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Rural Health
Resources by Topic: Legislation and regulations

Telehealth Use among Rural Individuals with Disabilities
Presents a review of literature on telehealth use by people with disabilities in rural areas, covering research published in the period 2000-2019. Identifies benefits, limitations, and challenges, including barriers associated with regulation and funding, and identifies areas for further study. Includes discussion of reports and position papers as well as evidence-based studies.
Author(s): Keith M Christensen, Jill Bezyak
Date: 01/2020
Type: Document
Sponsoring organization: Rocky Mountain ADA Center (RMADAC)
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Vermont Rural Health Task Force Workforce Subcommittee Report
Provides an overview of the state of the healthcare workforce in Vermont. Describes actions taken to date by providers, the government, and non-profit organizations to combat workforce challenges in the state. Offers additional policy solutions to meet the healthcare workforce demand in Vermont.
Date: 01/2020
Type: Document
Sponsoring organizations: Rural Health Services Task Force, State of Vermont: Green Mountain Care Board
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State Telehealth Medicaid Fee-For-Service Policy: A Historical Analysis of Telehealth: 2013-2019
Examines national and state-by-state trends in Medicaid fee-for-service policies regarding telehealth between 2013-2019. Highlights changes in expanded telehealth and telemedicine definitions, modalities that are reimbursed, and geographic limitations. Provides graphs and national maps throughout to supplement reported trends.
Date: 01/2020
Type: Document
Sponsoring organization: Center for Connected Health Policy: The National Telehealth Policy Resource Center
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The Future of Rural Value‐Based Health Care and Surge Capacity
Describes the conflict between value-based care and surge capacity investments at rural hospitals, as well as the role of primary care providers can play during disasters. Presents questions for consideration about the future of rural value‐based care, payment, and healthcare networks and community partnerships in light of the COVID-19 pandemic.
Author(s): A. Clinton MacKinney
Date: 2020
Type: Document
Sponsoring organization: Rural Health Value
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Opioid Prescribing Among Adults With Disabilities in the United States After the 2014 Federal Hydrocodone Rescheduling Regulation
Examines the impact of the 2014 federal rescheduling regulation regarding hydrocodone-combination products on Medicare beneficiaries with disabilities. Provides maps of prolonged opioid use by Medicare beneficiaries with disabilities by state before and after the regulation was implemented. Includes data analysis of beneficiaries in metropolitan, urban, and rural areas.
Author(s): Victor Law, Yong-Fang Kuo, Mukaila A. Raji, Jacques Baillargeon
Citation: Public Health Reports, 135(1), 114-123
Date: 12/2019
Type: Document
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Demand for Broadband in Rural Areas: Implications for Universal Access
Reports on the characteristics of demand for fixed broadband among households and small businesses in rural areas and how they affect private sector infrastructure investments. Discusses the role of schools and libraries as providers of broadband service and training to rural residents, and how broadband enabled services, such as telemedicine, may encourage rural households and small businesses to adopt the technology. Highlights federal programs and policies that may increase or impede broadband demand, and offers options for the U.S. Congress to consider as it addresses rural broadband demand.
Date: 12/2019
Type: Document
Sponsoring organization: Congressional Research Service
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Care Management Services in Rural Health Clinics (RHCs) and Federally Qualified Health Centers (FQHCs): Frequently Asked Questions
Provides general information about chronic care management services, specific program requirements, detailed descriptions of billing, claims processing, and payment rules, and requirements for people who are considered part of a care management team for Rural Health Clinics (RHCs) and Federally Qualified Health Centers (FQHCs).
Date: 12/2019
Type: Document
Sponsoring organization: Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services
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Intergovernmental Advisory Committee to the Federal Communications Commission Advisory Recommendation No: 2019-2 in the Matter of State, Local Tribal, and Territorial Regulatory and Other Barriers and Incentives to Telemedicine
Examines the technical infrastructure necessary for effective telemedicine delivery in state, territorial, tribal, and local (rural and urban) areas. Discusses the regulatory barriers including legislation, licensing, reimbursement, malpractice insurance, and privacy that obstruct its development and utilization, and offers recommendations addressing these barriers. Appendix A presents case studies of broadband and telehealth development in several states and territories.
Date: 11/2019
Type: Document
Sponsoring organizations: Federal Communications Commission, Intergovernmental Advisory Committee to the Federal Communications Commission
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The Development of Telehealth Laws in the U.S. from 2008 to 2015: A Legal Landscape
Policy brief examining the scope and evolving nature of telehealth statutes and regulations in the 50 states and the District of Columbia. Explores the extent to which state laws regulate primary care delivery through use of telehealth. Features U.S. maps showing changes from 2008 to 2015 in terms of various types of telehealth-related laws, including those governing insurance coverage, and statistics with breakdowns by the top 25 and bottom 25 rural states.
Author(s): Cason D. Schmit, Alva O. Ferdinand, Timothy Callaghan, et al.
Date: 11/2019
Type: Document
Sponsoring organization: Southwest Rural Health Research Center
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Rural Hospitals: Here Today, Gone Tomorrow
Describes the conditions facing rural hospitals and their communities contributing to the high rate of rural hospital closure. Discusses state and federal legislation, policies, and programs developed to support rural hospitals. Provides data for 15 Southern states including their state and rural populations, percentage of population uninsured, Medicaid expansion status, percentage at high financial risk, and number of rural hospital closures.
Author(s): Nick Bowman
Date: 11/2019
Type: Document
Sponsoring organization: Southern Legislative Conference of The Council of State Governments
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