Rural Health
Resources by Topic: Policy
Health Panel Comment Letter – Promoting Telehealth in Rural America
Offers comments in response to the Federal Communications Commission's proposed rule for Promoting Telehealth in America. Discusses rural classifications for healthcare providers, defining rural areas for program participation, and an alternative method to determine degrees of rurality.
Date: 04/2022
Sponsoring organization: Rural Policy Research Institute Rural Health Panel
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Offers comments in response to the Federal Communications Commission's proposed rule for Promoting Telehealth in America. Discusses rural classifications for healthcare providers, defining rural areas for program participation, and an alternative method to determine degrees of rurality.
Date: 04/2022
Sponsoring organization: Rural Policy Research Institute Rural Health Panel
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Bipartisan Infrastructure Law Rural Playbook: A Roadmap for Delivering Opportunity and Investments in Rural America
Information from the Biden Administration developed to help rural communities understand the infrastructure funding provided by the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law and other sources. Identifies programs and sources of funding set aside for rural communities. Also explains key flexibilities and other benefits available to rural communities under the law.
Date: 04/2022
Sponsoring organization: The White House (Biden Administration)
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Information from the Biden Administration developed to help rural communities understand the infrastructure funding provided by the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law and other sources. Identifies programs and sources of funding set aside for rural communities. Also explains key flexibilities and other benefits available to rural communities under the law.
Date: 04/2022
Sponsoring organization: The White House (Biden Administration)
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American Indian/Alaskan Native Health Medicaid Telehealth Services Chart
Spreadsheet database of state-by-state telehealth policies related to American Indian/Alaska Native health services. Covers live video, store-and-forward, and remote patient monitoring policies, as well as billing and reimbursement information. Includes links to state policy manuals.
Date: 04/2022
Sponsoring organization: Center for Connected Health Policy: The National Telehealth Policy Resource Center
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Spreadsheet database of state-by-state telehealth policies related to American Indian/Alaska Native health services. Covers live video, store-and-forward, and remote patient monitoring policies, as well as billing and reimbursement information. Includes links to state policy manuals.
Date: 04/2022
Sponsoring organization: Center for Connected Health Policy: The National Telehealth Policy Resource Center
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Impact of Telemedicine on Retention in Medications for Opioid Use Disorder (MOUD) Treatment with Buprenorphine in the Times of COVID-19 Pandemic: A Retrospective Chart Review
Study examining treatment retention for medication for opioid use disorder (MOUD) patients via telehealth during the COVID-19 pandemic, based on electronic health records of patients at a rural Federally Qualified Health Center (FQHC) in Pennsylvania. Discusses the impacts of telemedicine on retention rates, COVID-19-related challenges to treatment delivery systems, and policy measures to support telehealth and MOUD interventions.
Author(s): Jagdeep Kaur, Irakli Mania, Raghavendra Tirupathi, Lakshmi Polavarapu
Citation: Journal of Rural Mental Health, 46(2), 75-81
Date: 04/2022
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Study examining treatment retention for medication for opioid use disorder (MOUD) patients via telehealth during the COVID-19 pandemic, based on electronic health records of patients at a rural Federally Qualified Health Center (FQHC) in Pennsylvania. Discusses the impacts of telemedicine on retention rates, COVID-19-related challenges to treatment delivery systems, and policy measures to support telehealth and MOUD interventions.
Author(s): Jagdeep Kaur, Irakli Mania, Raghavendra Tirupathi, Lakshmi Polavarapu
Citation: Journal of Rural Mental Health, 46(2), 75-81
Date: 04/2022
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The Provider Relief Fund: Frequently Asked Questions
Provides an overview of the Provider Relief Fund (PRF), which was established in the Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security (CARES) Act to reimburse eligible health care providers for increased expenses or lost revenue attributable to COVID-19. Offers answers to frequently asked questions regarding how funds have been allocated and provider reporting requirements. Includes information on the relationship between the PRF and funding appropriated through the American Rescue Plan Act for rural providers.
Date: 04/2022
Sponsoring organization: Congressional Research Service
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Provides an overview of the Provider Relief Fund (PRF), which was established in the Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security (CARES) Act to reimburse eligible health care providers for increased expenses or lost revenue attributable to COVID-19. Offers answers to frequently asked questions regarding how funds have been allocated and provider reporting requirements. Includes information on the relationship between the PRF and funding appropriated through the American Rescue Plan Act for rural providers.
Date: 04/2022
Sponsoring organization: Congressional Research Service
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Urban Area Criteria for the 2020 Census-Final Criteria
Outlines the final criteria for defining urban areas based on the 2020 decennial census. Adopts a housing unit density threshold of 385 housing units per square mile as the primary criterion for determining whether a census block qualifies for inclusion in an urban area and that an area will qualify as urban if it contains at least 2,000 housing units or has a population of at least 5,000. Explains that the Census Bureau will no longer differentiate urbanized areas from smaller urban areas.
Date: 03/2022
Sponsoring organization: U.S. Census Bureau
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Outlines the final criteria for defining urban areas based on the 2020 decennial census. Adopts a housing unit density threshold of 385 housing units per square mile as the primary criterion for determining whether a census block qualifies for inclusion in an urban area and that an area will qualify as urban if it contains at least 2,000 housing units or has a population of at least 5,000. Explains that the Census Bureau will no longer differentiate urbanized areas from smaller urban areas.
Date: 03/2022
Sponsoring organization: U.S. Census Bureau
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Digital Quality Measurement Strategic Roadmap
Discusses how the interoperability of healthcare data from electronic health records can improve Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) quality measurement systems. Outlines actions in four domains - improving data quality, advancing technology, optimizing data aggregation, and enabling alignment of measures - to advance digital quality measurement.
Date: 03/2022
Sponsoring organization: Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services
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Discusses how the interoperability of healthcare data from electronic health records can improve Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) quality measurement systems. Outlines actions in four domains - improving data quality, advancing technology, optimizing data aggregation, and enabling alignment of measures - to advance digital quality measurement.
Date: 03/2022
Sponsoring organization: Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services
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Learning From COVID-19-Related Flexibilities: Moving Toward More Person-Centered Medicare and Medicaid Programs
Presents a person-centered framework to facilitate policymakers' decisions regarding the future of COVID-19-related temporary regulatory flexibilities. Identifies priority flexibilities that should be considered for permanence, modification, or further evaluation. Covers regulatory flexibilities regarding telehealth, scope of practice, Medicare Advantage requirements, and more. Includes rural references throughout.
Date: 03/2022
Sponsoring organizations: Health Management Associates, Manatt Health, The Scan Foundation
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Presents a person-centered framework to facilitate policymakers' decisions regarding the future of COVID-19-related temporary regulatory flexibilities. Identifies priority flexibilities that should be considered for permanence, modification, or further evaluation. Covers regulatory flexibilities regarding telehealth, scope of practice, Medicare Advantage requirements, and more. Includes rural references throughout.
Date: 03/2022
Sponsoring organizations: Health Management Associates, Manatt Health, The Scan Foundation
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March 2022 MedPAC Meeting Transcript
Transcript from the Medicare Payment Advisory Commission's (MedPAC) March 2022 meeting. Covers findings from MedPAC's annual beneficiary and clinician focus groups, Medicare payment policies to support safety-net providers, opportunities to strengthen the geriatric workforce, integrating episode-based payment with population-based payment, and improving Medicare Advantage risk adjustment. Includes rural references throughout.
Date: 03/2022
Sponsoring organization: Medicare Payment Advisory Commission
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Transcript from the Medicare Payment Advisory Commission's (MedPAC) March 2022 meeting. Covers findings from MedPAC's annual beneficiary and clinician focus groups, Medicare payment policies to support safety-net providers, opportunities to strengthen the geriatric workforce, integrating episode-based payment with population-based payment, and improving Medicare Advantage risk adjustment. Includes rural references throughout.
Date: 03/2022
Sponsoring organization: Medicare Payment Advisory Commission
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Mental Health Care in the United States: The Case for Federal Action
Bipartisan report summarizing findings from three Senate Finance Committee hearings and a request for information regarding challenges in the mental healthcare system. Describes the prevalence of behavioral health conditions in the United States, the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic, and spending on behavioral health. Outlines key challenges across five cross-cutting areas: the behavioral health workforce; children, adolescents, and young adults; access to care, integration, and care coordination; mental health and substance use disorder (SUD) parity; and telehealth. Includes information on challenges facing rural and underserved communities.
Date: 03/2022
Sponsoring organization: Senate Committee on Finance
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Bipartisan report summarizing findings from three Senate Finance Committee hearings and a request for information regarding challenges in the mental healthcare system. Describes the prevalence of behavioral health conditions in the United States, the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic, and spending on behavioral health. Outlines key challenges across five cross-cutting areas: the behavioral health workforce; children, adolescents, and young adults; access to care, integration, and care coordination; mental health and substance use disorder (SUD) parity; and telehealth. Includes information on challenges facing rural and underserved communities.
Date: 03/2022
Sponsoring organization: Senate Committee on Finance
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