and using evidence and data to make better decisions about health workforce education and training investments. Mentions rural throughout.
Additional links: Comments from Federal National Advisory Committees
Date: 10/2021
Type: Document
Sponsoring organization: U.S. Department of Health and Human Services
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Provides a framework for health workforce improvements and addresses long-standing barriers to strengthening the health workforce. Focuses on recruiting and training health professionals from underserved communities to build a diverse, representative health workforce; ensuring equitable distribution of the workforce across geographic areas and health professions; strengthening the ability of the workforce to deliver high-quality care, including through strengthening cultural and linguistic competency of professionals; and using evidence and data to make better decisions about health workforce education and training investments. Mentions rural throughout.
Additional links: Comments from Federal National Advisory Committees
Date: 10/2021
Type: Document
Sponsoring organization: U.S. Department of Health and Human Services
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Relationship Between Population Density and Scope of Practice for Certified Registered Nurse Anesthetists in Arizona
Study surveyed 230 Certified Registered Nurse Anesthetists (CRNA) in Arizona to compare scope of practice and population density as well as scope of practice and job satisfaction. Discusses regulations and barriers in scope of practice for CRNAs and other healthcare professionals nationally in the context of recruitment and retention.
Author(s): Michael A. MacKinnon
Citation: AANA Journal, 89(4), 325-333
Date: 08/2021
Type: Document
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Study surveyed 230 Certified Registered Nurse Anesthetists (CRNA) in Arizona to compare scope of practice and population density as well as scope of practice and job satisfaction. Discusses regulations and barriers in scope of practice for CRNAs and other healthcare professionals nationally in the context of recruitment and retention.
Author(s): Michael A. MacKinnon
Citation: AANA Journal, 89(4), 325-333
Date: 08/2021
Type: Document
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Primary Care in the United States: A Chartbook of Facts and Statistics
Examines aspects of primary care in the United States, including facts and figures on patient contact with primary care, frequency and range of conditions seen in primary care, care coordination, scope of practice, payment models, and preventive care visit utilization. Features statistics on percentage of primary care physicians by geography, with breakdowns by urban, large rural, small rural, and isolated rural location.
Author(s): Brian Antono, Andrew Bazemore, Irene Dankwa-Mullan, et al.
Date: 02/2021
Type: Document
Sponsoring organization: Robert Graham Center
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Examines aspects of primary care in the United States, including facts and figures on patient contact with primary care, frequency and range of conditions seen in primary care, care coordination, scope of practice, payment models, and preventive care visit utilization. Features statistics on percentage of primary care physicians by geography, with breakdowns by urban, large rural, small rural, and isolated rural location.
Author(s): Brian Antono, Andrew Bazemore, Irene Dankwa-Mullan, et al.
Date: 02/2021
Type: Document
Sponsoring organization: Robert Graham Center
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Improving Rural Health: State Policy Options for Increasing Access to Care
Discusses strategies from state legislatures and other stakeholders to increase access to healthcare in rural areas. Focuses on policies and policy options for state legislatures in three areas: improving health insurance coverage, safeguarding rural health facilities, and changing rural healthcare delivery. Features examples from Colorado, Georgia, Pennsylvania, and Wisconsin.
Author(s): Jack Pitsor
Date: 06/2020
Type: Document
Sponsoring organization: National Conference of State Legislatures
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Discusses strategies from state legislatures and other stakeholders to increase access to healthcare in rural areas. Focuses on policies and policy options for state legislatures in three areas: improving health insurance coverage, safeguarding rural health facilities, and changing rural healthcare delivery. Features examples from Colorado, Georgia, Pennsylvania, and Wisconsin.
Author(s): Jack Pitsor
Date: 06/2020
Type: Document
Sponsoring organization: National Conference of State Legislatures
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Scope of Practice for Extension Agents Delivering Health Programs
Outlines procedures and processes useful when recruiting, hiring, training, and evaluating extension agents and their activities in health program delivery to low-resource and rural communities. Describes South Carolina's Rural Health and Nutrition Extension Program.
Author(s): Michelle Parisi
Date: 04/2020
Type: Document
Sponsoring organization: Clemson Cooperative Extension
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Outlines procedures and processes useful when recruiting, hiring, training, and evaluating extension agents and their activities in health program delivery to low-resource and rural communities. Describes South Carolina's Rural Health and Nutrition Extension Program.
Author(s): Michelle Parisi
Date: 04/2020
Type: Document
Sponsoring organization: Clemson Cooperative Extension
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The Respiratory Therapist Workforce in the U.S.: Supply, Distribution, Education Pathways, and State Responses to Emergency Surges in Demand
An overview of the respiratory therapist workforce across the U.S. including their practice scope and settings, supply and distribution, education and credentialing, and work force capacity with an additional focus on the emergency related concerns of COVID-19.
Author(s): Susan M Skillman, Bianca K Frogner, Arati Dahal, Benjamin A Stubbs, Grace Guenther
Date: 04/2020
Type: Document
Sponsoring organization: UW Center for Health Workforce Studies
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An overview of the respiratory therapist workforce across the U.S. including their practice scope and settings, supply and distribution, education and credentialing, and work force capacity with an additional focus on the emergency related concerns of COVID-19.
Author(s): Susan M Skillman, Bianca K Frogner, Arati Dahal, Benjamin A Stubbs, Grace Guenther
Date: 04/2020
Type: Document
Sponsoring organization: UW Center for Health Workforce Studies
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