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Rural Health Information Hub

Rural Health
Resources by Type: Document

Rural Telehealth and Healthcare System Readiness Measurement Framework: Final Report
Presents a performance measurement framework to guide quality and performance improvement for healthcare services delivered via telehealth in rural areas in response to disasters. Covers five domains — access to care and technology; costs, business models, and logistics; experience; effectiveness; and equity — rural-specific measurement issues, and potential solutions. Includes recommendations for rural telehealth measurement for time-sensitive emergencies, public health emergencies, and disasters.
Date: 11/2021
Sponsoring organization: National Quality Forum
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Enhancing Cancer Care of Rural Dwellers Through Telehealth and Engagement (ENCORE): A Protocol to Evaluate Effectiveness of a Multi-Level Telehealth-Based Intervention to Improve Rural Cancer Care Delivery
Describes a proposed study of telehealth-based cancer interventions at both the provider and patient levels in order to identify barriers and facilitators for the intervention. Outlines the study's protocols, methods, and contributions to technology-enabled and team-based delivery models to support cancer care for rural and underserved communities.
Author(s): Tuya Pal, Pamela C. Hull, Tatsuki Koyama, et al.
Citation: BMC Cancer, 21, 1262
Date: 11/2021
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Emergency Department Visits for COVID-19 in Mississippi, March 2020-June 2021
Study examining COVID-19 visits to non-federal emergency departments in Mississippi from March 2020 to June 2021, breaking down data based on payer, age, sex, rural/urban residence, and other demographic factors.
Author(s): Manuela Staneva, Thomas Dobbs, Paul Byers
Date: 11/2021
Sponsoring organization: Mississippi State Department of Health
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Critical Access Hospitals' Initial Response to COVID-19 by System Affiliation
Summarizes results of a survey of Critical Access Hospital (CAH) executives in eight states regarding the initial response to COVID-19 through August 2020. Presents data by system-affiliated and independent CAH status. Discusses COVID-19 case volume, personal protective equipment (PPE) supply, and the perceived impact of system affiliation status on facilities' overall response to COVID-19.
Author(s): Ira Moscovice, Madeleine Pick, Megan Lahr
Date: 11/2021
Sponsoring organization: Flex Monitoring Team
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Network Adequacy for Behavioral Health: Existing Standards and Considerations for Designing Standards
Summarizes findings from a technical expert panel and an environmental scan to examine federal and state network adequacy standards for behavioral health across Medicare Advantage, Medicaid managed care, and commercial insurance. Presents considerations and principles for designing, monitoring, and enforcing additional behavioral health network adequacy standards.
Author(s): Katharine Bradley, Allison Wishon, Alexandra C. Donnelly, Amanda Lechner
Date: 11/2021
Sponsoring organization: HHS Office of the Assistant Secretary for Planning and Evaluation
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Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act: Funding for USDA Rural Broadband Programs
Provides an overview of funding included in the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act (P.L. 117-58) for two rural broadband-related programs: the ReConnect Program and the Rural Broadband Program. Compares administrative provisions and requirements for the ReConnect Program with requirements for previous rounds of funding.
Date: 11/2021
Sponsoring organization: Congressional Research Service
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Association of Rural and Critical Access Hospital Status With Patient Outcomes After Emergency Department Visits Among Medicare Beneficiaries
Compares 30-day outcomes for 473,152 Medicare patients after emergency department (ED) visits in rural or urban settings and in Critical Access Hospitals. Features statistics on mortality, ED revisits, hospitalization and transfer patterns by commonly encountered ED conditions, and characteristics of patients and of hospitals studied, with breakdowns by urban or rural location.
Author(s): Margaret Greenwood-Ericksen, Neil Kamdar, Paul Lin, et al.
Citation: JAMA Network Open, 4(11)
Date: 11/2021
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Examining Rural Hospital Bypass for Outpatient Services
Explores the drivers of rural hospital bypass for outpatient services and the relationship between hospital outpatient services and inpatient utilization. Examines demographic and market characteristics associated with bypass for outpatient services before and after inpatient admissions. Also analyzes how utilization for common outpatient services differs between Critical Access Hospitals (CAHs) and rural prospective payment system (PPS) hospitals.
Date: 11/2021
Sponsoring organization: Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services
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Improving Health in Rural Communities: FY 2021 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 2021. Focuses on 10 priority areas: COVID-19, Federally-facilitated and State Marketplaces; Medicare payment and policy; practitioner workforce; Medicaid and Children's Health Insurance Program (CHIP) enrollment, payment, and policy; long-term services and supports; maternal health; mental health and substance use disorders; models and demonstrations, and quality and equity.
Date: 11/2021
Sponsoring organization: Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services
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National Rural Health Day 2021 Community Stars
Collection of stories about individuals and organizations across the U.S. that have made positive differences in the health of the rural communities they serve through innovation, leadership, commitment, collaboration, education, and communication.
Date: 11/2021
Sponsoring organization: National Organization of State Offices of Rural Health
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