Rural Health
Resources by Topic: Telehealth
The Future of State Telehealth Policy
Provides an overview of state and federal telehealth flexibilities implemented during the COVID-19 pandemic. Discusses long-term considerations for governors regarding the impact of these flexibilities on healthcare delivery and payment and the appropriateness of these policies in the future.
Date: 11/2020
Type: Document
Sponsoring organization: National Governors Association
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Provides an overview of state and federal telehealth flexibilities implemented during the COVID-19 pandemic. Discusses long-term considerations for governors regarding the impact of these flexibilities on healthcare delivery and payment and the appropriateness of these policies in the future.
Date: 11/2020
Type: Document
Sponsoring organization: National Governors Association
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Maintaining Flexible Telehealth Policies After COVID-19
Provides an overview of the views of stakeholder organizations on topics for federal policymakers to consider regarding Medicare telehealth flexibilities after the COVID-19 public health emergency. Covers payment policy, telehealth services, and provider and patient location, among other topics.
Author(s): Sue Felt-Lisk
Date: 11/2020
Type: Document
Sponsoring organization: Mathematica Policy Research
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Provides an overview of the views of stakeholder organizations on topics for federal policymakers to consider regarding Medicare telehealth flexibilities after the COVID-19 public health emergency. Covers payment policy, telehealth services, and provider and patient location, among other topics.
Author(s): Sue Felt-Lisk
Date: 11/2020
Type: Document
Sponsoring organization: Mathematica Policy Research
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Ensuring Health Across Rural Minnesota in 2030
Offers recommendations to policymakers and stakeholders on how to expand access to high-quality and inexpensive healthcare for rural communities in Minnesota. Covers trends in factors that may affect rural health, such as increased diversity, older populations, higher healthcare costs, lack of broadband, closures of healthcare facilities, and more. Discusses how the COVID-19 pandemic has exacerbated issues in rural communities.
Date: 11/2020
Type: Document
Sponsoring organization: National Rural Health Resource Center
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Offers recommendations to policymakers and stakeholders on how to expand access to high-quality and inexpensive healthcare for rural communities in Minnesota. Covers trends in factors that may affect rural health, such as increased diversity, older populations, higher healthcare costs, lack of broadband, closures of healthcare facilities, and more. Discusses how the COVID-19 pandemic has exacerbated issues in rural communities.
Date: 11/2020
Type: Document
Sponsoring organization: National Rural Health Resource Center
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Community Health Center Telehealth Utilization in Rural and Urban States During the COVID-19 Pandemic
Analyzes community health centers' utilization of telehealth services by state for the week prior to October 16, 2020. Compares the percentage of health center visits conducted virtually to the proportion of the population of each state that lives in rural areas.
Date: 11/2020
Type: Document
Sponsoring organizations: Geiger Gibson Program in Community Health, RCHN Community Health Foundation
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Analyzes community health centers' utilization of telehealth services by state for the week prior to October 16, 2020. Compares the percentage of health center visits conducted virtually to the proportion of the population of each state that lives in rural areas.
Date: 11/2020
Type: Document
Sponsoring organizations: Geiger Gibson Program in Community Health, RCHN Community Health Foundation
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Rethinking Rural Health: FY 2020 Year in Review
Provides an overview of Centers for Medicaid and Medicare Services (CMS) programs and activities that have affected rural health and healthcare in fiscal year 2020. Focuses on nine priority areas: COVID-19, maternal health, Medicare Advantage (MA) and the Federally-facilitated Marketplace (FFM), quality improvement, practitioner engagement, patient empowerment and person-centered care, Medicare and Medicaid payment and policy, models and demonstrations, and telehealth.
Date: 11/2020
Type: Document
Sponsoring organization: Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services
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Provides an overview of Centers for Medicaid and Medicare Services (CMS) programs and activities that have affected rural health and healthcare in fiscal year 2020. Focuses on nine priority areas: COVID-19, maternal health, Medicare Advantage (MA) and the Federally-facilitated Marketplace (FFM), quality improvement, practitioner engagement, patient empowerment and person-centered care, Medicare and Medicaid payment and policy, models and demonstrations, and telehealth.
Date: 11/2020
Type: Document
Sponsoring organization: Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services
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Evaluating Telehealth Adoption and Related Barriers Among Hospitals Located in Rural and Urban Areas
Study examining telehealth adoption in hospitals, comparing rural, micropolitan, and metropolitan areas using 2018 American Hospital Association (AHA) Annual Survey data. Discusses barriers to telehealth implementation related to health information exchange (HIE) capacity and patient engagement through health information technology (HIT) systems.
Author(s): Jie Chen, Aitalohi Amaize, Deanna Barath
Citation: Journal of Rural Health, 37(4), 801-811
Date: 11/2020
Type: Document
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Study examining telehealth adoption in hospitals, comparing rural, micropolitan, and metropolitan areas using 2018 American Hospital Association (AHA) Annual Survey data. Discusses barriers to telehealth implementation related to health information exchange (HIE) capacity and patient engagement through health information technology (HIT) systems.
Author(s): Jie Chen, Aitalohi Amaize, Deanna Barath
Citation: Journal of Rural Health, 37(4), 801-811
Date: 11/2020
Type: Document
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Comment Letter on HHS Report to Congress on Telehealth for Pediatric SUD
Reviews the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) report, Reducing Barriers to Furnishing Substance Use Disorder (SUD) Services Using Telehealth and Remote Patient Monitoring for Pediatric Populations Under Medicaid: Final Report. Covers the role of telehealth in mitigating the shortage of behavioral health providers and expanding behavioral health services to children covered by Medicaid. Discusses the need for additional research on telehealth in Medicaid, information sharing between states, and addressing barriers to technology.
Date: 11/2020
Type: Document
Sponsoring organization: Medicaid and CHIP Payment and Access Commission
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Reviews the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) report, Reducing Barriers to Furnishing Substance Use Disorder (SUD) Services Using Telehealth and Remote Patient Monitoring for Pediatric Populations Under Medicaid: Final Report. Covers the role of telehealth in mitigating the shortage of behavioral health providers and expanding behavioral health services to children covered by Medicaid. Discusses the need for additional research on telehealth in Medicaid, information sharing between states, and addressing barriers to technology.
Date: 11/2020
Type: Document
Sponsoring organization: Medicaid and CHIP Payment and Access Commission
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Telehealth in Response to the COVID-19 Pandemic: Implications for Rural Health Disparities
Investigates the potential effects of telehealth implementation during the COVID-19 pandemic on rural health disparities. Includes discussion on telehealth initiatives and barriers to accessing broadband, and provides recommendations for researchers and policymakers.
Author(s): Kelly A. Hirko, Jean M. Kerver, Sabrina Ford, et al.
Citation: Journal of the American Medical Informatics Association, 27(11), 1816–1818
Date: 11/2020
Type: Document
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Investigates the potential effects of telehealth implementation during the COVID-19 pandemic on rural health disparities. Includes discussion on telehealth initiatives and barriers to accessing broadband, and provides recommendations for researchers and policymakers.
Author(s): Kelly A. Hirko, Jean M. Kerver, Sabrina Ford, et al.
Citation: Journal of the American Medical Informatics Association, 27(11), 1816–1818
Date: 11/2020
Type: Document
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Internet Access Disparities in Alabama & the Black Belt
Issue brief describing disparities in access to broadband service in Alabama's Black Belt region, comparing access to broadband coverage at rates above 100 Mbps and above 25 Mbps for all counties in the state to the statewide average. Discusses investments in broadband infrastructure in the region and in other rural areas of Alabama, telehealth access during the COVID-19 pandemic, and nationwide efforts to expand broadband coverage.
Author(s): Stephen G. Katsinas, Noel E. Keeney, Emily Jacobs, Emily Grace Corley, Hunter Whann
Date: 10/2020
Type: Document
Sponsoring organization: University of Alabama Education Policy Center
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Issue brief describing disparities in access to broadband service in Alabama's Black Belt region, comparing access to broadband coverage at rates above 100 Mbps and above 25 Mbps for all counties in the state to the statewide average. Discusses investments in broadband infrastructure in the region and in other rural areas of Alabama, telehealth access during the COVID-19 pandemic, and nationwide efforts to expand broadband coverage.
Author(s): Stephen G. Katsinas, Noel E. Keeney, Emily Jacobs, Emily Grace Corley, Hunter Whann
Date: 10/2020
Type: Document
Sponsoring organization: University of Alabama Education Policy Center
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Innovations in Primary Care Education and Training: Developing Community Partnerships to Improve Population Health - Seventeenth 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 training and education. Recommendations cover longitudinal community-based training programs, chronic disease prevention and management, population health education and training, and telehealth education and training. Includes rural references throughout.
Date: 10/2020
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 training and education. Recommendations cover longitudinal community-based training programs, chronic disease prevention and management, population health education and training, and telehealth education and training. Includes rural references throughout.
Date: 10/2020
Type: Document
Sponsoring organization: Advisory Committee on Training in Primary Care Medicine and Dentistry
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