Rural Health
Resources by Topic: Behavioral health workforce
Rural Recovery Innovations
Discusses disparities in behavioral health recovery support services in rural, frontier, and tribal communities. Highlights innovative and promising practices for addressing behavioral health disparities, such as addressing stigma, supporting peer workforce, and addressing social determinants of health, among other measures.
Date: 01/2025
Sponsoring organization: Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration
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Discusses disparities in behavioral health recovery support services in rural, frontier, and tribal communities. Highlights innovative and promising practices for addressing behavioral health disparities, such as addressing stigma, supporting peer workforce, and addressing social determinants of health, among other measures.
Date: 01/2025
Sponsoring organization: Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration
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Evaluating Access to Psychosocial Services for the Medicaid-Insured Children in Georgia
Assesses mental health workforce supply and demand for psychosocial services for the Medicaid-insured children in Georgia, and examines the impact of policy interventions to increase availability of services for the Medicaid-insured population. Analyzes factors associated with unmet demand, including data on rurality, travel distance, and more.
Author(s): Yujia Xie, Pravara Harati, Janani Rajbhandari-Thapa, Nicoleta Serban
Citation: BMC Public Health, 25, 244
Date: 01/2025
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Assesses mental health workforce supply and demand for psychosocial services for the Medicaid-insured children in Georgia, and examines the impact of policy interventions to increase availability of services for the Medicaid-insured population. Analyzes factors associated with unmet demand, including data on rurality, travel distance, and more.
Author(s): Yujia Xie, Pravara Harati, Janani Rajbhandari-Thapa, Nicoleta Serban
Citation: BMC Public Health, 25, 244
Date: 01/2025
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Behavioral Health Crisis Services Billed to Commercial Insurance, Medicaid, and Medicare
Examines the extent to which three specific crisis service billing codes are used by commercial payors, Medicaid, and Medicare in 2020 in the 11 states and District of Columbia that cover these services in their Medicaid fee-for-service plans. Compares the rate of crisis service claims by state, rurality, and provider type.
Author(s): Crystal Blyler, Amy Edmonds, Allison Wishon, et al.
Date: 01/2025
Sponsoring organizations: HHS Office of the Assistant Secretary for Planning and Evaluation, Mathematica
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Examines the extent to which three specific crisis service billing codes are used by commercial payors, Medicaid, and Medicare in 2020 in the 11 states and District of Columbia that cover these services in their Medicaid fee-for-service plans. Compares the rate of crisis service claims by state, rurality, and provider type.
Author(s): Crystal Blyler, Amy Edmonds, Allison Wishon, et al.
Date: 01/2025
Sponsoring organizations: HHS Office of the Assistant Secretary for Planning and Evaluation, Mathematica
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Assessing the Feasibility of Creating a National Behavioral Health Workforce Database
Results of a project to determine the feasibility of developing a database of behavioral health providers and practices that offers up-to-date information to support research, policymaking, and public access. Identifies key elements, including demographics, licensure, education, and practice details. Includes information on databases focused on rural health.
Author(s): Frances Jiménez, Nicole Gauthreaux, Courtney Segal, et al.
Date: 01/2025
Sponsoring organization: HHS Office of the Assistant Secretary for Planning and Evaluation
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Results of a project to determine the feasibility of developing a database of behavioral health providers and practices that offers up-to-date information to support research, policymaking, and public access. Identifies key elements, including demographics, licensure, education, and practice details. Includes information on databases focused on rural health.
Author(s): Frances Jiménez, Nicole Gauthreaux, Courtney Segal, et al.
Date: 01/2025
Sponsoring organization: HHS Office of the Assistant Secretary for Planning and Evaluation
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Youth Mental Health and Substance Use Task Force: Redesigning the Health Care Delivery System to Better Meet the Needs of Youth
Presents policy recommendations from 50 experts and thought leaders regarding how to maximize the potential of the U.S. healthcare system to better serve youth with behavioral health needs. Covers the behavioral health workforce, transparency and compliance with existing screening and treatment requirements, promoting integrated primary care and behavioral health services in pediatric settings, the needs of youth with the highest acuity behavioral health needs, and strengthening crisis and stabilization systems. Includes rural references and considerations throughout.
Date: 01/2025
Sponsoring organization: Bipartisan Policy Center
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Presents policy recommendations from 50 experts and thought leaders regarding how to maximize the potential of the U.S. healthcare system to better serve youth with behavioral health needs. Covers the behavioral health workforce, transparency and compliance with existing screening and treatment requirements, promoting integrated primary care and behavioral health services in pediatric settings, the needs of youth with the highest acuity behavioral health needs, and strengthening crisis and stabilization systems. Includes rural references and considerations throughout.
Date: 01/2025
Sponsoring organization: Bipartisan Policy Center
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Tennessee Uninsured Adult Healthcare Safety Net: 2024 Annual Report
Reports on Tennessee's uninsured population, state safety net funding, and services provided in 2024. Lists safety net service locations, including community and faith-based clinics, Federally Qualified Health Centers, dental clinics, and more. Provides county-by-county data on primary, oral, and specialty care population-to-provider ratios, and includes county-level maps of Health Resource Shortage Areas. Mentions rural throughout.
Date: 01/2025
Sponsoring organization: Tennessee Department of Health
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Reports on Tennessee's uninsured population, state safety net funding, and services provided in 2024. Lists safety net service locations, including community and faith-based clinics, Federally Qualified Health Centers, dental clinics, and more. Provides county-by-county data on primary, oral, and specialty care population-to-provider ratios, and includes county-level maps of Health Resource Shortage Areas. Mentions rural throughout.
Date: 01/2025
Sponsoring organization: Tennessee Department of Health
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Addressing Workforce Challenges Across the Behavioral Health Continuum of Care: Proceedings of a Workshop
Summary of presentations and discussions from a July 2024 public workshop to address workforce needs and challenges related to behavioral healthcare. Includes discussions of telepsychiatry collaborative care to improve rural access and capacity, and recruiting and retaining Native American healthcare providers in behavioral health settings.
Author(s): Board on Health Care Services
Date: 2025
Sponsoring organization: Health and Medicine Division (HMD), National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine
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Summary of presentations and discussions from a July 2024 public workshop to address workforce needs and challenges related to behavioral healthcare. Includes discussions of telepsychiatry collaborative care to improve rural access and capacity, and recruiting and retaining Native American healthcare providers in behavioral health settings.
Author(s): Board on Health Care Services
Date: 2025
Sponsoring organization: Health and Medicine Division (HMD), National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine
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Health Information Technology Adoption and Utilization in Behavioral Health Settings
Explores the adoption and use of health information technology (HIT) among behavioral health providers. Presents findings from a literature review and focus group interviews regarding digital strategies that support integrated care models between physical health and behavioral health. Discusses how a lagging adoption and interoperability of HIT may affect community-based behavioral health providers working with underserved populations. Identifies policy considerations to increase interoperable HIT use among behavioral health providers. Includes rural references throughout.
Author(s): Michelle Dougherty, Rebecca McGavin, Meagan Pilar, Marc Horvath, Stephen Brown
Date: 12/2024
Sponsoring organizations: HHS Office of the Assistant Secretary for Planning and Evaluation, RTI International
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Explores the adoption and use of health information technology (HIT) among behavioral health providers. Presents findings from a literature review and focus group interviews regarding digital strategies that support integrated care models between physical health and behavioral health. Discusses how a lagging adoption and interoperability of HIT may affect community-based behavioral health providers working with underserved populations. Identifies policy considerations to increase interoperable HIT use among behavioral health providers. Includes rural references throughout.
Author(s): Michelle Dougherty, Rebecca McGavin, Meagan Pilar, Marc Horvath, Stephen Brown
Date: 12/2024
Sponsoring organizations: HHS Office of the Assistant Secretary for Planning and Evaluation, RTI International
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Wait Time Standards for Behavioral Health Network Adequacy
Presents findings from an environmental scan, key informant interviews, and case studies exploring efforts to measure and monitor provider networks through wait time standards. Describes how wait time standards can vary by provider type, service type, patient characteristics, and geographic region. Discusses challenges faced by state regulators in setting such standards. Includes rural references throughout.
Author(s): Anna Sommers, Elysha Theis, Kenneth Fassel, Brent Gibbons, Miku Fujita
Date: 11/2024
Sponsoring organizations: HHS Office of the Assistant Secretary for Planning and Evaluation, RTI International
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Presents findings from an environmental scan, key informant interviews, and case studies exploring efforts to measure and monitor provider networks through wait time standards. Describes how wait time standards can vary by provider type, service type, patient characteristics, and geographic region. Discusses challenges faced by state regulators in setting such standards. Includes rural references throughout.
Author(s): Anna Sommers, Elysha Theis, Kenneth Fassel, Brent Gibbons, Miku Fujita
Date: 11/2024
Sponsoring organizations: HHS Office of the Assistant Secretary for Planning and Evaluation, RTI International
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State of the Behavioral Health Workforce, 2024
Offers demographic and occupational data on the behavioral health workforce including current and projected shortages. Data sources include both 2022 and 2023. Offers comparisons of shortages between rural and urban counties. Discusses challenges driving workforce shortages.
Date: 11/2024
Sponsoring organizations: Health Resources and Services Administration, National Center for Health Workforce Analysis
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Offers demographic and occupational data on the behavioral health workforce including current and projected shortages. Data sources include both 2022 and 2023. Offers comparisons of shortages between rural and urban counties. Discusses challenges driving workforce shortages.
Date: 11/2024
Sponsoring organizations: Health Resources and Services Administration, National Center for Health Workforce Analysis
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