Rural Health
Resources by Topic: Policy
Evaluating State Flex Program Population Health Activities
Provides an overview of the expectations for the Medicare Rural Hospital Flexibility (Flex) Program under Program Area 3: Population Health Improvement and summarizes State Flex Program (SFP) initiatives under this program area. Describes promising population health strategies implemented by SFPs and challenges to measuring the impact of these activities. Explores how Flex Program population health efforts can align with the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services' Healthy Rural Hometown Initiative (HRHI).
Author(s): John Gale, Celia Jewell, Sara Kahn-Troster, Zachariah Croll
Date: 03/2022
Sponsoring organization: Flex Monitoring Team
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Provides an overview of the expectations for the Medicare Rural Hospital Flexibility (Flex) Program under Program Area 3: Population Health Improvement and summarizes State Flex Program (SFP) initiatives under this program area. Describes promising population health strategies implemented by SFPs and challenges to measuring the impact of these activities. Explores how Flex Program population health efforts can align with the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services' Healthy Rural Hometown Initiative (HRHI).
Author(s): John Gale, Celia Jewell, Sara Kahn-Troster, Zachariah Croll
Date: 03/2022
Sponsoring organization: Flex Monitoring Team
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Tribal Epidemiology Centers: HHS Actions Needed to Enhance Data Access
Provides an overview of the history and roles of tribal epidemiology centers (TECs). Describes the ability of TECs to access and use state and U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) epidemiological data and examines factors that impact TECs' access and use of HHS data. Offers recommendations to clarify the data available to TECs and to develop guidance on the TEC data request process.
Additional links: Full Report
Date: 03/2022
Sponsoring organization: Government Accountability Office
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Provides an overview of the history and roles of tribal epidemiology centers (TECs). Describes the ability of TECs to access and use state and U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) epidemiological data and examines factors that impact TECs' access and use of HHS data. Offers recommendations to clarify the data available to TECs and to develop guidance on the TEC data request process.
Additional links: Full Report
Date: 03/2022
Sponsoring organization: Government Accountability Office
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Interconnected - Building Understanding Between Rural and Urban
Webinar that discusses how rural and urban policy needs differ and how to build trust between rural and urban areas. Discusses how to provide solutions for geographically specific areas of Minnesota, offering examples of common ground topics like education, jobs, and healthcare. Transcript available below description.
Date: 03/2022
Sponsoring organizations: Center for Rural Policy and Development, Citizens League
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Webinar that discusses how rural and urban policy needs differ and how to build trust between rural and urban areas. Discusses how to provide solutions for geographically specific areas of Minnesota, offering examples of common ground topics like education, jobs, and healthcare. Transcript available below description.
Date: 03/2022
Sponsoring organizations: Center for Rural Policy and Development, Citizens League
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Veterans Community Care Program: VA Should Strengthen Its Ability to Identify Ineligible Health Care Providers
Examines the extent to which vulnerabilities in Veterans Community Care Program eligibility requirements contribute to potentially ineligible providers participating in the program. Offers recommendations to the Veterans Administration to enhance provider eligibility controls and oversight.
Additional links: Full Report
Date: 03/2022
Sponsoring organization: Government Accountability Office
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Examines the extent to which vulnerabilities in Veterans Community Care Program eligibility requirements contribute to potentially ineligible providers participating in the program. Offers recommendations to the Veterans Administration to enhance provider eligibility controls and oversight.
Additional links: Full Report
Date: 03/2022
Sponsoring organization: Government Accountability Office
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Evaluation of the Million Hearts® Cardiovascular Disease Risk Reduction Model: Fourth Annual Report
Evaluates the first four years of the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) Million Hearts Cardiovascular Disease Risk Reduction Model to determine whether, and how, it reduces first-time strokes, heart attacks, and Medicare spending. Covers participant characteristics, including rural or urban status and organization type; implementation of the model; changes in cardiovascular disease risk scores among high-risk beneficiaries; intermediate- and long-term impacts on beneficiaries; and the relevance of these findings to other research on cardiovascular disease prevention.
Author(s): Greg Peterson, Alli Steiner, Rhea Powell, et al.
Date: 02/2022
Sponsoring organizations: Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services, Mathematica
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Evaluates the first four years of the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) Million Hearts Cardiovascular Disease Risk Reduction Model to determine whether, and how, it reduces first-time strokes, heart attacks, and Medicare spending. Covers participant characteristics, including rural or urban status and organization type; implementation of the model; changes in cardiovascular disease risk scores among high-risk beneficiaries; intermediate- and long-term impacts on beneficiaries; and the relevance of these findings to other research on cardiovascular disease prevention.
Author(s): Greg Peterson, Alli Steiner, Rhea Powell, et al.
Date: 02/2022
Sponsoring organizations: Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services, Mathematica
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Stability of the Rural Health Safety Net: State and National Data Tables
Provides links to national and state data tables showing the financial impact of federal policies such as sequestration and bad debt reimbursement on rural hospital revenues, jobs, and gross domestic product. Presented at the February 2022 National Rural Health Association Policy Institute.
Date: 02/2022
Sponsoring organization: Chartis Center for Rural Health
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Provides links to national and state data tables showing the financial impact of federal policies such as sequestration and bad debt reimbursement on rural hospital revenues, jobs, and gross domestic product. Presented at the February 2022 National Rural Health Association Policy Institute.
Date: 02/2022
Sponsoring organization: Chartis Center for Rural Health
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Medicare: Information on Geographic Adjustments to Physician Payments for Physicians' Time, Skills, and Effort
Provides an overview of the work geographic practice cost indices (GPCI), which the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services uses to adjust Medicare physician payments to account for differences in the costs of providing care across various geographic locations. Examines the extent to which the work GPCI accounts for geographic variation in physician earnings and how Medicare payments could change under potential modifications to the work GPCI.
Additional links: Full Report
Date: 02/2022
Sponsoring organization: Government Accountability Office
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Provides an overview of the work geographic practice cost indices (GPCI), which the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services uses to adjust Medicare physician payments to account for differences in the costs of providing care across various geographic locations. Examines the extent to which the work GPCI accounts for geographic variation in physician earnings and how Medicare payments could change under potential modifications to the work GPCI.
Additional links: Full Report
Date: 02/2022
Sponsoring organization: Government Accountability Office
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Toward a Sustainable and Diversified Rural Health Workforce
Policy position paper focused on the rural health workforce. Provides an analysis of rural healthcare workforce data as well as federal and state policy levers related to the healthcare workforce. Offers policy recommendations and identifies areas for future analysis.
Author(s): Alison Coates, Whitney Zahnd, Courtney Burgin
Date: 02/2022
Sponsoring organization: National Rural Health Association
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Policy position paper focused on the rural health workforce. Provides an analysis of rural healthcare workforce data as well as federal and state policy levers related to the healthcare workforce. Offers policy recommendations and identifies areas for future analysis.
Author(s): Alison Coates, Whitney Zahnd, Courtney Burgin
Date: 02/2022
Sponsoring organization: National Rural Health Association
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Structural Factors That Impact Rural Life Expectancy
Policy position paper focused on challenges to improving life expectancy in rural areas. Offers policy recommendations to address health outcomes in rural populations.
Author(s): Bryan Price, Elizabeth Ruen, Wade Swenson
Date: 02/2022
Sponsoring organization: National Rural Health Association
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Policy position paper focused on challenges to improving life expectancy in rural areas. Offers policy recommendations to address health outcomes in rural populations.
Author(s): Bryan Price, Elizabeth Ruen, Wade Swenson
Date: 02/2022
Sponsoring organization: National Rural Health Association
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Rural Public Health: Improving the Health and Well-Being of Rural Populations
Policy position paper focused on public health activities in rural areas and the rural public health infrastructure. Offers policy recommendations that could improve rural public health outcomes.
Author(s): Brady Beecham, Vicki Brooks, Alanti McGill
Date: 02/2022
Sponsoring organization: National Rural Health Association
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Policy position paper focused on public health activities in rural areas and the rural public health infrastructure. Offers policy recommendations that could improve rural public health outcomes.
Author(s): Brady Beecham, Vicki Brooks, Alanti McGill
Date: 02/2022
Sponsoring organization: National Rural Health Association
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