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Rural Health
Resources by Topic: Legislation and regulations

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
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Bipartisan Budget Act of 2018 (P.L. 115-123): CHIP, Public Health, Home Visiting, and Medicaid Provisions in Division E
Highlights a report on the Bipartisan Budget Act of 2018. Details appropriations for Medicare, Medicaid, CHIP, public health, and other provisions in Division E. Provides some discussion of the effect of these appropriations on rural communities.
Date: 03/2018
Sponsoring organization: Congressional Research Service
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The Opioid Epidemic and Federal Efforts to Address It: Frequently Asked Questions
Provides an overview of America's opioid problem, including information on abuse and supply, and discusses federal agencies and programs that address opioid abuse. Also discusses recent federal legislation and state-level policies that seek to combat the opioid problem.
Date: 10/2017
Sponsoring organization: Congressional Research Service
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National Disability Policy: A Progress Report
Reports on the state of disability policy in key areas, examining the intersection between disability and poverty. Focuses on education, employment, financial assistance and incentives, healthcare, long-term services and supports, transportation, and housing, as factors enhancing economic independence among people with disabilities. Includes sections on barriers related to finding transportation and appropriate housing in rural areas.
Date: 10/2017
Sponsoring organization: National Council on Disability
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Medicare Inappropriately Paid Acute-Care Hospitals for Outpatient Services They Provided to Beneficiaries Who Were Inpatients of Other Facilities
Results of an audit to determine whether Medicare made payments appropriately to acute-care hospitals for outpatient services provided to other facilities' inpatients, from January 2013 through August 2016. Includes recommendations from the Office of Inspector General, and CMS's responses.
Additional links: Report in Brief
Author(s): Daniel R. Levinson
Date: 09/2017
Sponsoring organization: U.S. Department of Health and Human Services
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Telehealth Private Payer Laws: Impact and Issues
Analyzes the body of state-level telehealth reimbursement policies, which has grown rapidly in both size and scope since 2010. Seeks to understand how these policies impact telehealth utilization, and the effect private payer laws have on selected commercial payers. Includes information on payment parity laws, modalities, site restrictions, Medicaid policies, and more.
Additional links: Executive Summary
Date: 08/2017
Sponsoring organizations: Center for Connected Health Policy: The National Telehealth Policy Resource Center, Milbank Memorial Fund
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Regulating Network Adequacy for Rural Populations: Perspectives of Five States
Policy brief describing how California, Kentucky, Montana, Texas, and Wisconsin define insurance network adequacy and how much consideration is given to rural issues in regulating their networks. Features statistics including these states' rural population, rural percent of total population, rural area in square miles, number of marketplace networks, and percent that are narrow networks.
Author(s): Michelle Casey, Carrie Henning-Smith, Jean Abraham, Ira Moscovice
Date: 08/2017
Sponsoring organization: University of Minnesota Rural Health Research Center
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Health Care: Telehealth and Remote Patient Monitoring Use in Medicare and Selected Federal Programs
Examines factors affecting the provision of telehealth and remote patient monitoring (RPM) in Medicare and emerging payment and delivery models that could affect its future use. Analyzes data collected through review of agency documents and regulations, and interviews with officials representing 9 general and medical specialty associations familiar with telehealth. Includes state Medicaid reimbursement examples. Rural-specific implications are discussed throughout.
Additional links: Full Report
Date: 04/2017
Sponsoring organization: Government Accountability Office
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State Law Fact Sheet: A Summary of State Community Health Worker Laws
Details the state laws pertaining to community health workers as of June 30, 2016. Includes laws defining scope of practice, team-based care models, reimbursement, and the core certification process.
Date: 2017
Sponsoring organization: Centers for Disease Control and Prevention
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Availability of Buprenorphine Treatment in Kentucky
Describes availability of opioid addiction treatment in Kentucky, with breakdowns by metropolitan, micropolitan, and other non-metropolitan areas, and distribution of various medical specialists authorized to prescribe buprenorphine in these areas.
Author(s): Elijah T. Myers, Tyrone F. Borders
Date: 11/2016
Sponsoring organization: University of Kentucky Institute for Rural Health Policy
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