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Rural Health
Resources by Topic: Policy

The 2009 Report to the Secretary: Rural Health and Human Services Issues
Report to the Secretary of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services on issues related to rural America. Examines three key topics: workforce and community development, creating viable patient-centered medical homes, and serving at-risk children.
Date: 04/2009
Type: Document
Sponsoring organization: National Advisory Committee on Rural Health and Human Services
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Specialty and Geographic Distribution of the Physician Workforce: What Influences Medical Student & Resident Choices?
Identifies factors that influence medical student and resident choices regarding medical specialties and location of practice. Specifically examining student and resident choices surrounding primary care specialties and serving rural and underserved populations. Discusses student debt and the impact of loan repayment and scholarship programs on practice setting choice.
Date: 03/2009
Type: Document
Sponsoring organization: Robert Graham Center
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Rural Health Care: Innovations in Policy and Practice
Discusses strategies being used to improve healthcare access in rural areas. Includes a section discussing philanthropic activities related to rural health.
Date: 03/2009
Type: Document
Sponsoring organization: Grantmakers in Health
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Closing the Health Gap of Rural Veterans: Discussion of Funding and Resource Coordination
Transcript of a March 19, 2009 hearing. Focused on U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs' rural health funding, spending, and resource coordination. Explores how resources are used to narrow the health disparity of veterans living in rural areas.
Date: 03/2009
Type: Document
Sponsoring organization: House Veterans' Affairs Committee, Subcommittee on Health
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MedPAC Report to the Congress: Medicare Payment Policy, 2009
Offers an annual review of Medicare payment policies, with recommendations to Congress. Discusses rural aspects of Medicare payment policies throughout the report.
Date: 03/2009
Type: Document
Sponsoring organization: Medicare Payment Advisory Commission
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National Advisory Committee on Rural Health & Human Services Meeting Minutes, Washington, DC, February 18-20, 2009
Reports on a meeting of the National Advisory Committee on Rural Health and Human Services focused on healthcare provider integration, health workforce, and home-based care for seniors.
Date: 02/2009
Type: Document
Sponsoring organization: National Advisory Committee on Rural Health and Human Services
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Medicare and Medicaid Participating Facilities: CMS Needs to Reexamine Its Approach for Funding State Oversight of Health Care Facilities
Evaluates the federal funding of state healthcare facility surveys, including surveys of Rural Health Clinics (RHCs). Analyzes funding, state workloads, and federal oversight of states' use of funds.
Additional links: Full Report
Date: 02/2009
Type: Document
Sponsoring organization: Government Accountability Office
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Achieving Success in QIO and Rural Hospital Partnerships
Provides 4 case studies that highlight strategies employed by Quality Improvement Organizations (QIOs) to help small rural hospitals implement successful quality improvement initiatives. Focuses on the benefits of technical assistance from QIOs to rural hospitals.
Author(s): Janet Pagan-Sutton, Lauren Silver, Jyoti Gupta
Date: 02/2009
Type: Document
Sponsoring organization: NORC Walsh Center for Rural Health Analysis
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Policy Issues Affecting Maine's Hospitals
Describes the distribution of hospitals in Maine and the challenges for those hospitals stemming from federal and state regulations, trends in physician practice, and emerging payment models.
Author(s): John A. Gale, Jennifer D. Lenardson
Date: 01/2009
Type: Document
Sponsoring organization: Catherine Cutler Institute
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CMS Value-Based Purchasing Program and Critical Access Hospitals
Addresses the implications of value-based purchasing (VBP) for the cost-based reimbursement that Critical Access Hospitals (CAHs) receive. Describes the Rural Health Panel's recommendations for action.
Additional links: Summary of Recommendations
Author(s): Andrew F. Coburn, A. Clinton MacKinney, Timothy D. McBride, et al.
Date: 01/2009
Type: Document
Sponsoring organization: Rural Policy Research Institute Rural Health Panel
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