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Rural Health
Resources by Topic: Health occupations

Leveraging Health Care Reform to Accelerate Nurse Practitioner Full Practice Authority
Presents a descriptive study of legislation from 1994 to 2016 impacting the scope of practice for nurse practitioners (NPs). Discusses how supporting full practice authority (FPA) where physician involvement is not required can lessen the concern over the lack of primary care providers by allowing NPs to offer comprehensive healthcare services to rural and vulnerable patients. Identifies barriers and limitations to FPA.
Author(s): Heather M. Brom, Pamela J. Salsberry, Margaret Clark Graham
Citation: Journal of the American Association of Nurse Practitioners, 30(3), 120-130
Date: 03/2018
Type: Document
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Indiana Primary Care Needs Assessment, 2018
Summary of efforts to identify gaps in access to health care and allocate resources to communities in greatest need, from 2015-2017. Includes trends in Health Professional Shortage Area (HPSA) designations in Indiana, the preliminary HPSA analysis summary, projected need of providers in Indiana counties, and health rankings within Indiana.
Author(s): Analise Dickinson, Sierra Vaughn, Hannah Maxey
Date: 03/2018
Type: Document
Sponsoring organization: Bowen Center for Health Workforce Research and Policy
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Minnesota Oral Health Workforce: Trends & Pipeline Incentives
Provides information on the oral health workforce and access to oral healthcare in Minnesota. Discusses dental Health Profession Shortage Areas (HPSAs) and covers a dentist to population ratio by rurality. Describes oral health trends in Minnesota.
Author(s): Nitika Moibi, Deb Jahnke
Date: 03/2018
Type: Document
Sponsoring organization: Minnesota Department of Health - Office of Rural Health and Primary Care
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Physician Workforce: HHS Needs Better Information to Comprehensively Evaluate Graduate Medical Education Funding
Describes what is known about Graduate Medical Education (GME) costs, including the amount, type, and distribution of spending, and examines the extent to which the federal government collects GME-related information. Includes statistics on federal spending on GME in 2015, and information on which GME payment programs track whether residents are from rural areas, received training in rural areas, or went on to practice in rural areas.
Additional links: Full Report
Author(s): James Cosgrove, William Hadley, Christine Brudevold, Katherine Mack, A. Elizabeth Dobrenz, et al.
Date: 03/2018
Type: Document
Sponsoring organization: Government Accountability Office
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MedPAC Report to the Congress: Medicare Payment Policy, 2018
Annual review of Medicare payment policies, with recommendations to Congress. Includes discussion on Medicare payment policies directly affecting rural providers and beneficiaries. Addresses Medicare Part D, Medicare Advantage, telehealth, payment incentive programs, and payment adequacy for healthcare facilities and services.
Additional links: Chapter 14 Online-Only Appendixes: The Medicare Prescription Drug Program (Part D): Status Report (March 2018 Report, Revised June 25, 2018), Chapter 16 Online-Only Appendixes: Mandated Report: Telehealth Services and the Medicare Program (March 2018 report), Errata Sheet: Table 9-7, Page 255 (March 2018 Report, Revised May 30, 2018)
Date: 03/2018
Type: Document
Sponsoring organization: Medicare Payment Advisory Commission
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Washington Program Trains Dental Super-Generalists to Serve Rural Communities
Features the University of Washington School of Dentistry's Regional Initiatives in Dental Education (RIDE) program. Describes how the program is structured to create a "super-generalist" able to meet oral health needs in rural and underserved areas. Discusses the program's success placing graduates in rural locations.
Author(s): Kay Miller Temple
Date: 03/2018
Type: Document
Sponsoring organization: Rural Health Information Hub
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Barriers and Best Practices for Using Telehealth Services in Nebraska
Explores the use of telehealth to receive mental health services in rural areas of Nebraska. Includes county-level maps of metropolitan and micropolitan areas, county-level maps of primary and satellite locations of psychiatrists, as well rural versus urban behavioral workforce supply per 100,000 citizens.
Author(s): Shinobu Watanabe-Galloway, Ellana Haakenstad, Joe Evans, Howard Liu
Date: 02/2018
Type: Document
Sponsoring organization: Behavioral Health Workforce Research Center
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Promising Practice: Minnesota Program Aims to Help Immigrant Physicians Practice in the State
Describes the collaboration between the Minnesota Department of Health's Office of Rural Health and Primary Care (ORHPC) and the IMG Assistance Program – a nonprofit organization, and their partnership with the University of Minnesota to prepare and integrate international medical graduates (IMGs) into the physician workforce to address provider shortages in the state.
Author(s): Beth Blevins
Date: 02/2018
Type: Document
Sponsoring organization: National Organization of State Offices of Rural Health
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Evaluation of an Academic-Community Partnership to Implement MTM Services in Rural Communities to Improve Pharmaceutical Care for Patients with Diabetes and/or Hypertension
Evaluates a pilot project in Arizona where community health center and independent retail pharmacies offered medication therapy management (MTM) services on site and by phone to rural, underserved Arizonans with diabetes or high blood pressure.
Author(s): Melissa Johnson, Rebecca Jastrzab, Jared Tate, et al.
Citation: Journal of Managed Care & Specialty Pharmacy, 24(2), 132-141
Date: 02/2018
Type: Document
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Oral Health in Texas, Bridging Gaps and Filling Needs
Provides an overview of oral health in Texas and factors that contribute to oral health, while highlighting the needs of rural and border populations. Covers oral health workforce needs and barriers to accessing oral care. Provides regional and county-level statistics and information on rural populations, age, socioeconomic factors, oral health outcomes, and more.
Date: 02/2018
Type: Document
Sponsoring organization: Texas Health Institute
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