Topics: Health insurance

Rural Health Clinic Program at 45 Years: Created for Access and Still Delivering Care

After a 1965 public law created the Medicare and Medicaid programs, many rural residents insured by these government health programs were unable to access care. This challenge was remedied by another public law: the Rural Health Clinic Services Act of 1977. Using a historical framework, rural health policy experts, researchers, and clinicians reviewed the Act’s impact on outpatient healthcare delivery in rural America.

Over 5,200 rural organizations participate in the Rural Health Clinics program, a reimbursement model dedicated to rural low-volume healthcare delivery and now in its 45th year. The National Association of Rural Health Clinics — in its 30th year — is a membership organization that emerged as the program increased its participants. Bill Finerfrock, association cofounder and its recently retired executive director, shared the group’s origin story as well as touchpoints from his own career.

“Swing bed” is that oft-heard phrase describing not a physical hospital bed, but post-acute care for the rural patient who is well enough to leave the acute care hospital but not well enough to be safe at home. In this 2-part story, experts and hospital administrators review the swing bed program’s historical implementation and provide stories and examples of the value this over 40-year-old healthcare delivery and reimbursement model brings to patients, to the hospitals providing their care, and ultimately to rural communities.

The healthcare delivery model known as the swing bed program has allowed rural and Critical Access Hospitals to serve patients by keeping them in their rural communities for post-acute care. Reviewing the history of this program, experts describe early implementation and key program elements that have sustained its success for over 40 years.

The University of Wisconsin–Madison School of Pharmacy created the Rural Pharmacy Practice program, a concentration for PharmD students interested in working in rural communities. Two students, two assistant professors, and a clinical pharmacy specialist share their experiences.

Brock Slabach, the National Rural Health Association’s Senior Vice President for Member Services, discusses the impact of COVID-19 on rural America’s healthcare organizations.

Libraries in South Carolina, Vermont, and Washington work to improve their communities’ health by providing monthly programs and teaching patrons and staff how to access reliable health information online.

A Federally Qualified Health Center used grant support to provide primary care oral health assessment and fluoride varnishes in 12 school-based health centers in nine Louisiana parishes, hoping to provide thousands of children with better oral health in the present as well as into adulthood.

Mario Gutierrez, MPH, Executive Director of the Center for Connected Health Policy’s National Telehealth Policy Resource Center, discusses the important role telehealth plays for rural patients in delivering healthcare directly to their homes and communities.

Gary Capistrant, MPA, Chief Policy Officer of the American Telemedicine Association, explains potential federal changes, the possibility of a national telehealth network, and collaboration between healthcare providers may be keys to telehealth’s success.

The Rural Monitor

Articles and resources on key rural health issues, from the Rural Health Information Hub

Topics: Health insurance

Rural Health Clinic Program at 45 Years: Created for Access and Still Delivering Care

A Career of Influencing Rural Healthcare Delivery: Bill Finerfrock and the NARHC Origin Story

History of the Swing Bed: A Look Through the Rural Rearview Mirror

PharmD Concentration Helps Pharmacy Students Prepare for a Career in Rural America

COVID-19’s Current Impact on Rural Healthcare Delivery: Q&A with Brock Slabach

Rural Libraries Help Communities Access Health Information

Making a Difference for Generations to Come: School-Based Oral Healthcare in Louisiana

Using Telehealth to Put Patients at the Center of Healthcare

Telehealth Improvement Will Take Federal Movement and Provider Cohesion