Rural Health
News by Topic: Health workforce education and training
Sep 26, 2023 - A New Hampshire hospital system is offering a virtual program to both educate rural healthcare providers and connect them with specialists during emergency and difficult births using a hub-and-spoke model. Notes that 40% of the state's hospitals have closed their labor and delivery departments since 2011, primarily in rural areas. Discusses costs associated with the program as well as sustainability concerns.
Source: Health Leaders Media
Sep 25, 2023 - Part 1 of a documentary discussing shortages of physicians in rural areas. Offers overview of why shortages exist including historic trends in physician training, clinic ownership trends, facility closures, and more. Captions are available in the video player.
Source: Stat News
Sep 11, 2023 - Describes a program with the University of South Dakota and a rural health system to educate their medical residents and students on rural healthcare. Students along with first responders, doctors, and other healthcare workers gather at a farm and use simulations to learn about common injuries and traumas.
Source: Siouxland Proud
Sep 11, 2023 - Describes the role nurse practitioners (NPs) could play in easing physician shortages and hospital closings in rural areas. Between 2008 and 2016, rural physicians declined 12.8% and NPs increased 17.6%. Notes the holistic training NPs receive as especially beneficial in rural communities. Discusses concerns by other healthcare practitioners regarding scope creep and patient safety.
Source: Health Leaders Media
Sep 5, 2023 - A new grant-funded interdisciplinary training program focusing on environmental health in rural areas has launched at Virginia Tech University. Rather than creating a new single department, the program will include doctoral students from across 6 programs spanning the health, veterinary sciences, environmental engineering, biology, and conservation fields.
Source: Virginia Tech News
Aug 31, 2023 - A new mobile wellness van has been launched in rural southern Utah. Services provided by the unit will address not only health but also social determinants of health. The van will also promote interprofessional collaboration. A project of Southern Utah University, students from a variety of health, community development, social work, and more are invited to participate in the program.
Source: The Spectrum
Aug 28, 2023 - Notice of final rule from the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) revising the hospital inpatient prospective payment system (IPPS) for operating and capital-related costs of acute care hospitals for fiscal year 2024. This rule also makes changes related to Medicare graduate medical education (GME) for teaching hospitals and payment policies and the annual payment rates for inpatient hospital services provided by long-term care hospitals, among other things. This rule also includes updates to the Rural Emergency Hospital (REH) designation. These regulations are effective October 1, 2023.
Source: Federal Register
Aug 28, 2023 - Northern Arizona University (NAU) has added a new simulation lab allowing nursing students to get more hands on experience working with patients. The lab is part of an effort to increase the enrollment and add enhanced quality to the nursing program. NAU aims to address nursing workforce shortages, particularly in rural communities in the state.
Source: Arizona's Family
Aug 16, 2023 - The Mainstream Addiction Treatment Act (MAT Act) has potential to increase opioid use disorder treatment access in rural areas. The number of healthcare professionals able to prescribe the treatment has gone from 130,000 to over 1.8 million. Education and partnerships are still needed for healthcare professionals, particularly in rural areas where there are fewer prescribers and other addiction support services.
Source: The Daily Yonder
Aug 16, 2023 - Describes the state of healthcare access in Arkansas. Discusses healthcare workforce distribution, pharmacies, rural health disparities, telehealth, mobile clinics, residency programs, and Medicare reimbursement.
Source: Arkansas Money & Politics