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Related Guides on this Topic

You may also want to see these guides on related topics: Health Education Financial Aid, J-1 Visa Waiver

Introduction

Health care is one of the largest industries in the country, employing a vast number of workers. Still, many communities experience health care workforce shortage problems, with the most severe being in rural health professional shortage areas and medically needy and underserved population groups.

Rural health care workforce shortages carry a negative impact on health care quality, through reduced health care access as well as through increased stress on providers. Shortages not only contribute to higher costs by raising compensation levels to reflect increased demand but also by increasing the use of overtime pay and expensive temporary personnel.

Frequently Asked Questions

Tools

AHA Issues: Health Care Workforce
Database
Comprised of a Commission on Workforce, which focuses on developments and resources to deal with the present health care workforce shortage.
Sponsoring organization: American Hospital Association

Become An RN
Web site
An online directory of all the accredited second degree or direct entry nursing programs in the US (both BSN and MSN).

Career Voyages
Web site
A collaboration between the U.S. Department of Labor and the U.S. Department of Education designed to provide information on high growth, in-demand occupations along with the skills and education needed to attain those jobs.
Sponsoring organization: U.S. Department of Labor

Community HealthCorps
Web site
Promotes health care for America's underserved. Works to increase access to health care, provide health education, support use of health care services, and recruit and develop volunteers to support community health centers.
Sponsoring organization: National Association of Community Health Centers

Electronic Residency Application Service (ERAS)
Database
Transmits residency applications, letters of recommendation, Dean's Letters/MSPE, transcripts, and other supporting credentials from applicants and medical schools to Fellowship, Osteopathic Internship and Residency programs using the Internet.
Sponsoring organization: Association of American Medical Colleges

Explore Health Careers.org
Web site
A multi-disciplinary, interactive health careers website designed to explain the array of health professions and provide easy access to students seeking information about health careers.
Sponsoring organization: American Dental Education Association

FindAResident
Database
Helps to locate residency and fellowship positions; puts residents in contact with programs looking to fill these positions; supplements the Electronic Residency Application Service (ERAS); and is a resource when changing specialty, location, or residency program.
Sponsoring organization: Association of American Medical Colleges

FREIDA Online
Database
Stands for Fellowship and Residency Electronic Interactive Database. Contains over 7800 medical education programs accredited by the Accreditation Council for Graduate Medical Education, as well as over 200 combined specialty programs. Allows searching for specialty and subspecialty programs, training institutions, medical schools, aggregate training statistics by specialty, and career plans of recent graduates.
Sponsoring organization: American Medical Association

Global Health: Exchange Visitor Program
Web site
Provides information and updates on the Exchange Visitor Program (J-1 Visa Waiver) eliminating the two-year foreign residence requirement.
Sponsoring organization: U.S. Department of Health and Human Services

Guidelines for Medically Underserved Area and Population Designation
Web site
Supplies guidelines for use in applying the established Criteria for Designation of Medically Underserved Areas (MUAs) and Populations (MUPs). Describes three methods for designation.
Sponsoring organization: Bureau of Health Professions

Health Care Workforce
Web site
Provides news, education, events, and examples of workforce success stories titled Ideas in Action.
Sponsoring organization: American Hospital Association

Health Workforce Information Center (HWIC)
Web site
An online library which provides information on health workforce issues. Resources include health workforce programs and funding sources; workforce data, research and policy; educational opportunities and models; and news and events, also available through e-mail updates.
Sponsoring organization: Bureau of Health Professions

HHS.gov/Recovery
Web site
Provides information and resources on the programs invested in improving health and human services supported by the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act.
Sponsoring organization: U.S. Department of Health and Human Services

Medically Underserved Area/Medically Underserved Population (MUA/MUP) Database
Database
Allows searching by state, county, or ID number. Includes designation status and date.
Sponsoring organization: Health Resources and Services Administration

Midwest Center for Health Workforce Studies
Web site
Conducts research on the health workforce to improve health workforce policy and planning at the state, Midwest regional and national level, which leads to increased access to care for underserved populations.
Sponsoring organization: Health Resources and Services Administration

National Center for Health Workforce Analysis
Database
Provides detailed state-by-state data on supply, demand, distribution, education and use of health personnel. Collects, analyzes and disseminates health workforce information and facilitates national, state and local workforce planning efforts. Monitors trends to assure that all segments of society have access to quality health care professionals providing appropriate health care services in all geographic areas.
Sponsoring organization: Health Resources and Services Administration

National Clearinghouse on the Direct Line Workforce
Web site
Consists of a national on-line library for people in search of solutions to the direct-care staffing crisis in long-term care. Includes government and research reports, news, issue briefs, fact sheets, and other information on topics such as recruitment, career advancement supervision, workplace culture, and caregiving practices.
Sponsoring organization: Paraprofessional Healthcare Institute

NHSC Job Opportunities
Database
Listing of health professional job opportunities available serving underserved populations. Job listings are not exclusive to NHSC Scholars and those interested in the NHSC Loan Repayment Program.
Sponsoring organization: National Health Service Corps

Partners in Information Access for the Public Health Workforce
Web site
Information and resources to help the public health workforce find and use information effectively. Includes funding sources, data and statistics, career resources and more. Provided by a collaboration of U.S. government agencies, public health organizations and health sciences libraries.

Physician Perspectives on Rural Medicine
Web site
Web page offers access to video and audio recordings of a presentation given at the 2009 Wisconsin Academy for Rural Medicine (WARM) Symposium.
Sponsoring organization: Wisconsin Academy for Rural Medicine

Rural FP Community
Web site
Information and resources for family physicians, health care providers and others who serve the nation's rural families.
Sponsoring organization: American Academy of Family Physicians

Rural FP Community Blog
Web site
In this blog, sponsored by the American Academy of Family Physicians, authors post their experiences while practicing family medicine in rural areas as well as posting about other topics related to rural family physicians.
Sponsoring organization: American Academy of Family Physicians

Rural Health Research: Workforce
Web site
Provides summaries of current and completed rural health research projects and related publications addressing the topic of health care workforce, produced by the Office of Rural Health Policy's funded rural health research centers.
Sponsoring organization: Rural Health Research Gateway

Rural Hospital Education Gateway
Web site
A one-stop shop for rural hospitals to access distance and web-based educational resources on topics including community engagement, hospital finance, management and leadership, performance improvement, workforce and quality.
Sponsoring organization: Rural Health Resource Center

Shortage Designation: HPSAs, MUAs & MUPs
Web site
Provides information about health care shortage designations: Health Professional Shortage Areas (HPSAs) and Medically Underserved Areas and Populations (MUAs/MUPs). Includes information on how to apply for these designations and how to find shortage areas.
Sponsoring organization: Health Resources and Services Administration

State Health Workforce Profiles
Web site
Detailed state-by-state data on supply, demand, distribution, education and use of health personnel.
Sponsoring organization: National Center for Health Workforce Analysis

Study Guide Zone
Web site
Free resources for students, beginning professionals, and anyone who wants to improve their score on a standardized test. Includes GED, ACT and SAT test study guides.

U.S. Licensure for International Dentists
Web site
Provides information to dentists who were educated outside the United States and Canada and wish to obtain a dental license in the U.S.
Sponsoring organization: American Dental Association

WWAMI Center for Health Workforce Studies Regional Information Center
Web site
Provides access to health workforce information for Washington, Wyoming, Alaska, Montana, Idaho. Content is available by state and by profession.
Sponsoring organization: WWAMI Center for Health Workforce Studies

Funding

2010 Minority Nurse Scholarship Program
Annual scholarship program to help outstanding students complete their studies leading to a BSN degree.

Indian Health Service Loan Repayment Program
Loan repayment program for health professions educational loans (undergraduate and graduate) in return for full-time clinical service in Indian health programs.

Nurse Education, Practice and Retention (NEPR)
Grants to strengthen the capacity for basic nurse education and practice and address the shortage of nurses in the health care workforce.

Regional Community Health Grants Program
This program provides funding focused on reducing disparities in health care among racial and ethnic populations in eligible geographic areas.

Robert Wood Johnson Foundation New Careers in Nursing
A scholarship program to help alleviate the nursing shortage and increase the diversity of nursing professionals.

Robert Wood Johnson Foundation Nurse Faculty Scholars Program
Funding to develop the next generation of national leaders in academic nursing through career development awards for outstanding junior nursing faculty.

Robert Wood Johnson Foundation Unsolicited Grants
Grants to address health care workforce, innovative health care solutions, and health care to vulnerable populations.

Wal-Mart National Giving Program
Funding to support the replication of a particularly innovative local or regional initiative at other sites around the country.

Wal-Mart State Giving Program
The Wal-Mart Foundation will award grants at the state and regional level to support unmet needs that are not directly addressed by any of their current programs.

Wal-Mart Store and Sam's Club Giving Programs
Funding to local nonprofit organizations in four main areas of focus: Education, Workforce Development / Economic Opportunity, Health & Wellness and Environmental Sustainability.

Inactive Funding

Inactive Funding Opportunities - Lists additional funding programs for this topic that are not currently accepting applications. Programs that are inactive may be offered again in the future.

Maps & Map Collections

Health Professional Shortage Areas (HPSA) - Primary Medical Care, Clinician Priority Scores
Geographic coverage: United States
Printable map that shows the clinician priority scores of primary medical care HPSAs nationwide. These scores are used by the National Health Service Corps in determining priorities for assignment of clinicians. Scores range from 1 to 25, with higher scores having greater priority. Data source: Health Resources and Services Administration, Bureau of Health Professions, July 2008.
Sponsoring organization: Rural Assistance Center
Date: 2009

Health Professional Shortage Areas (HPSA) - Primary Medical Care, Designated Populations
Geographic coverage: United States
Printable map that shows the location and type of population that is underserved for population group primary medical care HPSAs nationwide. Data source: Health Resources and Services Administration, Bureau of Health Professions, July 2008.
Sponsoring organization: Rural Assistance Center
Date: 2009

Health Professional Shortage Areas (HPSA) - Primary Medical Care, Designated Type
Geographic coverage: United States
Printable map that shows the designated types of primary medical care HPSAs, Population Group, Single County, and Geographical Area, nationwide. Data source: Health Resources and Services Administration, Bureau of Health Professions, July 2008.
Sponsoring organization: Rural Assistance Center
Date: 2009

Medically Underserved Areas (MUAs) and Medically Underserved Populations (MUPs), Designated Type
Geographic coverage: United States
Printable map that shows the designated type of MUAs and MUPs nationwide. Data source: Health Resources and Services Administration, Bureau of Health Professions, July 2008.
Sponsoring organization: Rural Assistance Center
Date: 2009

Regulations, Forms & Other Useful Documents

2005 Physician Supply and Distribution in Rural Areas of the United States (full report)
Author(s): Meredith A. Fordyce, Frederick M. Chen, Mark P. Doescher, L. Gary Hart
Sponsoring organization: WWAMI Rural Health Research Center
Describes the 2005 supply and distribution of physicians with particular emphasis on generalists in rural areas.
Date: 11 / 2007

2007 State Physician Workforce Data Book
Sponsoring organization: Association of American Medical Colleges
Examines the active physician supply in each state, current medical school enrollment, physicians in graduate medical education programs, and in-state retention rates. Includes data charts and tables for all 50 states, in addition to national averages.
Date: 11 / 2007

2009 Report to the Secretary: Rural Health and Human Service Issues
Sponsoring organization: National Advisory Committee on Rural Health and Human Services
Reports to the Secretary of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services on issues related to rural America. Examines three key topics: workforce and community development, creating viable patient-centered medical homes, and serving at-risk children.
Date: 04 / 2009

A Landscape View of Life and Health Care in Rural Settings
Author(s): Angeline Bushy
Sponsoring organization: Board of Trustees of Dartmouth College
This second chapter of "Handbook for Rural Health Care Ethics", addresses factors such as: geographic isolation, small population, and close social and/or kinship relationships among community members, that can cause or impact ethical dilemmas.
Date: 2009

Access Transformed: Building a Primary Care Workforce for the 21st Century
Sponsoring organization: National Association of Community Health Centers
Finds the availability of a primary care workforce depends on where you live, and primary care clinicians are not locating in areas that need them most, especially low-income communities. Includes state-level projections of growing patient needs expected to stretch the health care system in years ahead.
Date: 08 / 2008

Action Plan for Behavioral Health Workforce Development
Author(s): Annapolis Coalition on the Behavioral Health Workforce
Sponsoring organization: Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration
Describes a broad, national workforce development plan for the behavioral health workforce. Covers workforce issues relevant to persons with mental health conditions, substance abuse or substance use disorders, and co-occurring mental and addictive conditions. Includes a chapter focused on rural behavioral health workforce issues.
Date: 2007

Aging of the Primary Care Physician Workforce: Are Rural Locations Vulnerable? (Policy Brief)
Sponsoring organization: WWAMI Rural Health Research Center
Describes the rural areas of the U.S. where impending retirement threatens access to primary care, and offers potential solutions to the problem.
Date: 06 / 2009

Allied Health Job Vacancy Tracking Report
Author(s): Erin Fraher, Phillip Summers, Katie Gaul, Stephen Rutledge
Sponsoring organization: North Carolina Rural Health Research and Policy Analysis Center (Cecil G. Sheps Center)
Quantifies workforce demand for selected allied health professions in North Carolina, tracks job vacancy advertisements in print and online sources, summarizes vacancy advertisements by profession, region, and employer type, and describes the types of sign-on bonuses offered by employers.
Date: 04 / 2007

An Aging U.S. Population and the Health Care Workforce: Factors Affecting the Need for Geriatric Care Workers
Sponsoring organization: U.S. Department of Health and Human Services
Identifies and critiques major long-term care projection models related to the demand for care of the elderly in three major settings: nursing homes, residential care, and home care.
Date: 02 / 2006

Area Health Education Center and Community Health Center Collaboration: Effective Partnerships for the Recruitment of Health Professionals
Sponsoring organization: National Rural Health Association
Describes ways that Area Health Education Centers (AHECs) and Community Health Centers (CHCs) can work together to recruit and retain health professionals. Includes examples of AHEC-CHC partnerships in several states.
Date: 2006

Around the Country: Special Series: Technical Assistance Centers: National Rural Recruitment and Retention Network (3RNet)
Author(s): Hope Hanson
Sponsoring organization: Rural Assistance Center
Fourth in a series of articles on rural health technical assistance resources around the country funded by the federal Office of Rural Health Policy (ORHP). Highlights the National Rural Recruitment and Retention Network (3RNet).
Journal citation: Rural Monitor Issue Summer
Date: 08 / 2006

Bridging the Gap: Partnerships Between Dental Schools and Colleges to Produce a Workforce to Fully Serve America's Diverse Communities
Sponsoring organization: Community Voices: HealthCare for the Underserved
Results of a study which supports the findings and recommendations of the surgeon general's report on oral health. Suggests a new approach be taken, a seven-year program from high school to dental school, with five of those years a combined college/basic science program and the final two years at a cooperating dental school.
Date: 05 / 2006

Changes in the Rural Registered Nurse Workforce from 1980 to 2004 (Final Report)
Author(s): Susan M. Skillman, Lorella Palazzo, L. Gary Hart, Patricia Butterfield
Sponsoring organization: WWAMI Rural Health Research Center
Describes changes in rural and urban Registered Nurse demographics, education, and employment characteristics over time.
Date: 10 / 2007

Community Colleges: Critical Training
Author(s): Thomas D. Rowley
Sponsoring organization: Rural Assistance Center
Discusses the role community colleges play in health care workforce training across the nation.
Journal citation: Rural Monitor Volume 11 Issue 3
Date: 01 / 2005

Community Health Aide Program: Overview 2007
Provides a detailed overview of Community Health Aide Program (CHAP) including the history, current practice, training, field supervision, and quality assurance of this unique program that facilitates health care services in Alaska's remote villages.
Date: 03 / 2007

Complexities of Physician Supply and Demand: Projections Through 2025
Author(s): Michael J. Dill, Edward S. Salsberg
Sponsoring organization: Association of American Medical Colleges
Presents physician supply and demand projections under a variety of scenarios for the US through 2025.
Date: 11 / 2008

Contribution of Nurse Practitioners and Physician Assistants to Generalist Care in Washington State
Author(s): Eric H. Larson, Lorella Palazzo, Bobbi Berkowitz, Michael J. Pirani, L. Gary Hart
Sponsoring organization: WWAMI Rural Health Research Center
Describes the contribution to generalist care made by nurse practitioners (NPs) and physician assistants (PAs) in Washington State. Includes data on NP and PA contributions in rural areas.
Journal citation: Health Services Research Volume 38 Issue 4 Pages: 1033-1050
Date: 08 / 2003

Crisis in Rural General Surgery
Sponsoring organization: WWAMI Rural Health Research Center
Describes issues rural general surgeons face and why maintaining their supply is important in meeting the needs of the aging rural population.
Date: 04 / 2009

Crisis in Rural Primary Care
Sponsoring organization: WWAMI Rural Health Research Center
Describes issues facing primary health care in rural America including: a declining number of students choosing this career path, low compensation rates, rising malpractice premiums, professional isolation, limited time off, and the scarcity of jobs for spouses.
Date: 04 / 2009

Critical Care Workforce: A Study of the Supply and Demand for Critical Care Physicians
Sponsoring organization: U.S. Department of Health and Human Services
Examines the adequacy of the critical care workforce. Working with the American College of Chest Physicians, HRSA and its consultants updated the physician workforce models to include critical care physicians.
Date: 2006

Distance Education in EMS: A Literature Review and Rural/Urban Comparison
Sponsoring organization: Office of Rural Health Policy
Explores what is known about distance learning in EMS and how distance learning is being used to provide continuing education to EMS professionals in rural and urban areas. Includes recommendations for future development and application.
Date: 2007

EMS Workforce for the 21st Century: A National Assessment
Sponsoring organization: National Highway Traffic Safety Administration Emergency Medical Services Division
Results of research that addresses workforce planning such as having adequate EMS workforce; attracting and retaining EMS workers; maintaining EMS workforce resources across all populations and geo-graphic areas; future demand; and obtaining information.
Date: 06 / 2008

Ethical Life of Rural Health Care Professionals
Author(s): Ruth B. Purtilo
Sponsoring organization: Board of Trustees of Dartmouth College
This third chapter of "Handbook for Rural Health Care Ethics," examines questions regarding the significance of morality and ethics to rural health care professionals, how they are useful, and how professionals can balance contradicting values, then presents suggestions for nurturing these values.
Date: 2009

Farm Rescue and EMS: A State by State Directory
Sponsoring organization: Office of Rural Health Policy
A directory of contacts by state that specialize in farm rescue and response training.

Female Physician Recruitment Secrets for Rural Communities
Sponsoring organization: University of Colorado Health Sciences Center
Lists the top 10 things a woman physician should know about rural medical practice as well as tips for rural communities in recruiting and retaining female physicians.
Date: 2005

Financing Dental Education: Public Policy Interests, Issues and Strategic Considerations
Sponsoring organization: U.S. Department of Health and Human Services
Informs State and Federal officials about key issues concerning the structure and financing of dental education and, in particular, to highlight public policy considerations. The report's primary focus is on predoctoral dental education (i.e., programs that award D.D.S. or D.M.D. degrees to graduates of U.S. dental schools). Addresses issues related to the dental care workforce in rural areas.
Date: 2006

From Education to Regulation: Dynamic Challenges for the Health Workforce
Sponsoring organization: Association of Academic Health Centers
A set of papers that clarify some of the issues related to producing and retaining a 21st century health workforce including the unresolved challenges of workforce regulations, professional and educational standards, workplace practices, and offers possible responses.
Date: 2008

Growth and Change in the Physician Assistant Workforce in the United States, 1967-2000
Author(s): Larson, E. H., Hart, L. G.
Sponsoring organization: WWAMI Rural Health Research Center
Describes key elements of change in the demography and distribution of the PA population between 1967 and 2000, as well as the spread of PA training programs.
Date: 2007

Handbook for Rural Health Care Ethics: A Practical Guide for Professionals
Sponsoring organization: Board of Trustees of Dartmouth College
Analyzes, solves, and anticipates health care ethics dilemmas to provide general ethics information and related guidance for clinicians and administrators of rural health care facilities.
Date: 2009

Health Care Challenges Abundant in the Alaskan Frontier
Author(s): Candi Helseth
Sponsoring organization: Rural Assistance Center
Discusses health care workforce shortages in Alaska’s Wrangell and Petersburg frontier communities. Highlights Alaska’s Community Health Aide Program (CHAP), which serves the state’s Native population, using more than 550 Community Health Aides/Practitioners, employed by 27 tribal health organizations, who practice in more than 180 rural villages in the state’s most remote areas known as the bush.
Journal citation: Rural Monitor
Date: 08 / 2007

Health Professions Programs: Educating and Training Health Professionals to Serve All Communities FY 2009 Brochure
Sponsoring organization: Health Professions and Nursing Education Coalition
Discusses Titles VII and VIII of the Public Health Service Act which are health professions programs that support the training and education of health care providers with the aim of enhancing the supply, diversity, and distribution of the workforce, filling the gaps in the health professions' supply.
Date: 2009

High Cost of Student Debt
Author(s): Alex McEllistrem-Evenson
Sponsoring organization: Health Workforce Information Center
Provides a brief overview of the impact of student debt load on primary care workforce.
Journal citation: Health Workforce News
Date: 09 / 2009

How is a Shortage of Primary Care Physicians Affecting the Quality and Cost of Medical Care?: A Comprehensive Evidence Review
Author(s): M. Renee Zerehi
Sponsoring organization: American College of Physicians
An overview of current trends in the primary care physician workforce, the importance and value of primary care, and the growing demand for primary care services in the United States. Includes references to rural.
Date: 2008

Idaho Rural Family Physician Workforce Study: Examining the Trait of Grit and Satisfaction in Idaho Physicians
Author(s): Alex J. Reed, David Schmitz, Ed Baker, Ayaka Nukui, Jaime Sand, Hailey Wilson, Ted Epperly
Sponsoring organization: Idaho State Office of Rural Health and Primary Care
Phase three of a series of studies to assess both rural and non-rural primary care and specialty care physician’s self reported levels of perseverance, passion and satisfaction in current practice in Idaho.
Date: 07 / 2009

Idaho Rural Family Physician Workforce Study: The Community Apgar Questionnaire
Author(s): David Schmitz, Ed Baker, Ted Epperly, Alex Reed, Ayaka Nukui
Sponsoring organization: Idaho Department of Health and Welfare
Identifies community factors that help rural communities recruit and retain family physicians.
Date: 07 / 2008

International Medical Graduate Physicians in the U.S.: Changes Since 1981
Author(s): L. Gary Hart, Susan M. Skillman, Amy Hagopian, Meredith A. Fordyce, Matthew J. Thompson, Thomas R. Konrad
Sponsoring organization: WWAMI Center for Health Workforce Studies
Results of a study which describes changes over time in IMGs' country of education, demographics, type of practice, specialty, and propensity to practice in needy locations since 1981.
Date: 03 / 2005

Linking Workforce Policy to Health Care Reform
Author(s): David C. Goodman
Transcript of the invited testimony to the United States Senate Committee on Finance about the health workforce and its relationship to health care reform as presented by David C. Goodman.
Date: 03 / 2009

Longitudinal Trends in the U.S. Surgical Workforce 1981-2006: Overall Growth Has Stalled; General Surgery Supply Contracting
Author(s): Stephanie Poley, Daniel Belsky, Katie Gaul, Thomas Ricketts, Erin Fraher, George Sheldon
Sponsoring organization: American College of Surgeons Health Policy Research Institute
Discusses U.S. surgical workforce trends over the last 25 years and the problem of geographic distribution of surgeons in future years.
Date: 05 / 2009

Matter of Degrees: Tomorrow’s Fastest-Growing Jobs and Why Community College Graduates Will Get Them
Author(s): Jessica Milano, Bruce Reed, Paul Weinstein Jr.
Examines hot jobs in four of the fastest growing sectors of the economy: education, health care, information technology, and energy and environment.
Date: 09 / 2009

Medical School Programs to Increase the Rural Physician Supply: A Systematic Review and Projected Impact of Widespread Replication
Author(s): Howard K. Rabinowitz, James J. Diamond, Fred W. Markham
Sponsoring organization: Association of American Medical Colleges
Study which examined rural physician training efforts. Six medical school programs designed to increase the ranks of rural physicians could be nationally replicated to more than double the number of graduates who choose to practice in rural areas across the next decade.
Journal citation: Academic Medicine Volume 83 Issue 3 Pages: 235-243
Date: 03 / 2008

Medicare Physician Payment: Impacts of Changes on Rural Physicians
Author(s): Keith J. Mueller, A. Clinton MacKinney, Timothy D. McBride
Sponsoring organization: RUPRI Center for Rural Health Policy Analysis
Overview of the effects of the Medicare Prescription Drug, Improvement, and Modernization Act (MMA) of 2003 on physician payment rates in rural areas. Discusses the impact of creating a floor of 1.00 in the geographic practice cost index (GPCI) for work expense and the effects of the Medicare incentive payment (MIP) for providing services in shortage areas and of the bonus for practicing in a physician scarcity area.
Date: 09 / 2006

Nurse Practitioner Facts
Sponsoring organization: American Academy of Nurse Practitioners
Provides statistics and data about nurse practitioners, including distribution, years of practice, and age by specialty.
Date: 2007

Nursing Workforce Challenge: Public Policy for a Dynamic and Complex Market
Author(s): Randall R. Bovbjerg, Barbara A. Ormond, Nancy Pindus
Sponsoring organization: Urban Institute
Reviews major policy issues related to the nursing workforce, drawing upon prior Urban Institute work, new literature review, assessment of federal survey data, and key informant interviews.
Date: 08 / 2009

Nursing Workforce: HHS Needs Methodology to Identify Facilities with a Critical Shortage of Nurses
Sponsoring organization: Government Accountability Office
GAO reports on changes in the RN shortage since 2000. Also discusses the impact of the Nursing Education Loan Repayment Program (NELRP) and Nursing Scholarship Program (NSP) on the shortage of nurses.
Date: 04 / 2007

On-Line Atlas of International Medical Graduates
Sponsoring organization: WWAMI Center for Health Workforce Studies
Displays trends in the geographic distribution of International Medical Graduates (IMGs) over the past 20 years through a series of maps.
Date: 09 / 2005

Out of Order, Out of Time: The State of the Nation’s Health Workforce
Sponsoring organization: Association of Academic Health Centers
Focuses attention on the critical need for a new, collaborative, coordinated, national health workforce planning initiative. Presents findings, conclusions, recommendations and includes references to rural.
Date: 2008

Outcomes of Community Health Worker Interventions
Sponsoring organization: Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality
Results of a systematic review on the characteristics of community health workers (CHWs) and CHW interventions, outcomes of such interventions, costs and cost-effectiveness of CHW interventions, and characteristics of CHW training. Includes references to rural.
Date: 06 / 2009

Pathways to Rural Practice: A Chartbook of Family Medicine Residency Training Locations and Characteristics
Author(s): L. Gary Hart, Denise M. Lishner, Eric H. Larson, Frederick M. Chen, C. Holly A. Andrilla, Thomas E. Norris, Ronald Schneeweiss, Tim M. Henderson, Roger A. Rosenblatt
Sponsoring organization: WWAMI Rural Health Research Center
Discusses characteristics and geographic locations of family medicine residency programs' rural locations, types of rural family medicine training by location, and rural mission of family medicine residencies.
Date: 08 / 2005

Pediatric Surgeons: Subspecialists Increase Faster than Generalists
Author(s): Stephanie Poley,Thomas Ricketts, Daniel Belsky, Katie Gaul
Sponsoring organization: American College of Surgeons Health Policy Research Institute
A fact sheet discussing the expansion of the pediatric surgical workforce with an increase in the number of subspecialists whereas growth in the general pediatric workforce has remained flat. Urban and rural data are compared.
Date: 07 / 2009

Physician Shortage and Distribution
Sponsoring organization: American Hospital Association
Brief overview of the physician shortage issues faced by rural hospitals. Includes information on current public policy, and resources for hospitals.

Physician Supply and Demand: Projections to 2020
Sponsoring organization: U.S. Department of Health and Human Services
Presents projections of physician supply and requirements for 18 physician specialties using the Physician Supply Model and the Physician Requirements Model. Describes data, assumptions and methods used to project the future supply of and requirements for physician services.
Date: 10 / 2006

Primary Care Professionals: Recent Supply Trends, Projections, and Valuation of Services
Sponsoring organization: Government Accountability Office
Focuses on recent supply trends for primary care professionals, including information on training and demographic characteristics; projections of future supply for primary care professionals; and the influence of the health care system's financing mechanisms on the valuation of primary care services.
Date: 02 / 2008

Q&A With Dr. Robert Phillips, Jr.
Author(s): Alex McEllistrem-Evenson
Sponsoring organization: Health Workforce Information Center
Discusses the impact of student debt load on primary care workforce.
Journal citation: Health Workforce News
Date: 09 / 2009

Quality Through Collaboration: The Future of Rural Health Care (Full Report)
Sponsoring organization: Institute of Medicine
Examines the quality of health care in rural America. Includes recommendations to improve health care quality and safety in rural communities. Addresses workforce, information technology, finance and other factors that impact rural health care quality.
Date: 11 / 2004

Rationale for Diversity in the Health Professions: A Review of the Evidence
Sponsoring organization: Bureau of Health Professions
Examined publicly available studies addressing a diverse health professions workforce.
Date: 10 / 2006

Reaching Out to Rural Regions: New MD Program Aims to Address Shortages
Author(s): Dian Land
Sponsoring organization: Wisconsin Office of Rural Health
Highlights the University of Wisconsin School of Medicine and Public Health WARM Program, which is a new medical degree created and aimed at addressing the serious shortage of physicians in rural areas of Wisconsin. WARM stands for The Wisconsin Academy for Rural Medicine.
Date: 11 / 2006

Recruiting Local People to Fill Health Care Needs
Author(s): Candi Helseth
Sponsoring organization: Rural Assistance Center
Discusses how frontier and rural health care providers looking for innovative ways to solve increasing workforce shortages, are recruiting and training local people to be health care professionals in their communities. Highlights programs in Nevada, Maryland, and Alaska.
Journal citation: Rural Monitor
Date: 08 / 2007

Recruitment and Retention of a Quality Health Workforce in Rural Areas, Introduction: Defining the Issues and the Principles of Recruitment and Retention
Sponsoring organization: National Rural Health Association
Overview of the issues endemic to health care workforce recruitment and retention in rural areas. First in a series of issue papers addressing rural health care workforce development through career pipeline programs.
Date: 03 / 2005

Recruitment and Retention of a Quality Health Workforce in Rural Areas, Number 13: Emergency Medical Services
Sponsoring organization: National Rural Health Association
Discusses the challenges facing rural and frontier emergency medical services, including recruitment, financial issues, and training. Part of a series of issue papers addressing rural health care workforce development through career pipeline programs.
Date: 11 / 2005

Recruitment and Retention of a Quality Health Workforce in Rural Areas, Number 14: Issues of Preserving Rural Professional Quality of Life
Sponsoring organization: National Rural Health Association
Addresses the importance of professional quality of life to the recruitment and retention of health professionals. Discusses methods for supporting the positive effects of care giving and preventing the negative effects for different types of healthcare providers. Part of a series of issue papers addressing rural health care workforce development.
Date: 05 / 2006

Recruitment and Retention of a Quality Health Workforce in Rural Areas, Number 1: Physicians
Sponsoring organization: National Rural Health Association
Overview of issues related to the recruitment and retention of physicians in rural areas. Part of a series of issue papers addressing rural health care workforce development through career pipeline programs.
Date: 11 / 2006

Recruitment and Retention of a Quality Health Workforce in Rural Areas, Number 2: Nursing
Sponsoring organization: National Rural Health Association
Overview of issues related to the nursing workforce shortage, with recommendations to improve recruitment and retention of nurses. Part of a series of issue papers addressing rural health care workforce development through career pipeline programs.
Date: 12 / 2005

Recruitment and Retention of a Quality Health Workforce in Rural Areas, Number 3: Pharmacists and Pharmacy Technicians
Sponsoring organization: National Rural Health Association
Discusses the challenges of recruiting pharmacists and pharmacy technicians to work in rural areas. Describes successful recruitment programs in Minnesota and West Virginia. Part of a series of issue papers addressing rural health care workforce development through career pipeline programs.
Date: 05 / 2006

Recruitment and Retention of a Quality Health Workforce in Rural Areas, Number 4: Oral Health
Sponsoring organization: National Rural Health Association
Overview of issues related to the oral health workforce in rural areas. Part of a series of issue papers addressing rural health care workforce development through career pipeline programs.
Date: 11 / 2006

Recruitment and Retention Of A Quality Health Workforce in Rural Areas, Number 7: Rural Health Careers Pipeline: Kindergarten to 12th Grade Education
Sponsoring organization: National Rural Health Association
Discusses the shortage of health care providers in rural areas, and the impact that health career programs for rural students could have on the supply of health care providers. Part of a series of issue papers addressing rural health care workforce development through career pipeline programs.
Date: 02 / 2006

Registered Nurse Population: Findings from the March 2004 National Sample of Registered Nurses
Sponsoring organization: Health Resources and Services Administration
Summarizes results of a study on collected data on the actively licensed registered nurse population as of March 2004.
Date: 03 / 2006

Remarks to The Healthcare Workforce Crisis: A Summit on the Future of Primary Care in Rural and Urban America
Author(s): Mary K. Wakefield
Sponsoring organization: Health Resources and Services Administration
This is the speech transcript in which HRSA's administrator, Mary K. Wakefield, discusses the healthcare workforce crisis in rural and urban America.
Date: 08 / 2009

Retaining Rural Nurses: Midwestern Summit on Retaining and Making Best use of the Older More Experienced Rural Registered Nurse
Sponsoring organization: Minnesota Office of Rural Health and Primary Care
Highlights of a one-day session, consisting of 25 nurse-leaders from Iowa, Minnesota, North Dakota and South Dakota who engaged in a series of roundtable discussions on the future of older nurses in rural communities.
Date: 08 / 2007

Retention of Family Physicians
Author(s): Robert C. Bowman
Helpful for all of those currently challenged with funding and other areas regarding family medicine and rural health. Document has text and links to other resources. Has a Midwest focus, but it can be revised to meet specific states.

Retooling for an Aging America: Building the Health Care Workforce
Sponsoring organization: Institute of Medicine
Results of a study to determine the health care needs of Americans over 65 years of age and to assess those needs through an analysis of the forces that shape the health care workforce, including education and training, models of care, and public and private programs. Executive summary is available as a PDF.
Date: 04 / 2008

Review & Commentary on Health Policy Issues for a Rural Perspective-February, 2009
Sponsoring organization: Rural Wisconsin Health Cooperative
Discusses healthcare workforce shortage issues affecting primary care in rural Wisconsin. Features interviews from rural health care advocates and presents strategies to address and reverse the shortage problem.
Date: 02 / 2009

Rural Health Care Workforce: Opportunities to Improve Care Delivery
Author(s): Melissa Loftis Florell
Sponsoring organization: Center for Rural Affairs
Part of a series on health care reform that focuses on rural health care workforce.
Date: 08 / 2009

Rural Kaleidoscope: A Guide on Promising Practices to Diversify California's Rural Healthcare Workforce
Author(s): Lisel Blash, Eva Schiorring
Sponsoring organization: California State Rural Health Association
Focuses on helping those who recruit new health care professionals, retain existing staff, develop workforce partnerships, and work with community organizations.
Date: 12 / 2005

Rural Spotlight: An Interview with Robert C. Bowman, M.D.
Sponsoring organization: Rural Assistance Center
An interview with one of the country’s leading researchers in rural medical education who discusses ways to recruit and retain rural physicians.
Journal citation: Rural Monitor
Date: 11 / 2007

Rural Workers Would Benefit More Than Urban Workers from an Increase in the Federal Minimum Wage
Author(s): William O'Hare
Sponsoring organization: Carsey Institute
Looks at how an increase in the minimum wage would impact rural workers relative to urban workers by examining workers who are likely to benefit directly from an increase in the minimum wage because they currently earn less than $7.25 an hour. This group is called "low-wage workers." Looks at 74 million hourly workers who represent about 60 percent of all workers.
Date: 2007

Rural-Urban Comparison of Allied Health Average Hourly Wages
Author(s): Indira Richardson, Rebecca Slifkin, Randy Randolph, Mark Holmes
Sponsoring organization: North Carolina Rural Health Research and Policy Analysis Center (Cecil G. Sheps Center)
Explores the hourly wage differences of allied health care professionals in rural and urban areas. Discusses whether a wage deviation contributes to the health care workforce shortage issues found in rural areas.
Date: 01 / 2009

Satisfaction with Practice and Decision to Relocate: An Examination of Rural Physicians
Author(s): Marc Berk, Jack Feldman, Claudia Schur, Jyoti Gupta
Sponsoring organization: NORC Walsh Center for Rural Health Analysis
Examines physician satisfaction with various aspects of practice and its association with decisions to continue or discontinue practicing in a rural location.
Date: 05 / 2009

Shortages of Medical Personnel at Community Health Centers
Author(s): Roger A. Rosenblatt, C. Holly A. Andrilla, Thomas Curtin, L. Gary Hart
Discusses staffing shortages at Community Health Centers (CHCs) in rural and urban locations and how these workforce shortages may impact efforts to expand the CHC program.
Journal citation: JAMA: The Journal of the American Medical Association Volume 295 Issue 9 Pages: 1042-1049
Date: 03 / 2006

Specialty and Geographic Distribution of the Physician Workforce: What Influences Medical Student & Resident Choices?
Sponsoring organization: Josiah Macy, Jr. Foundation
This study discusses important policy options and incentives by identifying factors that influence medical student and resident choices about medical specialties and location of practice. Includes several references to rural practice.
Date: 03 / 2009

State Public Health Employee Worker Shortage Report: A Civil Service Recruitment and Retention Crisis
Sponsoring organization: Association of State and Territorial Health Officials
Results of a survey of 37 state public health agencies on public health employee workforce shortages.
Date: 2005

Threats to the Future Supply of Rural Registered Nurses
Sponsoring organization: WWAMI Rural Health Research Center
Explains how the shortages of registered nurses (RNs) in rural areas may grow as the “baby boom” generation retires and as RNs commute to larger towns and urban areas for work. Presents potential solutions to this foreseen shortage problem.
Date: 04 / 2009

Training Programs for Certified Nursing Assistants
Author(s): Esther Hernández-Medina, Susan Eaton, Donna Hurd, Alan White
Sponsoring organization: AARP
Reports on CNA education and training by exploring how many additional hours of initial training and clinical training are needed to equip CNAs to provide good quality care to residents. It also examines pre-training screening, remedial education, training in English as a Second Language, and shadowing; CNA testing; and reimbursement of CNAs for their training and testing expenses.
Date: 03 / 2006

Trends in the Supply of Dentists in North Carolina, 1996-2005
Author(s): Erin Fraher, Katie Gaul, Jennifer King, Hazel Hadley, Claire de la Varre, Thomas Ricketts
Sponsoring organization: North Carolina Rural Health Research and Policy Analysis Center (Cecil G. Sheps Center)
Highlights workforce supply, distribution, professional shortage areas, demographics, and practice characteristics and training.
Date: 02 / 2007

U.S. Rural Physician Workforce: Analysis of Medical School Graduates from 1988-1997 (Final Report)
Author(s): Frederick M. Chen, Meredith A. Fordyce, Steve Andes, L. Gary Hart
Sponsoring organization: WWAMI Rural Health Research Center
Describes the training of the rural physician workforce in the United States and examines the variations in medical school and residency production of rural physicians.
Date: 10 / 2008

U.S. Rural Physician Workforce: Analysis of Medical School Graduates from 1988-1997 (Policy Brief)
Sponsoring organization: WWAMI Rural Health Research Center
Reports on the rural physician workforce. Those most likely to practice in rural areas were osteopathic and primary care physicians.
Date: 10 / 2008

War Has Big Impact in Rural Areas
Author(s): Candi Helseth
Sponsoring organization: Rural Assistance Center
Describes the challenges rural health care facilities experience when their health care providers are deployed to Iraq and Afghanistan.
Journal citation: Rural Monitor
Date: 2007

What is Behind HRSA's Projected Supply, Demand, and Shortage of Registered Nurses?
Sponsoring organization: U.S. Department of Health and Human Services
Provides a brief overview of two models: Nursing Supply Model (NSM) and the Nursing Demand Model (NDM). Describes the data, methods, and assumptions used to project RN supply and demand; presents findings from the models; and discusses the limitations of these and other models and methods to forecast demand for health workers.
Date: 2006

Will Rural Family Medicine Residency Training Survive?
Author(s): Rosenblatt, Roger; Hagopian Amy; Andrilla Holly; Hart Gary
Sponsoring organization: Society of Teachers of Family Medicine
Examines the recent performance of rural residencies in the National Resident Matching Program as an indicator of their viability.
Journal citation: Family Medicine Journal Volume 38 Issue 10 Pages: 705-711
Date: 11 / 2006

Workers Who Care: A Graphical Profile of the Frontline Health and Health Care Workforce
Sponsoring organization: Robert Wood Johnson Foundation
Chartbook providing information about frontline health care occupations, covering 32 occupational groups of health and health care workers with high levels of direct care/service, median annual wages under $40,000 and required educational training of a bachelor's degree or below. Data is available at the national level and by state.
Date: 2006

Workforce Development in Rural Local Public Health Agencies
Sponsoring organization: National Association of County and City Health Officials
Focuses on the public health workforce recruitment and retention challenges as well as strategies for training and retraining new and existing staff in rural local public health practice areas.
Date: 07 / 2005

Workforce Issues Among Sole Community Pharmacies
Author(s): Donald Klepser, Michelle Lampman, Andrea Radford, Indira Richardson, Stephen Rutledge
Sponsoring organization: North Carolina Rural Health Research and Policy Analysis Center (Cecil G. Sheps Center)
Explores the shared experiences of sole community pharmacist-owners regarding the challenges facing the pharmacy workforce in their communities and their concerns about their pharmacy's future.
Date: 07 / 2009

Wyoming Primary Care Gaps and Policy Options
Author(s): Susan M. Skillman, C. Holly A. Andrilla, Mark P. Doescher, Barbara J. Robinson
Provides an overview of primary care providers within Wyoming and provides examples and policy options that could be employed to bolster the primary care workforce in the state.
Date: 12 / 2008

Organizations

American Academy of Nurse Practitioners (AANP)
National organization
Represents the interests of nurse practitioners of all specialties. Provides ongoing continuing education program accreditation opportunities.

Association of Academic Health Centers (AAHC)
Nonprofit/Foundation
Works to mobilize and enhance the strengths and resources of the academic health center enterprise in health professions, education, patient care, and research.

Bureau of Clinician Recruitment and Service (BCRS)
Federal government
Coordinates the recruitment and retention of caring health professionals in the healthcare system and supports communities' efforts to build more integrated and sustainable systems of care. Part of the Health Resources and Services Administration (HRSA), U.S. Department of Health & Human Services.

Center for the Health Professions
National organization
Works to help health care professionals, schools, organizations and policymakers respond to the challenges of educating and managing the health care workforce. Part of the University of California, San Francisco.

Council on Graduate Medical Education (COGME)
Federal government
Provides an ongoing assessment of physician workforce trends, training issues and financing policies, and recommends appropriate federal and private sector efforts on these issues.

Health Professions and Nursing Education Coalition (HPNEC)
National organization
Comprised of an alliance of over 50 national organizations representing schools, programs, health professionals and students dedicated to ensuring the health care workforce is trained to meet the needs of our diverse population.

Hire Heroes Program
National organization
Designed to help military veterans who were wounded find careers within the healthcare industry after serving in Afghanistan, Iraq and other locations around the world.

National Area Health Education Center Organization (NAO)
National organization
Supports and advances the AHEC network in improving the health of individuals and communities by transforming health care through education.

National Association of State Workforce Agencies (NASWA)
National organization
National organization of state administrators of unemployment insurance, employment and training services, and labor market information programs in the 50 states, the District of Columbia, Puerto Rico, and the Virgin Islands.

National Association of Workforce Boards (NAWB)
National organization
Represents the interests of the nation's Workforce Investment Boards that provide workforce development leadership in their communities. Governs and oversees the federal resources that support the operations of the national network of One-Stop Career Centers and federal training investments.

National Center for Rural Health Professions (NCRHP)
National organization
Provides rural interdisciplinary preceptorships and a rural training program for primary care physicians. Conducts research on healthcare workforce issues and is a Center for Excellence in Rural Health. Located at the University of Illinois College of Medicine in Rockford.

National Health Service Corps (NHSC)
Federal government
Works to improve the health of the underserved by recruiting and retaining the health professionals to deliver health care in underserved communities. Provides technical assistance to federally designated Health Professional Shortage Areas (HPSAs) on projects that enhance the NHSC's site development mission. Part of the Bureau of Health Professionals, Health Resources and Services Administration.

National Rural Recruitment & Retention Network (3RNet)
National organization
Works to help health care professionals, including dentists and dental hygienists, find practice opportunities in rural areas throughout the country. Includes state information and a list of state contacts.

National Workforce Association (NWA)
National organization
Dedicated to strengthening the nation's workforce development system. Provides expertise and input to federal, state and local elected officials to enable them to make sound policy decisions about the workforce system.

Rural Health Resource Center (RHRC)
National organization
Provides technical support for the State Offices of Rural Health and their flex coordinators for the Rural Hospital Flexibility Program, focuses on rural practice opportunities for healthcare providers in Minnesota and the surrounding region, does performance improvement with hospitals across the country, and develops the Rural Health Resource Directory of rural consultants and speakers found throughout the United States.

WWAMI Center for Health Workforce Studies
Academic/Research
Conducts relevant health workforce research and policy analysis in collaboration with federal and state agencies as well as develops and refines analytical methods for measuring state health workforce supply and requirements.

Terms & Acronyms

Area Health Education Centers (AHEC) AHECs are programs developed by Congress in 1971 to recruit, train and retain a health professions workforce committed to underserved populations. AHEC programs bring the resources of academic medicine to address local community health needs.

Community Apgar Questionnaire (CAQ) An evidence-based assessment for health care facilities to see how they stack up in the eyes of the health care providers they are recruiting.

Health Professional Shortage Area (HPSA) Geographic regions that have shortages of professionals working in primary medical care, dental or mental health care. HPSAs may be urban or rural areas, population groups or medical or other public facilities. Geographically, HPSAs can be cities or towns, counties or groups of counties. HPSA designations are reviewed and revised annually by the Secretary of Health and Human Services based on criteria set forth in the Public Health Service Act.

Health Professional Shortage Area - Mental Health (HPSA - Mental Health) HPSA designation for a shortage of mental healthcare professionals that requires three criteria are met. First, the area must be a rational area for delivery of mental healthcare services. Second, the ratio of population to existing providers must meet at least one of several criteria detailed in the Health Professional Shortage Area Mental Health Designation Criteria listed on the Bureau of Health Professions website. Also, the area under consideration must have mental health professionals in continuous (nearby/adjoining) areas that are over utilized, excessively distant or inaccessible.

Health Professional Shortage Area - Primary Care (HPSA - Primary Care) HPSA designation for a shortage of primary care health professionals that meets three requirements. First, the area must be a rational area for delivery of primary medical care services. Second, the ratio of population to existing providers must meet or exceed 3,500 people to every single provider or meet or exceed a ratio of 3,000 to 1 and have an unusually high level of need. Lastly, the area under consideration must have primary medical care professionals in continuous (nearby/adjoining) areas that are over utilized, excessively distant or inaccessible.

Health Professional Shortage Area - Dental Care (HPSA - Dental Care) The federal designation for a shortage of dental care health professionals that meets the following three criteria. First, the area must be a rational area for delivery of dental care services. Second, the ratio of population to existing providers must meet or exceed 5,000 people to every single provider or meet or exceed a ratio of 4,000 to 1 and have an unusually high level of need for dental services. Lastly, the area under consideration must have dental care professionals in continuous (nearby/adjoining) areas that are over utilized, excessively distant or inaccessible.

J-1 Visa Waiver Eliminates the two year residency requirement for foreign physicians training on a J-1 Visa. Allows foreign physicians to remain and practice in the United States after their training is completed.

Medically Underserved Area (MUA) Medically Underserved Areas (MUAs) are federal designations derived from the Index of Medical Underservice (IMU). This index ranges from 0 to 100 and is based on four criteria: 1) ratio of primary medical care physicians per 1,000 people, 2) infant mortality rate, 3) percent of the population with incomes below the poverty level and 4) the percent of the population age 65 or older. An IMU of 62.0 or less qualifies an area to be designated a MUA. Geographic areas designated as MUAs can be a whole county or a group of contiguous (adjoining) counties, minor civil divisions (MCD), census county divisions (CCD) or census tracts.

Medically Underserved Population (MUP) A federal designation that is derived by using the Index of Medical Underservice (IMU). This index ranges from 0 to 100 and is based on four criteria: 1) ratio of primary medical care physicians per 1,000 people, 2) infant mortality rate, 3) percent of the population with incomes below the poverty level and 4) the percent of the population age 65 or older.

Recruitment Process of adding new individuals to a population by growth or immigration.

Retention To keep in one's service or employment

Workforce Workers employed in a specific project or activity.

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Page last updated 11/6/2009
Topic last reviewed 5/1/2009

News
Nov 6, 2009 -- CBO Releases Cost Estimate for Medicare Physician Payment Reform Act

Nov 2, 2009 -- CMS Announces Payment, Policy Changes for Physicians Services to Medicare Beneficiaries in 2010

Oct 30, 2009 -- House Leaders Unveil Reform to Medicare Payments for Physicians

Oct 30, 2009 -- Regina Benjamin, Doctor to the Alabama Poor, Confirmed by Senate as US Surgeon General

Oct 26, 2009 -- CMS Publishes Medicare Physician Guide for Health Care Professionals

Oct 23, 2009 -- Oregon Offers Model to Boost Nursing Faculty

Oct 22, 2009 -- Senate Fails to Address Medicare Physician Sustainable Growth Rate Dilemma

Oct 22, 2009 -- US Senator Al Franken Introduces Safe Patient Handling Bill

Oct 21, 2009 -- National Advisory Council on Nurse Education and Practice; Notice of Meeting

Oct 21, 2009 -- Physician Workforce Numbers Overestimated

Oct 20, 2009 -- Medical School Enrollment Continues to Rise to Meet Physician Need

Oct 19, 2009 -- New Program of OSU's Aims to Produce Rural Doctors

Oct 15, 2009 -- CDC Updates H1N1 Infection Control Guidance for Health Care Settings

Oct 15, 2009 -- Higher Rates of Perforated Appendix in Rural Areas May be Linked to Shortage of General Surgeons

Oct 15, 2009 -- Lori J. Heim, M.D., Assumes Role of President of the American Academy of Family Physicians

Oct 15, 2009 -- Success of Health Care Reform Depends on Strong Primary Care Physician Workforce

Oct 14, 2009 -- AAFP Backs Legislation to Increase Ranks of Rural Physicians

Oct 12, 2009 -- Rural Hospitals Fear Health Care Overhaul Won't Help Them

Oct 9, 2009 -- Advisory Committee on Training in Primary Care Medicine and Dentistry; Notice of Meeting

Oct 9, 2009 -- National Advisory Council on the National Health Service Corps; Notice of Meeting

Oct 8, 2009 -- Doctors, Hospitals Lag in Going Digital with Medical Records, Sebelius Says in KC

Oct 2, 2009 -- Secretary Sebelius Releases $7.6 Million in Recovery Act Funds to Support Health Professionals Serving in High Need Areas

Sep 30, 2009 -- Grassley Amendment Raises Doctor Payments

Sep 25, 2009 -- Medicare Program; Listening Session Regarding: Defining an Episode Logic for the Medicare Physician Resource Use Measurement Program; November 10, 2009

Sep 24, 2009 -- New Economic Forecast Values Allied Health Workforce Earning Power at $116 Billion By 2030

Sep 22, 2009 -- Nationwide Public Health Alert Issued Concerning Life-Threatening Risk Posed by Cocaine Laced with Veterinary Anti-Parasite Drug

Sep 21, 2009 -- Winds of Change for Rural Medicine

Sep 16, 2009 -- Obama Top Health Official, a Leading Nurse Educator, to Receive National League for Nursing's Prestigious President's Award

Sep 15, 2009 -- Majority of Physicians Support Health Reform that Includes Both Public and Private Insurance Options

Sep 14, 2009 -- Nurses Become More Dependent on Mobile Technology

Sep 14, 2009 -- Rx for Money Woes: Doctors Quit Medicine

Sep 14, 2009 -- Rural Jay County Physician Gets Doc Hollywood Award

Sep 14, 2009 -- Secretary Sebelius Releases $33 Million in ARRA Funds to Train Health Professionals

Sep 10, 2009 -- HHS Announces HIT Extension Program Funding Plan

Sep 9, 2009 -- Summer of Work Exposes Medical Students to System’s Ills

Sep 9, 2009 -- HSC Report Provides 'Snapshot' of U.S. Physicians in 2008

Events
Nov 12, 2009
Special Open Door Forum on 2009 Physician Quality Reporting Initiative
Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services
2:00 p.m. - 3:30p.m. Eastern
To participate, dial 1.800.837.1935 and reference conference ID 31712023.
Conference Call Only

Nov 12 - 13, 2009
Meeting of the Advisory Committee on Training in Primary Care Medicine and Dentistry
Health Resources and Services Administration
The meeting will be open to the public.
Hilton Washington DC/Rockville Executive Meeting Center
Rockville, MD
Contact:
  Jerilyn K. Glass
  301.443.6190


Nov 12 - 14, 2009
Meeting of the National Advisory Council on the National Health Service Corps
Health Resources and Services Administration
The meeting will be open to the public.
Hilton Washington DC/Rockville Executive Meeting Center
Rockville, MD
Contact:
  Albert Perrine
  301.443.4543
  aperrine@hrsa.gov


Nov 17, 2009
Physicians, Nurses & Allied Health Professionals Open Door Forum
Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services
2:00 PM Eastern Time
To participate by phone: Dial: 1.800.837.1935
Reference Conference ID. 34706357
Persons participating by phone do not need to RSVP
Hubert H. Humphrey Building
Washington, DC

Nov 18, 2009
Advanced Education Nursing Traineeship and Nurse Anesthetist Traineeship Technical Assistance Conference Call
Health Resources and Services Administration
10 am Eastern
Register
888.769.8716 (toll free)
Phone: 517.308.9041 (toll)
Passcode 8448177
Conference Call Only

Nov 18, 2009
Advanced Education Nursing Traineeship and Nurse Anesthetist Traineeship Technical Assistance Conference Call
Health Resources and Services Administration
1 pm Eastern
888.469.0935 (toll free)
212.287.1834 (toll)
Passcode 2447656
Register

Conference Call Only

Nov 19 - 20, 2009
Meeting of the National Advisory Council on Nurse Education and Practice
Health Resources and Services Administration
The meeting will be open to the public.
Hilton Washington DC/Rockville Hotel & Executive Meeting Center
Rockville, MD
Contact:
  Lakisha Smith
  301.443.5688


Oct 21 - 24, 2010
37th Annual Professional Nurse Educators Group Conference
College of Nursing, Villanova University
Baltimore, MD
Call for Abstracts - Deadline Jan 29, 2010

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