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Rural Health Information Hub

Rural Health
Resources by Topic: Health occupations

MedPAC Report to the Congress: Medicare Payment Policy, 2022
Annual review of Medicare payment policies, with recommendations to Congress. Includes discussion on Medicare payment policies directly affecting rural providers and beneficiaries. Addresses payment adequacy for healthcare facilities and services, improving Medicare payment for post-acute care, Medicare Advantage, Medicare Part D, and the impact of healthcare provider consolidation.
Date: 03/2022
Sponsoring organization: Medicare Payment Advisory Commission
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Where Are the BSN-Educated RNs in Texas?
Offers county-level data on the distribution of bachelor's degree educated registered nurses in Texas. Includes rural and urban comparisons.
Date: 02/2022
Sponsoring organization: Texas Health and Human Services
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Rural Physician Recruitment and Staffing Survey Results
White paper examining the results of an October 2021 survey of 1,311 physicians,169 administrators, and 158 advanced practice providers. Describes characteristics of respondents with breakdowns by urban, suburban, or rural location. Explores top reasons for choosing a rural practice location, incentives with the greatest influence, and reasons for declining offers.
Date: 02/2022
Sponsoring organization: Jackson Physician Search
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Medicare: Information on Geographic Adjustments to Physician Payments for Physicians' Time, Skills, and Effort
Provides an overview of the work geographic practice cost indices (GPCI), which the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services uses to adjust Medicare physician payments to account for differences in the costs of providing care across various geographic locations. Examines the extent to which the work GPCI accounts for geographic variation in physician earnings and how Medicare payments could change under potential modifications to the work GPCI.
Additional links: Full Report
Date: 02/2022
Sponsoring organization: Government Accountability Office
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Rural Emergency Hospital Conversion: Critical Factors for EMS Support
Policy position paper focused on emergency medical services (EMS) in communities with hospitals converting to Rural Emergency Hospital (REH) status. Outlines barriers to EMS delivery in rural areas including funding, workforce, and community engagement and support. Includes policy recommendations.
Author(s): Julie Bosak, Jed Hansen
Date: 02/2022
Sponsoring organization: National Rural Health Association
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Mental Health in Rural Areas
Policy position paper focused on mental health in rural areas. Discusses barriers and policy recommendations regarding the availability, access, and acceptability of mental healthcare in rural communities.
Author(s): Brenda Mack, Heather Whetsell, Janessa M. Graves
Date: 02/2022
Sponsoring organization: National Rural Health Association
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How Actual Practice of Emergency Medical Services Personnel Aligns with the Recommended National Scope of Practice in Rural Versus Urban Areas of the U.S.
Results of a study examining the extent to which EMS professionals perform skills that correspond to their credential levels, and determining whether there are variations in adherence to guidelines between agencies serving rural or urban populations and agencies with unpaid versus paid staffing models. Examines credentials for emergency medical responders, emergency medical technicians (EMTs), advanced EMTs, and paramedics, and uses data from EMS encounters in 2018 from 1,056 EMS agencies nationally. Features statistics on various procedures and predictors of performing a procedure within the scope of practice model, with breakdowns by 4 levels of population density.
Author(s): Davis G. Patterson, Benjamin A. Stubbs, Nikiah G. Nudell
Date: 02/2022
Sponsoring organization: UW Center for Health Workforce Studies
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From Idea to Reality: Federal Funding Supports Quapaw Nation's Community Paramedicine Program
Describes how the Quapaw Nation used federal COVID-related funding to launch a community paramedicine program. Explains how the program is serving local residents and meeting community needs.
Author(s): Kay Miller Temple
Citation: Rural Monitor
Date: 02/2022
Sponsoring organization: Rural Health Information Hub
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Recruiting, Revitalizing & Diversifying: Examining the Health Care Workforce Shortage
Recording of February 10, 2022 testimony before the U.S. Senate Subcommittee on Employment and Workplace Safety, offering recommendations for strategies to alleviate anticipated shortages in the healthcare workforce, including in rural areas. Features testimonies by representatives of the National Nurse Practitioner Residency and Fellowship Training Consortium, Xavier University of Louisiana, the National Institute for Medical Assistant Advancement, and the Heritage Foundation.
Additional links: C. Reynold Verret Testimony, Margaret Flinter Testimony, Norma Quinones Testimony, Rachel Greszler Testimony
Date: 02/2022
Sponsoring organization: Senate Committee on Health, Education, Labor & Pensions
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How States Can Expand Health Care Access in Rural Communities
Discusses policy options states could use to increase access to care and the supply of healthcare providers in rural areas. Covers financial assistance programs for medical and dental education; malpractice reform; scope of practice changes for advanced practice registered nurses, physician assistants, and dental health aide therapists; telemedicine parity; and mobile clinics.
Date: 02/2022
Sponsoring organization: Center for American Progress
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