Rural Health
News by Topic: Service delivery models
Apr 18, 2024 - A new mobile health clinic offering opioid addiction treatment will travel to rural Arkansas communities. Notes that rural residents often travel as much as 40 miles for the services offered by the mobile clinic.
Source: Malvern Daily Record
Apr 17, 2024 - A rural pediatric partnership is expanding into new areas in rural Georgia. The initiative equips rural hospitals with the tools, best practices, training, and research to offer quality healthcare in rural areas, aiding residents who would otherwise have to travel for specialty care. Initiative offers support for emergency department care, pediatrician and telehealthcare, and behavioral and mental health assessments and interventions. The program also offers scholarships for students who commit to working in rural communities.
Source: The Den
Apr 17, 2024 - Summarizes recent research finding that telepharmacy increased access to pharmacy services following the pandemic. Telepharmacy records in a Midwest health system show that use of the service increased significantly between 2019 and 2022, attributed to COVID-19 impacts. Discusses the impact on rural residents.
Source: Specialty Pharmacy Contiuum
DOD: Modification To Childbirth Support Services Covered Under the TRICARE Childbirth and Breastfeeding Support Demonstration
Federal Register
Apr 11, 2024 - Notice from the Department of Defense (DOD) Director of the Defense Health Agency (DHA) announcing adjustments to the reimbursement and provider qualifications for childbirth support services under the Childbirth and Breastfeeding Support Demonstration (CBSD). The second phase of CBSD will include a new reimbursement methodology, new doula-specific codes, increased flexibility for antepartum and postpartum visits, and a new requirement for certified labor doulas (CLDs) to be participating providers. DHA also announces the National Black Doula Association (NBDA) as a certification body for CLDs and the certification requirement for doulas practicing in a state with an active state-wide doula Medicaid benefit will be waived when that doula is actively enrolled in that state Medicaid program. Phase 2 will be fully implemented by January 1, 2025, with a transition period beginning June 10, 2024. The modifications to the certified labor doulas (CLD) certification requirement are effective April 11, 2024.
Source: Federal Register
Apr 11, 2024 - A new initiative in Kansas for farmers and rural residents will address healthcare challenges including local access, caregiver support, telehealth, behavioral health, maternal healthcare worker shortages, and grant writing support.
Source: Brownfield Ag News
Apr 9, 2024 - Highlights a mental telehealth service in Nebraska that increases access to care in rural areas. Patients are able to receive a behavioral health assessment in their local hospital, which can be quicker and more convenient when services are multiple hours away.
Source: KOLN
Apr 8, 2024 - Describes the impact of a new federal grant on telehealth access in rural Alabama. Notes that substance use disorder and mental health disorder healthcare in particular is expected to increase.
Source: Alabama Daily News
Apr 8, 2024 - Highlights a new mobile medical unit expanding mental healthcare access for veterans in Montana and Wyoming. The unit is the first offering transcranial magnetic stimulation (TMS) therapy, a treatment typically given daily for multiple days. Receiving treatment through the mobile unit reduces transportation barriers for rural and frontier veterans.
Source: VA News
Apr 3, 2024 - Announces proposed bipartisan legislation, the Rural Obstetrics Readiness Act, to increase preparedness for rural hospitals and doctors in emergency obstetric care. The legislation would create training programs, offer grants, and develop pilot telehealth services. Also describes other healthcare related legislation.
Source: Office of Senator Katie Britt
Apr 2, 2024 - Highlights the Affordable Connectivity Program and the increase in telehealth access it offers. Discusses the potential impact of ending the program, particularly for rural and tribal residents.
Source: Marketplace, KFF Health News