Skip to main content
Rural Health Information Hub

Rural Health
Resources by Topic: Service delivery models

Obstacles Persist for Rural Patients to Access Hospice
Discusses challenges to delivering hospice care in rural areas. Highlights changes to allow providers at Rural Health Centers and Federal Qualified Health Centers to serve as attending physicians for hospice patients. Explores the impact of COVID-19 on the delivery of hospice services, including the use of telehealth services and workforce concerns.
Author(s): Jim Parker
Date: 09/2021
Type: Document
Sponsoring organization: Hospice News
view details
Association of Hospital Telestroke Adoption With Changes in Initial Hospital Presentation and Transfers Among Patients With Stroke and Transient Ischemic Attacks
Results of a study to assess whether implementation of telestroke services is associated with changes in where and how patients present with stroke symptoms, their decision to be transferred to another hospital, and to which hospitals they are transferred. Uses data from 593 hospitals that adopted telestroke from 2009-2016. Features statistics on hospital characteristics by telestroke status, with breakdowns by urban or rural location.
Author(s): Kori S. Zachrison, Jessica V. Richard, Andrew Wilcock, et al.
Citation: JAMA Network Open, 4(9)
Date: 09/2021
Type: Document
view details
Opportunities Exist to Strengthen Evaluation and Oversight of Telehealth for Behavioral Health in Medicaid
Explores how 37 states evaluated and conducted oversight of telehealth for behavioral health services for Medicaid enrollees in January and February 2020. Discusses states' experiences with telehealth and the impacts of telehealth on access to care, as well as concerns regarding the impact of these services on cost and quality of care. Provides recommendations for states the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) to meet the behavioral health needs of Medicaid enrollees and prevent fraud, waste, and abuse.
Date: 09/2021
Type: Document
Sponsoring organization: Office of Inspector General (HHS)
view details
States Reported Multiple Challenges with Using Telehealth to Provide Behavioral Health Services to Medicaid Enrollees
Summarizes results of a January-February 2020 survey of State Medicaid Directors in 37 states that provide behavioral health services via telehealth through managed care organizations. Describes challenges with using telehealth to serve Medicaid enrollees, including provider and enrollee training, internet connectivity, privacy, and technology costs. Offers recommendations for the Centers of Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) to help states address these challenges.
Date: 09/2021
Type: Document
Sponsoring organization: Office of Inspector General (HHS)
view details
Indian Health Service Use of Critical Care Response Teams Has Helped to Meet Facility Needs During the COVID-19 Pandemic
Provides an overview of the Indian Health Service's (IHS) Critical Care Response Teams (CCRTs) program, which was developed to support IHS and Tribal facilities in caring for critically ill COVID-19 patients. Examines the first five CCRT deployments from June -September 2020. Offers recommendations to leverage CCRT program success to support other IHS care improvement efforts.
Date: 09/2021
Type: Document
Sponsoring organization: Office of Inspector General (HHS)
view details
Mental Health System Development in Rural and Remote Areas during COVID-19
Report highlights the barriers faced by rural, remote, and tribal communities to accessing mental healthcare during the COVID-19 pandemic. Details rates of mental health treatment over the past year and compares rural and urban communities. Discusses factors affecting access in rural areas such as workforce shortages, lack of telehealth services, and lack of culturally competent care for American Indian and Alaska Native populations, among others.
Date: 09/2021
Type: Document
Sponsoring organization: National Association of State Mental Health Program Directors
view details
Ready to Respond: Mental Health Beyond Crisis and COVID-19
Report highlights strategies for addressing the need for mental health services in the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic. Details seven recommendations for state mental health programs post-pandemic and discusses workforce challenges and how telehealth can be used to expand access to care to rural and underserved areas.
Date: 09/2021
Type: Document
Sponsoring organization: National Association of State Mental Health Program Directors
view details
MedPAC Comment on CMS's Proposed Rule on the Physician Fee Schedule and Other Revisions to Part B for CY 2022
Comment on a July 23, 2021, Federal Register proposed rule revising the physician fee schedule to improve payment systems for physicians and other Medicare Part B revisions. Includes a discussion of the expansion of telehealth service coverage after the COVID-19 public health emergency, as well as reimbursement rates to Rural Health Clinics and Federally Qualified Health Centers for telehealth mental health services.
Date: 09/2021
Type: Document
Sponsoring organization: Medicare Payment Advisory Commission
view details
Implementation and Outcomes of the Balanced Living with Diabetes Program Conducted by Cooperative Extension in Rural Communities in Virginia
Shares the results of a study examining a lifestyle management program, Balanced Living with Diabetes (BLD), to address gaps in diabetes education that was implemented by Cooperative Extension System educators in rural Virginia. Includes an analysis of the BLD program outcomes in Table 2 and 3.
Author(s): Carlin Rafie, Kathy Hosig, Sophie G. Wenzel, Shelby Borowski, Kristina A. Jiles, Eleanor Schlenker
Citation: Rural and Remote Health, 21(1), 6620
Date: 08/2021
Type: Document
view details
Whole-Person Care for People Experiencing Homelessness and Opioid Use Disorder: A Toolkit
Provides information on whole-person care for housing stability and opioid use disorder (OUD), offering an overview of factors impacting homelessness and OUD, recovery models, and best practices to reduce stigma and develop trauma-informed care.
Additional links: Webinar: Whole-Person Care for People Experiencing Homelessness and Opioid Use Disorder
Date: 08/2021
Type: Document
Sponsoring organizations: Homeless and Housing Resource Center, Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration
view details