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Rural Health
Resources by Topic: Telehealth

Household Experiences in Rural America During the Delta Variant Outbreak
Examines the impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic on rural U.S. households. Covers financial, education, childcare, health and healthcare, and employment and work-related impacts related to the pandemic.
Date: 10/2021
Type: Document
Sponsoring organizations: Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health, National Public Radio, Robert Wood Johnson Foundation
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Health Care in Rural America: Focus on Internet and Telehealth Use
Presents results of a survey of rural adults age 40 and older conducted between November-December 2020, addressing access to specialty health services, infrastructure gaps in rural areas, and utilization of telehealth services. Provides data on internet use relative to overall health, internet access at home and with smartphones, cost issues, and highlights concerns and barriers to telehealth utilization.
Additional links: Annotated Questionnaire
Date: 10/2021
Type: Document
Sponsoring organization: AARP
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Preparing Health Professions Students to Serve Southern Rural Communities in the Time of COVID-19 and Beyond: A Model for Interprofessional Online Telehealth Education
Describes a model for online telehealth interprofessional education (IPE) designed to meet the needs of rural communities in the South. Offers an overview of the program's design and implementation and highlights lessons learned related to training fundamentals, staffing and planning, faculty involvement, technology concerns, and Heath Insurance Portability and Accountability Act (HIPAA) compliance, and more.
Author(s): Teri Browne, Selina H. McKinney, Lauren Duck, et al.
Citation: Southern Medical Journal, 114(10), 665-667
Date: 10/2021
Type: Document
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COVID-19 and the Rural Health Workforce: Recommendations to Improve Health in Illinois
Provides an overview of the healthcare workforce in rural Illinois and describes the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic. Offers policy recommendations to strengthen the rural health workforce in the state, improve service delivery, and enhance access to specialty care via telehealth services.
Date: 10/2021
Type: Document
Sponsoring organization: Southern Illinois University (SIU) Medicine Department of Population Science and Policy
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State of Telehealth: Removing Barriers to Access and Improving Patient Outcomes
Presents a recording of an October 7, 2021, hearing before the U.S. Senate Committee on Commerce, Science, and Transportation Subcommittee on Communications, Media, and Broadband. Examines the importance of access to telehealth services, telehealth utilization during the COVID-19 pandemic, the impact of the pandemic on telehealth regulations, and the role of broadband access in the public health response. Features testimony from the American Academy of Family Physicians, Project ECHO, Avel eCare, and the Federal Communications Commission.
Additional links: American Academy of Family Physicians Testimony, Avel eCare Testimony, Federal Communications Commission Testimony, Project ECHO Testimony
Date: 10/2021
Type: Document
Sponsoring organization: Senate Committee on Commerce, Science, and Transportation
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State Cross-Agency Collaboration During the COVID-19 Pandemic Response
Examines cross-agency approaches to COVID-19 response efforts in Illinois, Indiana, and Rhode Island. Identifies key themes, lessons, and best practices for other states to consider when preparing for future public health emergencies. Highlights efforts to serve rural populations.
Author(s): Elinor Higgins, Rebecca Cooper
Date: 10/2021
Type: Document
Sponsoring organization: National Academy for State Health Policy
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Tippah County Hospital Spotlight Video
Discusses how the Delta Region Community Health Systems Development Program helped Mississippi's Tippah County Hospital grow its telehealth program.
Date: 09/2021
Type: Video/Multimedia
Sponsoring organization: National Rural Health Resource Center
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An Evaluation of Telehealth Use by Medicare Beneficiaries in 2020
Research brief examining telehealth use for outpatient evaluation and management from January 2019 to December 2020 based on a 20% sample of fee-for-service Medicare beneficiaries. Charts monthly trends for in-person and telehealth visits and compares rural and urban telehealth use, offering policy implications related to rural access to services.
Author(s): Chad Ellimoottil, Ziwei Zhu, Rod Dunn, et al.
Date: 09/2021
Type: Document
Sponsoring organization: University of Michigan Institute for Healthcare Policy and Innovation
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Restoring Access to Maternity Care in Rural America
Examines regional partnerships to build rural access to maternity care through hub-and-spoke models of education and support from urban healthcare organizations to rural maternity providers, investments in telehealth, and remote monitoring systems. Discusses barriers to maternity care access in rural areas and highlights local examples of maternal health provider networks, investments in the rural maternity workforce, and policy implications of developing rural maternity care.
Date: 09/2021
Type: Document
Sponsoring organization: Commonwealth Fund
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Obstacles Persist for Rural Patients to Access Hospice
Discusses challenges to delivering hospice care in rural areas. Highlights changes to allow providers at Rural Health Centers and Federal Qualified Health Centers to serve as attending physicians for hospice patients. Explores the impact of COVID-19 on the delivery of hospice services, including the use of telehealth services and workforce concerns.
Author(s): Jim Parker
Date: 09/2021
Type: Document
Sponsoring organization: Hospice News
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