The Journal of Rural Health: COVID-19 and Rural Health
A collection of journal articles published in the Journal of Rural Health that focus on rural health issues related to the COVID-19 pandemic. Includes articles addressing treatment of COVID-19, health disparities, and healthcare delivery during the pandemic, including the use of telehealth.
Date: 10/2020
Type: Website
Sponsoring organization: National Rural Health Association
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Coronavirus Pandemic Highlights Critical Gaps in Rural Internet Access for Migrant and Seasonal Farmworkers: A Call for Partnership with Medical Libraries
Highlights the challenges of reaching migrant and seasonal farmworkers with public health information during the COVID-19 pandemic. Discuses migrants' lack of broadband internet as an inhibitor to migrants' ability to access both healthcare and public health information.
Author(s): Joseph G. L. Lee, Catherine E. LePrevost, Emery L. Harwell, et al.
Citation: Journal of the Medical Library Association, 108(4), 651-655
Date: 10/2020
Type: Document
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State Telehealth Laws & Reimbursement Policies
Summary of telehealth-related policies, laws, and regulations for the 50 states and the District of Columbia. Focuses on Medicaid fee-for-service policies and includes the most recent policy language in each state as of October 2020.
Additional links: Infographic, Interactive Map - Current State Laws & Reimbursement Policies, Interactive Map - Legislation and Regulation Tracking
Date: 10/2020
Type: Document
Sponsoring organization: Center for Connected Health Policy: The National Telehealth Policy Resource Center
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The Evolving Landscape of National Telehealth Policies during a Public Health Emergency: Responsiveness to Rural Needs
Provides an overview of the telehealth policy landscape and the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on telehealth utilization. Compares policy recommendations from the Bipartisan Policy Center's Rural Health Task Force to COVID-19-related policy changes. Includes considerations for additional telehealth policy changes.
Author(s): Keith J. Mueller, Hannah Rochford, Andrew F. Coburn, et al.
Date: 10/2020
Type: Document
Sponsoring organization: Rural Policy Research Institute Rural Health Panel
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State Medicaid Programs Respond to Meet COVID-19 Challenges: Results from a 50-State Medicaid Budget Survey for State Fiscal Years 2020 and 2021
Report examines changes taking place in Medicaid programs in the 50 states and the District of Columbia. Features sections on eligibility and enrollment; provider rates and taxes; delivery systems; long-term services and supports; benefits, cost-sharing, and telehealth; and pharmacy cost containment actions. Highlights challenges posed by the COVID-19 Public Health Emergency (PHE) and policy changes taken in response to the PHE.
Author(s): Kathleen Gifford, Aimee Lashbrook, Sarah Barth, et al.
Date: 10/2020
Type: Document
Sponsoring organization: Kaiser Family Foundation
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Medicaid Telehealth Policies in Response to COVID-19
Provides an overview Medicaid telehealth policies before and in response to the COVID-19 Public Health Emergency (PHE). Discusses how states have utilized existing flexibilities and PHE-specific federal authorities to increase the number of services, provider types, and other telehealth coverage options under Medicaid.
Date: 10/2020
Type: Document
Sponsoring organization: Congressional Research Service
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Telebehavioral Health: An Effective Alternative to In-Person Care
Issue brief discussing telehealth treatment modalities based on a 2019 review of clinical outcomes related to telebehavioral health. Covers three state-level approaches: the Portland Veterans Affairs Medical Center Rural Telemental Health Program (VA RTMH), which serves rural Oregon veterans, and Medicaid policies in Texas and Massachusetts. Addresses telebehavioral health policy details, implementation, and considerations for states looking to develop new telebehavioral health policies during the COVID-19 pandemic.
Author(s): Brittany Lazur, Lily Sobolik, Valerie King
Date: 10/2020
Type: Document
Sponsoring organization: Milbank Memorial Fund
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Tele‐ICUs for COVID‐19: A Look at National Prevalence and Characteristics of Hospitals Providing Teleintensive Care
Discusses a study on the prevalence of intensive care unit telemedicine (tele-ICUs) in hospitals across the U.S. during the COVID-19 pandemic, specifically in rural and Critical Access Hospitals. Compares hospitals by region, ICU beds, and emergency visits, among other measures.
Author(s): Dunc Williams Jr., John Lawrence, Young-Rock Hong, Aaron Winn
Citation: Journal of Rural Health
Date: 10/2020
Type: Document
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Implementation of Flex EMS Supplemental Funding Projects: Year One Activities
Provides an overview of the first-year implementation efforts of the eight Emergency Medical Services (EMS) Supplemental funding grant recipients. Describes each grant project, the impact of COVID-19 and other challenges on project implementation, and factors that facilitated implementation. Includes recommendations for grantees.
Author(s): Karen Pearson, John Gale, Sara Kahn-Troster
Date: 10/2020
Type: Document
Sponsoring organization: Flex Monitoring Team
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The Impact of Coronavirus on Households in Rural America
Reports on the experiences of rural households during the COVID-19 pandemic. Discusses impacts on finances, employment, healthcare, housing, food, and child care. Concerns related to healthcare include access to care during the pandemic, concerns for those with special health issues such as chronic conditions, and use of telehealth.
Date: 10/2020
Type: Document
Sponsoring organizations: Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health, National Public Radio, Robert Wood Johnson Foundation
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