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Rural Health
Resources by Topic: Policy

Review of the 340B Drug Pricing Program
Provides extensive background information about the 340B Program, explains the Health Resources and Services Administration's (HRSA) oversight functions, and details requirements for the various covered entities, including rural hospitals and Federally Qualified Health Centers (FQHCs). Also makes recommendations for clarifying the 340B Program's scope and ensuring program integrity is maintained.
Date: 01/2018
Type: Document
Sponsoring organization: House Committee on Energy and Commerce
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The Opioid Crisis: An Examination of How We Got Here and How We Move Forward
Presents the full U.S. Senate Committee on Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions (HELP) hearing on the opioid crisis, featuring a testimony from Sam Quinones, journalist and author of Dreamland: The True Tale of America's Opioid Epidemic.
Additional links: Written Testimony
Date: 01/2018
Type: Video/Multimedia
Sponsoring organization: Senate Committee on Health, Education, Labor & Pensions
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Range Matters: Rural Averages Can Conceal Important Information
Findings brief showing how research focusing on averages without considering data range can conceal important information about average rural hospital profitability, distance between hospitals, and HIV prevalence by county.
Author(s): Meagan Clawar, Kristie Thompson, George H. Pink
Date: 01/2018
Type: Document
Sponsoring organization: North Carolina Rural Health Research Program
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Creating Connections What Broadband Means for Rural America
Offers articles on the challenges of providing broadband access in rural areas, federal policy options, and other local stakeholders working on solutions to build and strengthen rural communities. Includes discussion on how Garrett County, Maryland successfully expanded broadband access, and how tribes are building infrastructure to provide broadband access for their members.
Citation: Rural Voices, 22(2)
Date: 2018
Type: Document
Sponsoring organization: Housing Assistance Council
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Using Geospatial Analysis to Determine Access Gaps Among Children with Special Healthcare Needs
Demonstrates how a partnership between researchers from the University of Virginia and members of the Virginia Health Department use geographic information systems (GIS) to identify geospatial gaps of care in rural and urban areas for children with special healthcare needs being served by public child development centers.
Author(s): Pamela DeGuzman, Paige Altrui, Aubrey L. Doede, et al.
Citation: Health Equity, 2(1), 1-4
Date: 2018
Type: Document
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Integrating Department of Defense and Department of Veterans Affairs Purchased Care: Preliminary Feasibility Assessment
Examines the feasibility of integrating the Department of Defense and Department of Veterans Affairs healthcare systems. Explores the potential impact on healthcare access, quality, and costs for beneficiaries, addressing implications for rural areas throughout. Discusses changes that would need to be made at a legislative, policy, and contractual level if an integrated purchased care program was implemented.
Author(s): Carrie M. Farmer, Terri Tanielian, Christine Buttorff, et al.
Date: 2018
Type: Document
Sponsoring organization: RAND Corporation
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The Future of Health Services Research: Advancing Health Systems Research and Practice in the United States
Focuses on the importance of health services research to guide decision-making. Addresses the history of the field, future priorities, major funders, its impact on improving healthcare systems and access to care, and needs related to data infrastructure. Includes data on projects supported by the Federal Office of Rural Health Policy, a few rural health research examples, and priorities related to rural.
Date: 2018
Type: Document
Sponsoring organization: National Academy of Medicine
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Working Families' Access to Early Childhood Education: Gaps in the Upper Valley of New Hampshire and Vermont
Highlights a study on the lack of access to child care for working parents in a rural region on the border of Vermont and New Hampshire. Compares child care costs to the median family income of the area and discusses the policy implications of these gaps.
Author(s): Jessica A. Carson
Date: 2018
Type: Document
Sponsoring organization: Carsey School of Public Policy
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Oklahoma Health Care Authority Strategic Plan 2018-2022
Offers a strategic plan for Oklahoma's Medicaid program, SoonerCare. Includes a focus on ensuring access and developing new providers and services for members in rural areas.
Date: 2018
Type: Document
Sponsoring organization: Oklahoma Health Care Authority
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The Road to ZER0: A Vision for Achieving Zero Roadway Deaths by 2050
Highlights a report that details potential traffic safety measures necessary to achieve zero roadway deaths by 2050. Discusses the different traffic safety challenges unique to rural communities, as well as successful measures that reduce rural traffic fatalities.
Author(s): Liisa Ecola, Steven W. Popper, Richard Silberglitt, Laura Fraade-Blanar
Date: 2018
Type: Document
Sponsoring organizations: National Safety Council, RAND Corporation
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