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Rural Health
Resources by Topic: Telehealth

Telepharmacy Rules and Statutes: A 3-Year Update for all 50 States
Surveys the legislative and administrative activity authorizing community-based telepharmacy. Includes a table identifying states that have permitted telepharmacy services through legislation, regulation, or waiver or pilot programs, and states with limitations, prohibitions, or no guidance on these services. Provides an overview of state rules and regulations that limit aspects of telepharmacy implementation. Explores areas for further research and evaluation, including the relationship between telepharmacy and rural pharmacy closures.
Author(s): Jason Semprini, Fred Ullrich, Keith J. Mueller
Date: 07/2020
Type: Document
Sponsoring organization: RUPRI Center for Rural Health Policy Analysis
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Pennsylvania Hospital Transitions HRSA-Funded Program to Online Services and Addresses COVID-19 Stress
Features Butler Memorial Hospital and how it adapted to the COVID-19 pandemic. Highlights the switch to online delivery for a chronic disease project funded by a HRSA Rural Health Care Services Outreach grant. Also describes initiatives to address healthcare workforce stress, help patients use tablets to visit with loved ones, and distribute healthy food to the community.
Author(s): Allee Mead
Citation: Rural Monitor
Date: 07/2020
Type: Document
Sponsoring organization: Rural Health Information Hub
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South Carolina Telehealth Alliance - COVID-19: Resources for Patients and Providers in South Carolina
Features links to resources for online screening, laws and regulations, and reimbursement policies, related to telehealth in South Carolina.
Date: 07/2020
Type: Website
Sponsoring organization: South Carolina Telehealth Alliance
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Pennsylvania Mental Health Care Workforce Shortage: Challenges and Solutions: A Staff Study
Provides a discussion of mental healthcare workforce occupations and examines the factors that led to shortages in these fields. Describes how telemedicine can be used to extend the mental healthcare workforce in rural Pennsylvania and determines how state government entities can encourage more people to enter and remain in the mental healthcare workforce. Makes recommendations including increasing the number of psychiatric residencies in rural areas and designating more Rural Health Clinics. Includes a county-level map of Mental Health Professional Shortage Areas.
Author(s): Grant Rosul, Stephen J. Kramer, Wendy L. Baker
Date: 06/2020
Type: Document
Sponsoring organization: Joint State Government Commission, General Assembly of the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania
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Telehealth in Rural America: Disruptive Innovation for the Long Term?
Blog post discussing policy challenges and rural-specific concerns related to telehealth and telemedicine expansion during and following the COVID-19 pandemic. Addresses potential impacts of telehealth on rural facilities, Medicaid programs, and policy efforts.
Author(s): Matthew Ralls, Lauren Moran
Date: 06/2020
Type: Document
Sponsoring organization: Center for Health Care Strategies
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Improving Rural Health: State Policy Options for Increasing Access to Care
Discusses strategies from state legislatures and other stakeholders to increase access to healthcare in rural areas. Focuses on policies and policy options for state legislatures in three areas: improving health insurance coverage, safeguarding rural health facilities, and changing rural healthcare delivery. Features examples from Colorado, Georgia, Pennsylvania, and Wisconsin.
Author(s): Jack Pitsor
Date: 06/2020
Type: Document
Sponsoring organization: National Conference of State Legislatures
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Improving Mental Health Care by Understanding the Culture of Farming and Rural Communities
Session one of a four-part webinar series on the interplay of COVID-19 and the mental health crisis in rural and agricultural communities. Discusses co-occurring substance use disorders, telehealth, and provider compassion fatigue, among other issues.
Additional links: Session 2: Approaching and Treating Co-Occurring Mental and Substance Use Disorders in Farming and Rural Communities, Session 3: Providing Mental Health Telehealth Services in Farming and Rural Communities, Session 4: Co-Occurring Mental and Substance Use Disorders in Farming and Rural Communities: Assessment, Ethics, and Preventing Compassion Fatigue
Date: 06/2020
Type: Video/Multimedia
Sponsoring organizations: Mental Health Technology Transfer Center Network, Mountain Plains Mental Health Technology Transfer Center
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How Telehealth Policy is Structured in the United States
June 23, 2020, webinar recording provides an overview of the telehealth policy landscape on the federal and state levels. Discusses telehealth reimbursement policies. Outlines federal and state telehealth policy changes as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic.
Additional links: Presentation Slides
Date: 06/2020
Type: Video/Multimedia
Sponsoring organization: Center for Connected Health Policy: The National Telehealth Policy Resource Center
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Grantee Sourcebook: Rural Health Network Planning Development Program, 2019
Detailed descriptions of 25 Rural Health Network Development Planning Program grant projects funded in fiscal year 2019. Reports on each grantee's network infrastructure development, plans for sustaining the network after the grant, and program activities addressing topics such as integrated service delivery, behavioral health, telehealth, and care coordination. Grantee profiles identify the geographic areas served, network partners, and primary contact person.
Date: 06/2020
Type: Document
Sponsoring organization: Federal Office of Rural Health Policy
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Effect of Telehealth Extended Care for Maintenance of Weight Loss in Rural US Communities: A Randomized Clinical Trial
Evaluates the effectiveness of obesity management programs conducted from 2013-2018 by telephone or email for participants in 14 rural Florida counties. Includes demographics and statistics on weight loss with breakdowns by method of remote counseling.
Author(s): Michael G. Perri, Meena N. Shankar, Michael J. Daniels, et al.
Citation: JAMA Network Open, 3(6)
Date: 06/2020
Type: Document
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