Rural Health
News by Topic: Telehealth
Jul 25, 2024 - Highlights the impact of no access to obstetric care on communities and families in rural and other parts of Kansas. Discusses community growth, distance to care, telehealth, training for healthcare workers, and quality of care.
Source: Kansas Reflector
Jul 20, 2024 - Discusses factors contributing to mental healthcare provider shortages in rural Colorado and solutions for addressing the shortage including telemedicine, interventions for farmers and farmworkers, and other policy measures. Highlights the role of stigma as a barrier to care.
Source: Colorado Politics
Jul 16, 2024 - Outlines new investment by the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services to support the creation of a multi-state licensure compact, allowing social workers to practice across state lines without applying for multiple licenses. Notes the potential impacts of the licensure compact on rural communities by easing provider shortages and expanding telehealth service availability.
Source: U.S. Department of Health and Human Services
Jul 15, 2024 - Discusses rural healthcare viability challenges including telehealth and broadband access, reimbursement rates, and an end of pandemic-era funding.
Source: Health Leaders Media
Jul 11, 2024 - The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services' proposed calendar year 2025 physician fee schedule rule includes new payments and coverage for digital health and telehealth services.
The draft rule contains significant provisions for Rural Health Clinics and Federally Qualified Health Centers and gives opioid treatment programs more flexibility in their use of telehealth services.
Source: Fierce Healthcare
Jul 10, 2024 - A new telehealth study done by the Sault Ste. Marie Tribe of Chippewa Indians and Connected Nation Michigan provides insights into how tribal members use telehealth, what barriers exist, and attitudes toward telehealth. The study identifies ways tribal health clinics can expand telehealth efforts, identifies unmet demand, and addresses concerns that may prevent tribe members from adopting telehealth services.
Source: Connected Nation
Jul 3, 2024 - Discusses how a remote patient monitoring program in northern Minnesota is increasing access to care and resources for rural pregnant women. Details the program's structure and highlights the use of in-home telehealth appointments, physical monitoring equipment, and arranging transportation for in-person care.
Source: HealthLeaders Media
AHRQ: Agency Information Collection Activities: Proposed Collection; Comment Request
Federal Register
Jul 1, 2024 - The Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality (AHRQ) is allowing an additional 30 days for comments on proposed updates to the Medical Expenditure Panel Survey (MEPS) – Household and Medical Provider Components (MEPS-HC). Proposed changes include wording changes that will help identify telehealth utilization and access, as well as maintain consistency between Consumer Assessment of Healthcare Providers and Systems 5.1 and MEPS-HC questionnaire items. Comments are due by July 31, 2024.
Source: Federal Register
Jun 26, 2024 - Discusses Pennsylvania legislation which will require public and private insurers to cover telehealth services. Notes the importance of telehealth for ensuring access to healthcare services in rural Pennsylvania, where 15 hospitals have closed in the last 5 years.
Source: The Center Square
Jun 23, 2024 - Highlights the impacts of a tele-ICU program connecting patients and providers at Whitfield Regional Hospital in rural west Alabama to providers at the University of Alabama at Birmingham. Describes how the program has reduced the need to transport patients out of the community for care, which can strain rural families and complicate follow-up care.
Source: AL.com