The Rural Monitor Articles by Author: Kay Miller Temple
About Kay Miller Temple
With a perspective gained from many years as a physician practicing in rural and urban locations, Dr. Kay Miller Temple writes on a variety of rural health topics and programs for RHIhub's Rural Monitor and Models and Innovations. She has a master's degree in Journalism and Mass Communication. Full Biography
November 6, 2024
From the 2036 physician supply predictions: 6% shortage in urban, but 56% in rural. With supply influenced by 100 years of attitudes, health policies, and federal funding, this historical review leads up to the recent decades of new federal funding and policies that experts said will be changing this geographic maldistribution of physicians.
July 24, 2024
For decades, community health workers (CHWs) provided their services outside usual healthcare reimbursement models. In recent years, with research supporting CHWs as professionals effectively assisting patients with navigating health-related social determinants, federal and private payers are exploring reimbursement mechanisms. Four rural healthcare organizations share both the impact and the continued sustainability challenges — and successes — of their CHW programs.
January 10, 2024
Rural health expert Tim Putnam, DHA, shares leadership perspectives and ideas gained from his roles as a rural hospital CEO, a member of a White House task force, and now in his academic healthcare policy position.
November 15, 2023
Leveraging federal Rural Communities Opioid Response Program (RCORP) funding to strengthen and expand their community's substance use services, a Berkshire County, Massachusetts coalition decreased stigma and built sustainable recovery services.
May 24, 2023
Pivoting from a universal question, "How'd you sleep?" clinical sleep experts, a federal public health agency representative, and Nebraska Extension discussed sleep's impact on rural health and public safety.
March 8, 2023
In the wake of acute COVID-19 comes another public health concern: Millions of rural Americans are experiencing Long COVID. With a federal agency representative weighing in on rural research efforts, a Tennessee rural health researcher shares his Long COVID story alongside a New York rural healthcare system who shares their story about the condition's management options.
October 26, 2022
After a 1965 public law created the Medicare and Medicaid programs, many rural residents insured by these government health programs were unable to access care. This challenge was remedied by another public law: the Rural Health Clinic Services Act of 1977. Using a historical framework, rural health policy experts, researchers, and clinicians reviewed the Act's impact on outpatient healthcare delivery in rural America.
October 26, 2022
Over 5,200 rural organizations participate in the Rural Health Clinics program, a reimbursement model dedicated to rural low-volume healthcare delivery and now in its 45th year. The National Association of Rural Health Clinics — in its 30th year — is a membership organization that emerged as the program increased its participants. Bill Finerfrock, association cofounder and its recently retired executive director, shared the group's origin story as well as touchpoints from his own career.
September 21, 2022
As vice president for research, innovation, and evaluation at Texas-based Episcopal Health Foundation, Shao-Chee Sim, PhD, discusses how philanthropic organizations can make small rural research investments — and, in particular, leverage cross-funder collaboration — that impact not only funders themselves, but also healthcare delivery systems and the rural Americans they serve.
