Rural Health
Resources by Topic: Policy

Legal and Historical Roots of Health Care for American Indians and Alaska Natives in the United States
Discusses the history of healthcare provision to American Indians and Alaska Natives (AI/AN). Includes a timeline of legislative and historical events as well as detailed overview of the laws, federal agencies, and issues involved. Also includes a brief section on more recent issues in AI/AN healthcare.
Author(s): Brett Lee Shelton
Date: 02/2004
Sponsoring organization: KFF
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Rural Health Disparities, Population Health, and Rural Culture
Commentary discussing the rural health disparities documented in Health United States, 2001, Urban and Rural Health Chartbook. Recommends branching out from the traditional focus of rural health policy and research on access to healthcare services toward initiatives that are based on models of population health. Identifies the risky health behaviors among rural populations that suggest a "rural culture" health determinant. Suggests that there may be environmental and cultural factors unique to towns or regions that affect health behavior and health.
Author(s): David Hartley
Citation: American Journal of Public Health, 94(10), 1675-1678
Date: 2004
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A History of the Rural Health Care Services Outreach Grant Program
Describes the history of the Outreach Grant Program, which has had a significant impact on the health and welfare of many rural communities.
Date: 2004
Sponsoring organization: Federal Office of Rural Health Policy
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Modeling the Frontier Extended Stay Clinic Conditions of Participation and Reimbursement Methodologies
Discusses the financial feasibility of the Frontier Extended Stay Clinic (FESC), a proposed provider type to expand services in remote and isolated primary care clinics. Compares Medicare reimbursement for FESC status with Federally Qualified Health Center (FQHC), Rural Health Clinic (RHC), and Critical Access Hospital (CAH) reimbursement. Includes detailed examples of financial impact for seven clinics in rural Alaska, Nevada, Washington, and Wyoming.
Date: 2004
Sponsoring organization: Federal Office of Rural Health Policy
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Medicare Prescription Drug, Improvement, and Modernization Act of 2003
Text of the legislation that adds a prescription drug benefit to Medicare and enhances some rural healthcare programs, such as the Critical Access Hospitals program.
Date: 11/2003
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Rural-Urban Issues in the Wage Index Adjustment for Prospective Payment in Skilled Nursing Facilities
Discusses the use of the hospital wage index for the skilled nursing facility prospective payment system (SNF PPS) and how a change to an SNF wage index would impact rural and urban skilled nursing facilities. Also identifies some related issues that impact reimbursement to SNFs in both urban and rural areas.
Additional links: Findings Brief, January 2004
Author(s): Kathleen Dalton, Rebecca Slifkin
Date: 11/2003
Sponsoring organization: North Carolina Rural Health Research Program
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National Advisory Committee on Rural Health and Human Services Meeting Minutes, Charleston, West Virginia, September 7-9, 2003
Minutes for a September 2003 meeting of the National Advisory Committee on Rural Health and Human Services in Charleston, West Virginia. Topics addressed include health professions education, mental health integration, oral health, and senior services.
Date: 09/2003
Sponsoring organization: National Advisory Committee on Rural Health and Human Services
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Medicare: Modest Eligibility Expansion for Critical Access Hospital Program Should Be Considered
Examines the Critical Access Hospital (CAH) program and makes recommendations on CAH eligibility related to the ban on inpatient psychiatric or rehabilitation distinct part units and the limit on patient census.
Additional links: Full Report
Date: 09/2003
Sponsoring organization: Government Accountability Office
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Ambulance Services: Medicare Payments Can be Better Targeted to Trips in Less Densely Populated Rural Areas
Covers factors that affect ambulance costs per trip, how these factors vary across geographic areas, and how well Medicare payments account for geographic cost differences.
Additional links: Full Report
Date: 09/2003
Sponsoring organization: Government Accountability Office
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National Advisory Committee on Rural Health and Human Services Meeting Minutes, Uvalde, Texas, June 8-10, 2003
Minutes from a National Advisory Committee on Rural Health and Human Services meeting in Texas. Topics addressed include public health issues in Texas, mental health, oral health, and aging.
Date: 06/2003
Sponsoring organization: National Advisory Committee on Rural Health and Human Services
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