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Rural Health
Resources by Topic: Policy

Physician Value-Based Payment Modifier Program
Discusses provisions from the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act including the Physician Payment Modifier (VBM) program, which provides differential payment to physicians or physician groups based on the quality of care provided compared to the cost of providing care.
Date: 12/2011
Type: Document
Sponsoring organization: National Advisory Committee on Rural Health and Human Services
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Reducing Health Disparities in Rural America: Key Provisions in the Affordable Care Act
Discusses provisions from the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act including Community Transformation Grants, Understanding Health Disparities, and Prevention and Public Health Fund.
Date: 12/2011
Type: Document
Sponsoring organization: National Advisory Committee on Rural Health and Human Services
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Compacts of Free Association: Improvements Needed to Assess and Address Growing Migration
Describes migration to the U.S. and its territories from the Federated States of Micronesia, the Marshall Islands, and Palau. Discusses financial impact in Hawaii, Guam, and the Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands to provide services to these migrants, including health services.
Additional links: Full Report
Date: 11/2011
Type: Document
Sponsoring organization: Government Accountability Office
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Negotiated Rulemaking Committee on the Designation of Medically Underserved Populations and Health Professional Shortage Areas: Final Report to the Secretary
Contains recommendations and documentation of the Negotiated Rulemaking (NRM) Committee to influence methodologies used to determine Medically Underserved Populations (MUPs) and Health Professional Shortage Areas (HPSAs).
Additional links: Appendices and Addenda, Attachments
Date: 10/2011
Type: Document
Sponsoring organizations: Health Resources and Services Administration, Negotiated Rulemaking Committee on Designation of MUPs and HPSAs
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Rural Policy Implications for Maternal, Infant and Early Childhood Home Visitation Program
Summarizes the benefits of the Maternal, Infant, and Early Childhood Home Visiting Program for rural communities and how home visiting programs can dramatically improve the lives of mothers and their children who live in at-risk communities. Discusses challenges for including rural communities in state programs and meeting the evaluation requirements; provides recommendations to address these challenges.
Date: 09/2011
Type: Document
Sponsoring organization: National Advisory Committee on Rural Health and Human Services
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Value-Based Purchasing Demonstrations for Critical Access and Small PPS Hospitals
White paper discussing the expanded quality reporting programs for Critical Access Hospitals (CAHs) and hospitals excluded from the inpatient Value-Based Purchasing (VBP) program due to a low number of cases. Includes recommendations to the Secretary of Health and Human Services on the rural implications from the Affordable Care Act (ACA) provision on inpatient hospital VBP program.
Date: 09/2011
Type: Document
Sponsoring organization: National Advisory Committee on Rural Health and Human Services
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The Rural Implications of Key Primary Care Provisions in the Affordable Care Act
White paper highlighting specific Affordable Care Act (ACA) provisions regarding challenges in training and placement of primary care providers in communities of need. Provides recommendations for program and policy changes that would address concerns in rural communities.
Date: 09/2011
Type: Document
Sponsoring organization: National Advisory Committee on Rural Health and Human Services
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The High Performance Rural Health Care System of the Future
Describes a future rural system that would provide affordable high-quality care that is accessible to all rural residents and tailored to the unique needs of the community. Includes information on policies and programs being tested to create such a system.
Author(s): Keith J. Mueller, Andrew F. Coburn, Jennifer P. Lundblad, et al.
Date: 09/2011
Type: Document
Sponsoring organization: Rural Policy Research Institute Rural Health Panel
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Will Bundling Work in Rural America? Analysis of the Feasibility and Consequences of Bundled Payments for Rural Health Providers and Patients
Assesses how bundled payments may affect both healthcare quality and access among rural providers, and explains the financial and operational challenges associated with implementing bundled payments in low-volume providers such as Critical Access Hospitals (CAHs).
Author(s): Robert Town, Walter Gregg, Ira Moscovice, Shailendra Prasad, Jill Klingner
Date: 09/2011
Type: Document
Sponsoring organization: Upper Midwest Rural Health Research Center
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Jobs and Economic Security for Rural America
Highlights programs and policies the Obama administration implemented in rural America to support economic growth and job creation, including programs that supported the healthcare sector. Discusses the Obama-era White House Rural Council, which was developed to accelerate the ongoing work of promoting economic growth in rural America.
Date: 08/2011
Type: Document
Sponsoring organization: White House Rural Council (Obama Administration)
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