Skip to main content
Rural Health Information Hub

Rural Health
Resources by Topic: Policy

Elder Health in Rural America
Provides an overview of the interplay between rural communities and rural elder health. Discusses policy and practices. Covers recommendations for policy makers based on a systems approach, incorporating sustainability, best practice, quality, efficiency, and effectiveness.
Author(s): Rebecca M. Hartman, Florence M. Weierbach
Date: 02/2013
Type: Document
Sponsoring organization: National Rural Health Association
view details
Rural Women's Health
Provides information and statistics on the state of women's health in rural America and how legislation and national trends can affect women's health.
Author(s): Kevin J. Bennett, John E. Lopes Jr., Kathleen Spencer, Saskia van Hecke
Date: 01/2013
Type: Document
Sponsoring organization: National Rural Health Association
view details
Telehealth and Medicare: Payment Policy, Current Use, and Prospects for Growth
Examines growth in Medicare paid telehealth services by analyzing claims data matched to patient zip codes and provider characteristics. Includes a map of Medicare beneficiaries using telehealth by county of residence and analysis on the types of telehealth services provided.
Author(s): Matlin Gilman, Jeff Stensland
Citation: Medicare & Medicaid Research Review, 3(4)
Date: 2013
Type: Document
view details
Understanding and Addressing Barriers to Implementation of Environmental and Policy Interventions to Support Physical Activity and Healthy Eating in Rural Communities
Identifies policies being used in rural communities to promote wellness, physical activity, and healthy eating to combat obesity. Discusses barriers to implementation of these policies and strategies to overcome them.
Author(s): Ellen K. Barnidge, Catherine Radvanyi, Kathleen Duggan, et al.
Citation: Journal of Rural Health, 29(1), 97-105
Date: 2013
Type: Document
view details
A Practitioner's Guide for Advancing Health Equity: Community Strategies for Preventing Chronic Disease
Highlights policy, systems, and environmental improvements and interventions for public health practitioners to advance health equity through community health interventions in rural and urban settings.
Date: 2013
Type: Document
Sponsoring organization: Centers for Disease Control and Prevention
view details
Achieving Health Equity through Nursing Workforce Diversity: Eleventh Report to the Secretary of the Department of Health and Human Services and the Congress
Summarizes progress in nursing workforce diversity over the past 10 years. Highlights Advanced Practice RNs who are independent care providers who often locate in underserved and minority communities, the growth of online nursing education to rural communities, and recruiting and retaining nursing professionals in rural and underserved areas. Mentions rural throughout.
Date: 2013
Type: Document
Sponsoring organization: National Advisory Council on Nurse Education and Practice
view details
Medicaid Handbook: Interface with Behavioral Health Services
Provides a basic understanding of the Medicaid program, specifically emphasizing the interplay between Medicaid principles and the provision of behavioral health services in both rural and urban settings.
Date: 2013
Type: Document
Sponsoring organization: Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration
view details
Compendium of Unimplemented Recommendations: December 2012 Edition
Annual report identifying the top 25 unimplemented recommendations from the Office of Inspector General (OIG) that, in OIG's view, would have the most substantial positive impact on Health and Human Services (HHS) programs. Positive impact may refer to cost savings, program efficacy and efficiency, and/or quality improvement. Primary area of interest in the December 2012 edition relates to reducing excess Medicare spending by eliminating or limiting hospital bad debt payments and revising the rules and regulations governing the Rural Health Clinic (RHC) program.
Date: 12/2012
Type: Document
Sponsoring organization: Office of Inspector General (HHS)
view details
Options for Rural Health Care System Reform and Redesign
Examines options for rural healthcare infrastructure in a changing health care environment and reflects on previous work around the Affordable Care Act. Includes a discussion of the Frontier Extended Stay Clinic (FESC) and Frontier Community Health Integration Project (F-CHIP).
Date: 12/2012
Type: Document
Sponsoring organization: National Advisory Committee on Rural Health and Human Services
view details
The Need to Integrate Work Programs for Low-Income Rural Residents
Examines issues and opportunities associated with integration of workforce programs in rural communities. Discusses opportunities for the Department of Labor and the Department of Health and Human Services to collaborate to serve low-income rural residents.
Date: 12/2012
Type: Document
Sponsoring organization: National Advisory Committee on Rural Health and Human Services
view details