Rural Health
Resources by Topic: Policy
2022 Key Rural Measures: An Updated List of Measures to Advance Rural Health Priorities
Report updating a list of key rural measures focused on rural access to care originally outlined in A Core Set of Rural-Relevant Measures and Measuring and Improving Access to Care: 2018 Recommendations from the MAP Rural Health Workgroup. Identifies 17 measures to add to the 2018 list of rural measures, including items related to behavioral and mental health, substance use, infectious disease, access to care, and equity and social determinants of health. Discusses remaining gaps in measurement topic areas.
Date: 08/2022
Sponsoring organization: National Quality Forum
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Report updating a list of key rural measures focused on rural access to care originally outlined in A Core Set of Rural-Relevant Measures and Measuring and Improving Access to Care: 2018 Recommendations from the MAP Rural Health Workgroup. Identifies 17 measures to add to the 2018 list of rural measures, including items related to behavioral and mental health, substance use, infectious disease, access to care, and equity and social determinants of health. Discusses remaining gaps in measurement topic areas.
Date: 08/2022
Sponsoring organization: National Quality Forum
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Federal Student Loan Repayment Programs for Behavioral Health Service Providers
Provides an overview of Health Resources and Services Administration (HRSA)-administered federal student loan repayment programs available to behavioral health providers. Addresses program components, benefits, Congressional appropriations for these programs for fiscal year 2022, and policy issues for Congress to consider.
Date: 08/2022
Sponsoring organization: Congressional Research Service
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Provides an overview of Health Resources and Services Administration (HRSA)-administered federal student loan repayment programs available to behavioral health providers. Addresses program components, benefits, Congressional appropriations for these programs for fiscal year 2022, and policy issues for Congress to consider.
Date: 08/2022
Sponsoring organization: Congressional Research Service
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2020 Quality Payment Program Experience Report
Reports on the clinician experience for those participating in the Quality Payment Program in 2020. Presents data on Merit-based Incentive Payment System (MIPS) eligibility and participation rates for clinicians in small practices and rural areas, as well as their mean payment adjustment scores.
Date: 08/2022
Sponsoring organization: Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services
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Reports on the clinician experience for those participating in the Quality Payment Program in 2020. Presents data on Merit-based Incentive Payment System (MIPS) eligibility and participation rates for clinicians in small practices and rural areas, as well as their mean payment adjustment scores.
Date: 08/2022
Sponsoring organization: Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services
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Reconnecting the Patient: Why Telehealth Policy Solutions Must Consider the Deepening Digital Divide
Discusses the digital divide and telehealth for specific populations including rural residents and people with disabilities in context of the COVID-19 pandemic. Describes federal and state legislation around the digital divide and telehealth, and provides policy recommendations for a variety of populations.
Author(s): Laura C. Hoffman
Citation: Indiana Health Law Review, 19(2), 351-385
Date: 07/2022
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Discusses the digital divide and telehealth for specific populations including rural residents and people with disabilities in context of the COVID-19 pandemic. Describes federal and state legislation around the digital divide and telehealth, and provides policy recommendations for a variety of populations.
Author(s): Laura C. Hoffman
Citation: Indiana Health Law Review, 19(2), 351-385
Date: 07/2022
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Hospice Care Index Technical Report
Provides an overview of the Hospice Care Index (HCI), a new Hospice Quality Reporting Program (HQRP) quality measure. Presents data and descriptive trends for the overall index score and each of the ten claims-based indicators that make up the HCI using Medicare claims data from fiscal years 2019-2021. Includes comparisons of hospices by the number of claims, decade of certification, ownership, facility type, region, and urban/rural location.
Date: 07/2022
Sponsoring organizations: Abt Associates, Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services
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Provides an overview of the Hospice Care Index (HCI), a new Hospice Quality Reporting Program (HQRP) quality measure. Presents data and descriptive trends for the overall index score and each of the ten claims-based indicators that make up the HCI using Medicare claims data from fiscal years 2019-2021. Includes comparisons of hospices by the number of claims, decade of certification, ownership, facility type, region, and urban/rural location.
Date: 07/2022
Sponsoring organizations: Abt Associates, Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services
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Firearm Safety in Rural America
Policy brief describing the prevalence of firearm-related injuries and death in rural areas. Offers policy recommendations to mitigate the risk of rural firearm injury and death.
Author(s): Eneka Lamb, Ada Pariser, Andy Fosmire
Date: 07/2022
Sponsoring organization: National Rural Health Association
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Policy brief describing the prevalence of firearm-related injuries and death in rural areas. Offers policy recommendations to mitigate the risk of rural firearm injury and death.
Author(s): Eneka Lamb, Ada Pariser, Andy Fosmire
Date: 07/2022
Sponsoring organization: National Rural Health Association
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The Impact of the COVID-19 Pandemic on People who Inject Drugs Accessing Harm Reduction Services in a Rural American State
Results of a study exploring how changes made in Maine during the pandemic affected access to harm reduction services, including basic services such as shelter, syringe service programs, safe drug supply, low barrier buprenorphine treatment, and peer support. Based on interviews with 36 stakeholders comprising people who inject drugs, community partners, and healthcare providers.
Author(s): Kinna Thakarar, Michael Kohut, Rebecca Hutchinson, et al.
Citation: Harm Reduction Journal, 19(80)
Date: 07/2022
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Results of a study exploring how changes made in Maine during the pandemic affected access to harm reduction services, including basic services such as shelter, syringe service programs, safe drug supply, low barrier buprenorphine treatment, and peer support. Based on interviews with 36 stakeholders comprising people who inject drugs, community partners, and healthcare providers.
Author(s): Kinna Thakarar, Michael Kohut, Rebecca Hutchinson, et al.
Citation: Harm Reduction Journal, 19(80)
Date: 07/2022
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USDA Resource Guide for American Indians and Alaska Natives 2022
Provides an overview of U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) funding and support programs available to American Indian and Alaska Native communities and tribal governments. Includes sections on agricultural and nutritional tools, business and community development, telecommunications and broadband, housing, and federal grant applications.
Date: 07/2022
Sponsoring organization: U.S. Department of Agriculture
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Provides an overview of U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) funding and support programs available to American Indian and Alaska Native communities and tribal governments. Includes sections on agricultural and nutritional tools, business and community development, telecommunications and broadband, housing, and federal grant applications.
Date: 07/2022
Sponsoring organization: U.S. Department of Agriculture
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Engaging Tribal Populations to Improve Oral Health Care Access in Arizona
Report discusses tribal oral healthcare and proposes strategies to improve access for American Indian communities in Arizona. Highlights the federally-recognized tribes in the state and details the status of oral healthcare in the Indian Health Service (IHS) system.
Author(s): Ella Roth, Allie Atkeson
Date: 07/2022
Sponsoring organization: National Academy for State Health Policy
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Report discusses tribal oral healthcare and proposes strategies to improve access for American Indian communities in Arizona. Highlights the federally-recognized tribes in the state and details the status of oral healthcare in the Indian Health Service (IHS) system.
Author(s): Ella Roth, Allie Atkeson
Date: 07/2022
Sponsoring organization: National Academy for State Health Policy
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MedPAC Comment on CMS's Proposed Rule on Conditions of Participation (CoPs) for Rural Emergency Hospitals and Critical Access Hospital CoP Updates
Comments on July 2022 Federal Register proposed rule regarding staffing requirements for rural emergency hospitals (REHs). Discusses whether proposed staffing requirements are sufficient to ensure access to emergency care.
Date: 07/2022
Sponsoring organization: Medicare Payment Advisory Commission
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Comments on July 2022 Federal Register proposed rule regarding staffing requirements for rural emergency hospitals (REHs). Discusses whether proposed staffing requirements are sufficient to ensure access to emergency care.
Date: 07/2022
Sponsoring organization: Medicare Payment Advisory Commission
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