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Rural Health Information Hub

Rural Health
Resources by Topic: Technology for health and human services

Rural Health Care: Supporting Lives and Improving Communities
Presents the U.S. Senate Committee on Finance May 16, 2024, hearing on rural healthcare. Discusses the financial vulnerability of rural hospitals, the rural healthcare workforce and graduate medical education (GME), access to maternal healthcare, health information technology and telehealth, and more. Features testimony from the Chartis Center for Rural Health; Grande Ronde Hospital, a Critical Access Hospital in Oregon; the Wisconsin Collaborative for Rural Graduate Medical Education; and the Rural Policy Research Institute.
Additional links: Jeremy P. Davis, Grande Ronde Hospital - Testimony, Keith J. Mueller, Rural Policy Research Institute - Testimony, Lori Rodefeld, Wisconsin Collaborative for Rural Graduate Medical Education - Testimony, Michael Topchik, Chartis Center for Rural Health - Testimony
Date: 05/2024
Type: Video/Multimedia
Sponsoring organization: Senate Committee on Finance
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Community Health Centers: Providers, Partners and Employers of Choice - 2024 Chartbook
Presents graphs, charts, and data highlighting services provided by Community Health Centers, characteristics of the patients served, and progress made in improving access to healthcare. Reports on health centers' financial health, workforce status, economic impact, challenges to meeting the demand for healthcare needs, and more. Section 5 presents statistics on telehealth service offerings between 2018 and 2022 with breakdowns by urban or rural status. Contains maps with data by state throughout.
Date: 05/2024
Type: Document
Sponsoring organization: National Association of Community Health Centers
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Merit-based Incentive Payment System (MIPS): 2024 MIPS Promoting Interoperability Performance Category Hardship Exception Application Guide
Provides guidance on how clinicians can apply for a MIPS hardship exception. Highlights guidance for having your MIPS Promoting Interoperability performance category reweighted to 0% in cases of insufficient internet connectivity, decertified electronic health record technology, or other circumstances out of the clinicians control.
Date: 05/2024
Type: Document
Sponsoring organization: Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services
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The Future of Broadband Affordability
Presents a recording of a May 2, 2024, hearing before the U.S. Senate Committee on Commerce, Science, and Transportation Subcommittee on Communications, Media, and Broadband. Describes federal approaches to increase broadband access and affordability. Discusses the state of broadband affordability programs, the impact of a potential lapse or end of the Affordable Connectivity Program (ACP), and strategies to address shortfalls in broadband affordability programs.
Additional links: Blair Levin, New Street Research - Testimony, Jennifer Case Nevarez, Community Learning Network - Testimony, Kathryn de Wit, Pew Charitable Trusts - Testimony
Date: 05/2024
Type: Video/Multimedia
Sponsoring organization: Senate Committee on Commerce, Science, and Transportation
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The 2018 Farm Bill (P.L. 115-334): Summary and Side-by-Side Comparison
Analyzes the 2018 Farm Bill by comparing House and Senate versions of the bill and the previous 2014 bill. Includes important rural provisions addressing substance abuse treatment, telemedicine funding, broadband access, and rural hospital loans.
Date: 05/2024
Type: Document
Sponsoring organization: Congressional Research Service
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Forces of Change: 2023 Survey Results
Presents results from a 2023 survey of 532 local health departments (LHDs). Provides data on LHD staffing and budgets, billing practices, community health workers, programs and partnerships focused on social determinants of health and violence prevention, data modernization, and outbreak analytics. Includes comparisons of small, medium, and large LHDs.
Author(s): Margaret C. Cunningham, Krishna Patel, Chloe Garofalini, Kellie Hall, Timothy C. McCall
Date: 04/2024
Type: Document
Sponsoring organization: National Association of County and City Health Officials
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United States Department of Health & Human Services: Plan for Promoting Responsible Use of Artificial Intelligence in Automated and Algorithmic Systems by State, Local, Tribal, and Territorial Governments in Public Benefit Administration
Offers guidance from the U.S. Department of Health & Human Services (HHS) for the use of artificial intelligence in public benefits and services funded by HHS. Discusses areas of opportunity and concerns for underserved communities including rural residents throughout.
Date: 04/2024
Type: Document
Sponsoring organization: U.S. Department of Health and Human Services
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USDA Rural Utilities Service's Support for Tribes and Other Indigenous Entities
Provides an overview of U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) Rural Utilities Service (RUS) programs that help offset the costs of building and repairing utility systems in rural areas. Describes the types of tribal and other Indigenous entities eligible to apply for RUS programs. Highlights two USDA Rural Development authorities that can help tribes and other Indigenous entities access RUS programs. Outlines issues Congress may consider if it chooses to constrict, maintain, or expand the laws governing these programs.
Date: 04/2024
Type: Document
Sponsoring organization: Congressional Research Service
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Quality in Motion: Acting on the CMS National Quality Strategy
Provides an overview of the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) 2022 National Quality Strategy (NQS). Describes actions CMS has taken to meet the eight NQS goals across four priority areas: outcomes and alignment, equity and engagement, safety and resiliency, and interoperability and scientific achievement. Includes rural references throughout.
Date: 04/2024
Type: Document
Sponsoring organization: Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services
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Coast Guard Health Care: Information on Telehealth Usage
Describes how the Coast Guard uses telehealth to provide medical care to its active duty personnel. Discusses the development of the Coast Guard's telehealth program, services offered, the extent to which video telehealth services are used, and benefits and challenges the Coast Guard experiences related to telehealth.
Additional links: Full Report
Date: 04/2024
Type: Document
Sponsoring organization: Government Accountability Office
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