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Rural Health
Resources by Topic: Telehealth

Telemedicine in the Management of Type 1 Diabetes
Describes a study in which 32 patients with type 1 diabetes who live in rural Alabama and Georgia received endocrinology care from an Atlanta telehealth clinic, from June 2014 to October 2016. Includes demographic statistics on patients and presence of other diseases and medical conditions.
Author(s): Timothy Xu, Shreya Pujara, Sarah Sutton, Mary Rhee
Citation: Preventing Chronic Disease, 15
Date: 01/2018
Type: Document
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Reinventing Rural Health Care: A Case Study of Seven Upper Midwest States
Examines the state of rural healthcare in seven states - Iowa, Minnesota, Montana, Nebraska, North Dakota, South Dakota, and Wyoming - and uses the findings to determine the impact of existing federal policies, understand ongoing healthcare challenges, and identify opportunities for improvement in rural healthcare access and delivery. Addresses rightsizing healthcare services to fit community needs, creating rural funding mechanisms, building and supporting the primary care physician workforce, and expanding telemedicine services. Analysis is based on interviews with over 90 national thought leaders and key stakeholders.
Additional links: Infographic, Summary – Rural Health Care: Lessons Learned
Date: 01/2018
Type: Document
Sponsoring organization: Bipartisan Policy Center
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An Interim Evaluation Report of the Innovative Projects Portfolio of the Medicare Flex Grant Program
Provides background on the Flex Program and the Integration of Innovative Health Care Models (Innovative Projects) program area. Evaluates the impact of the Innovative Projects program area across seven participating states, focusing on activities involving the transition to value-based care, telehealth, care coordination, quality improvement, and system delivery in rural communities. Final implementation results are described in Implementation and Early Results of the Flex Program's Innovative Models Program Area: Final Evaluation Report.
Author(s): Sara Kahn-Troster, John Gale, Anush Hansen, Andrew Coburn
Date: 01/2018
Type: Document
Sponsoring organization: Flex Monitoring Team
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Transforming Health Care from the Ground Up
Describes two examples of innovation driven by doctors, nurses, administrators, entrepreneurs, and patients involving a major transformation of healthcare delivery. One example was an initiative developed through the University of Mississippi Medical Center where a telehealth network was created to increase patient access to care in rural areas with a focus on Critical Access Hospitals (CAHs).
Author(s): Vijay Govindarajan, Ravi Ramamurti
Citation: Harvard Business Review
Date: 2018
Type: Document
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Quality Improvement and Care Coordination: Implementing the CDC Guideline for Prescribing Opioids for Chronic Pain
A guide to help primary care providers, practices, and healthcare systems manage patients who are on long-term opioid therapy. Provides an evidence-based prescribing guideline, quality improvement measures, and practice-level care coordination strategies. Appendix F provides examples of comprehensive management approaches, including discussion of telehealth approaches that could be used in rural communities.
Date: 2018
Type: Document
Sponsoring organization: Centers for Disease Control and Prevention
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CMS Rural Health Strategy
Identifies five objectives CMS focuses on to support high quality healthcare in rural communities: applying a rural lens to CMS programs and policies, improving access through provider engagement, telehealth, patient empowerment, and leveraging partnerships. Identifies key activities to address each of the objectives.
Additional links: Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs) about the Rural Strategy, Infographic
Date: 2018
Type: Document
Sponsoring organization: Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services
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Impact of a Mobile Health Application on User Engagement and Pregnancy Outcomes among Wyoming Medicaid Members
Examines the effects of a mobile health application, Due Date Plus, on user engagement and birth outcomes among pregnant Medicaid members compared to pregnant Medicaid members not using the application in Wyoming. Compares data on four outcomes: 6-month or more prenatal visit, C-section, low birth weight, and neonatal intensive care unity (NICU) admission to evaluate the association between Due Date Plus with pregnancy and birth outcomes.
Author(s): James Bush, Dilek E. Barlow, Jennie Echols, Jasmine Wilkerson, Katherine Bellevin
Citation: Telemedicine Journal and e-Health, 23(11), 891-898
Date: 11/2017
Type: Document
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Telehealth Services Proposed for Medicare Part B Reimbursements, 2018: Fact Sheet
Identifies the five conditions that a telehealth service must meet in order to be covered by Medicare Part B, provides an overview of how telehealth services get added to Medicare's reimbursable list, and outlines proposed services that may be added for calendar year 2018.
Date: 11/2017
Type: Document
Sponsoring organization: Congressional Research Service
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Emerging Strategies to Ensure Access to Health Care Services: Virtual Care Strategies
Discusses opportunities to use telehealth to improve healthcare access and delivery to vulnerable rural and urban communities. Includes recommendations from the American Hospital Association Task Force on Ensuring Access in Vulnerable Communities and details the benefits of telehealth services and potential policy solutions such as reimbursement, interaction of state and federal laws, broadband access, and federal research.
Date: 11/2017
Type: Document
Sponsoring organization: American Hospital Association
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Improving Healthcare Value in Rural America
Identifies and explains the challenges facing rural communities as they work to improve healthcare value. Discusses the distinct differences between urban and rural value initiatives and highlights effective and ineffective strategies for rural areas. Covers health workforce issues, telehealth, care coordination, and payment models.
Date: 10/2017
Type: Document
Sponsoring organization: Healthcare Value Hub
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