Rural Health Policy – Resources
Selected recent or important resources focusing on Rural Health Policy.
The Pennsylvania Rural Health Model (PARHM): Fourth Annual Evaluation Report
Evaluates the fourth performance year of the Pennsylvania Rural Health Model (PARHM), an initiative designed to test if global budgets can help rural hospitals improve their financial viability, provide flexibility to meet locally defined community health needs, and reduce overall healthcare spending. Provides an overview of the model and describes the implementation experience of participating hospitals and payers. Presents a descriptive quantitative assessment of financial performance, spending and utilization, access to care, and quality of care outcomes from 2016, the model's baseline, through 2022. Includes three case studies discussing three themes: experiences with global budget reconciliation, behavioral health transformation, and interactions and alignment between PARHM and other value-based care programs.
Additional links: Appendix, Findings at a Glance
Date: 12/2024
Type: Document
Sponsoring organizations: Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services, NORC at the University of Chicago
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Evaluates the fourth performance year of the Pennsylvania Rural Health Model (PARHM), an initiative designed to test if global budgets can help rural hospitals improve their financial viability, provide flexibility to meet locally defined community health needs, and reduce overall healthcare spending. Provides an overview of the model and describes the implementation experience of participating hospitals and payers. Presents a descriptive quantitative assessment of financial performance, spending and utilization, access to care, and quality of care outcomes from 2016, the model's baseline, through 2022. Includes three case studies discussing three themes: experiences with global budget reconciliation, behavioral health transformation, and interactions and alignment between PARHM and other value-based care programs.
Additional links: Appendix, Findings at a Glance
Date: 12/2024
Type: Document
Sponsoring organizations: Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services, NORC at the University of Chicago
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Farm Bill Primer: Rural Broadband Provisions
Highlights selected rural broadband programs and provisions included in the 2018 Farm Bill, including the Rural Broadband Program, Community Connect Grant Program, and Distance Learning and Telemedicine Program. Outlines considerations for Congress related to the ReConnect Program, rural health challenges, and expanding broadband to support increased telework opportunities.
Date: 12/2024
Type: Document
Sponsoring organization: Congressional Research Service
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Highlights selected rural broadband programs and provisions included in the 2018 Farm Bill, including the Rural Broadband Program, Community Connect Grant Program, and Distance Learning and Telemedicine Program. Outlines considerations for Congress related to the ReConnect Program, rural health challenges, and expanding broadband to support increased telework opportunities.
Date: 12/2024
Type: Document
Sponsoring organization: Congressional Research Service
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Farm Bill Primer: Rural Development Title
Provides an overview of the rural development provisions of the 2018 Farm Bill, including provisions related to rural broadband, water and waste disposal, and business creation and economic development. Offers considerations Congress may consider in the 2025 reauthorization of the Farm Bill related to the ReConnect Program and rural health challenges.
Date: 12/2024
Type: Document
Sponsoring organization: Congressional Research Service
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Provides an overview of the rural development provisions of the 2018 Farm Bill, including provisions related to rural broadband, water and waste disposal, and business creation and economic development. Offers considerations Congress may consider in the 2025 reauthorization of the Farm Bill related to the ReConnect Program and rural health challenges.
Date: 12/2024
Type: Document
Sponsoring organization: Congressional Research Service
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Advancing Health Equity in Rural, Tribal, and Geographically Isolated Communities: FY2024 Year in Review
Summarizes Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) activities in fiscal year 2024 to advance health equity for people living in rural, tribal, and geographically isolated communities. Covers six priority focus areas: applying a community-informed geographic lens; increasing the collection and use of standardized data; strengthening and supporting healthcare professionals; optimizing medical and communication technology; expanding access to comprehensive healthcare coverage, benefits, and services and supports; and driving innovation and value-based care.
Date: 11/2024
Type: Document
Sponsoring organization: Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services
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Summarizes Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) activities in fiscal year 2024 to advance health equity for people living in rural, tribal, and geographically isolated communities. Covers six priority focus areas: applying a community-informed geographic lens; increasing the collection and use of standardized data; strengthening and supporting healthcare professionals; optimizing medical and communication technology; expanding access to comprehensive healthcare coverage, benefits, and services and supports; and driving innovation and value-based care.
Date: 11/2024
Type: Document
Sponsoring organization: Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services
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For Analysis of the Rural Impacts of Health Policies and Proposals, Federal Lawmakers of All Stripes Look to This Expert Panel
Shares the 30-year history of the RUPRI Health Panel, a nonpartisan policy analysis group. Describes the contributions this group has made to rural health policy and insights from panel members.
Author(s): Brendan Stermer
Citation: Rural Monitor
Date: 11/2024
Type: Document
Sponsoring organization: Rural Health Information Hub
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Shares the 30-year history of the RUPRI Health Panel, a nonpartisan policy analysis group. Describes the contributions this group has made to rural health policy and insights from panel members.
Author(s): Brendan Stermer
Citation: Rural Monitor
Date: 11/2024
Type: Document
Sponsoring organization: Rural Health Information Hub
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Re-Imagining Rural Health: Themes, Concepts, and Next Steps from the CMS Innovation Center "Hackathon" Series
Summarizes themes that emerged from Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) Innovation Center's August 2024 Rural Health Hackathons, which aimed to inform potential payment and service delivery model development and to identify innovative solutions to address the access, care delivery, and workforce needs of rural, Tribal, frontier, and geographically isolated areas communities. Describes lessons learned from previous Innovation Center models focused on rural health and how these lessons were applied during the development of new models. Outlines potential areas for the Innovation Center to explore to advance health in rural, Tribal, frontier, and geographically isolated areas.
Date: 11/2024
Type: Document
Sponsoring organization: Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services
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Summarizes themes that emerged from Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) Innovation Center's August 2024 Rural Health Hackathons, which aimed to inform potential payment and service delivery model development and to identify innovative solutions to address the access, care delivery, and workforce needs of rural, Tribal, frontier, and geographically isolated areas communities. Describes lessons learned from previous Innovation Center models focused on rural health and how these lessons were applied during the development of new models. Outlines potential areas for the Innovation Center to explore to advance health in rural, Tribal, frontier, and geographically isolated areas.
Date: 11/2024
Type: Document
Sponsoring organization: Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services
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Access to Health Care in Rural America: Current Trends and Key Challenges
Highlights patterns in insurance coverage and uninsurance rates in rural and urban areas, explores non-financial challenges in accessing care faced by rural residents, and describes disparities in health outcomes between urban and rural areas. Features statistics on number of uninsured rural non-elderly adults by state, in 2010 and 2023.
Author(s): Gina Turrini, Eden Volkov, Christie Peters, Nancy De Lew, Thomas Buchmueller
Date: 10/2024
Type: Document
Sponsoring organization: HHS Office of the Assistant Secretary for Planning and Evaluation
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Highlights patterns in insurance coverage and uninsurance rates in rural and urban areas, explores non-financial challenges in accessing care faced by rural residents, and describes disparities in health outcomes between urban and rural areas. Features statistics on number of uninsured rural non-elderly adults by state, in 2010 and 2023.
Author(s): Gina Turrini, Eden Volkov, Christie Peters, Nancy De Lew, Thomas Buchmueller
Date: 10/2024
Type: Document
Sponsoring organization: HHS Office of the Assistant Secretary for Planning and Evaluation
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2023 Summer Non-Congregate Meal Service: Results from the 2023 Summer Non-Congregate Sponsor Survey
Evaluates the implementation of the 2023 Consolidated Appropriations Act, which permanently allowed for rural non-congregate meal service as part of the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) Summer Meal Programs. Provides 2023 survey data from State agency sponsors operating summer non-congregate meal service for children, with a focus on site participation, sponsor experiences, meal pick up sites, meal delivery, and future plans for non-congregate meal service.
Additional links: Appendix A - Survey, Data Tables
Author(s): Susannah Barr
Date: 10/2024
Type: Document
Sponsoring organization: USDA Food and Nutrition Service
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Evaluates the implementation of the 2023 Consolidated Appropriations Act, which permanently allowed for rural non-congregate meal service as part of the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) Summer Meal Programs. Provides 2023 survey data from State agency sponsors operating summer non-congregate meal service for children, with a focus on site participation, sponsor experiences, meal pick up sites, meal delivery, and future plans for non-congregate meal service.
Additional links: Appendix A - Survey, Data Tables
Author(s): Susannah Barr
Date: 10/2024
Type: Document
Sponsoring organization: USDA Food and Nutrition Service
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Health Care Workforce: Key Issues, Challenges, and the Path Forward
Provides an overview of the supply and distribution of physicians, nurses, direct care workers, behavioral health workers, and oral healthcare providers. Describes persistent challenges related to the healthcare workforce, including supply and distribution of healthcare workers, especially in rural communities; racial and ethnic diversity; burnout; compensation; and administrative burden. Identifies opportunities to address these challenges and efforts supported by the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services to address these issues.
Date: 10/2024
Type: Document
Sponsoring organization: HHS Office of the Assistant Secretary for Planning and Evaluation
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Provides an overview of the supply and distribution of physicians, nurses, direct care workers, behavioral health workers, and oral healthcare providers. Describes persistent challenges related to the healthcare workforce, including supply and distribution of healthcare workers, especially in rural communities; racial and ethnic diversity; burnout; compensation; and administrative burden. Identifies opportunities to address these challenges and efforts supported by the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services to address these issues.
Date: 10/2024
Type: Document
Sponsoring organization: HHS Office of the Assistant Secretary for Planning and Evaluation
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National Advisory Committee on Rural Health and Human Services Meeting Summary, Santa Fe and Las Vegas, New Mexico, September 4-6, 2024
Summarizes the 95th meeting of the National Advisory Committee on Rural Health and Human Services (NACRHHS), which was held in Santa Fe and Las Vegas, New Mexico. Presents an overview of national, state, and community perspectives on the rural opioid and substance use crisis.
Date: 09/2024
Type: Document
Sponsoring organization: National Advisory Committee on Rural Health and Human Services
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Summarizes the 95th meeting of the National Advisory Committee on Rural Health and Human Services (NACRHHS), which was held in Santa Fe and Las Vegas, New Mexico. Presents an overview of national, state, and community perspectives on the rural opioid and substance use crisis.
Date: 09/2024
Type: Document
Sponsoring organization: National Advisory Committee on Rural Health and Human Services
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Last Updated: 12/20/2024