Rural America is facing a healthcare crisis.   EDITOR’S NOTE: The global pandemic of the coronavirsus is further exacerbating the rural health crisis. This is the first in a series of reports on rural health. Rural Americans, on average, are six years older than their urban counterparts, and make up about…

 Distance from qualified care can literally mean life or death for a pregnant woman living in a rural area. EDITOR’S NOTE: Leslie Marsh reported this story during a recent episode of Monitor Mondays. The following is an edited transcript of her reporting. While rural healthcare is grappling with increasing financial and…

Poor access to mental healthcare prompts increased behavioral health emergencies and greater costs of care. Rural communities face enough challenges with access to basic medical care. Accessing behavioral health has become increasingly difficult for every population, yet those in rural areas face obstacles of grand proportions. Data doesn’t lie, and…

Case is centered around Level 2 and Level 3 E&M encounters. This past week, I received a call from an older physician who has been in practice for 46 years; for privacy purposes, we will refer to him in this piece as Dr. Purple. Before I tell you his story,…

CMS pledging improved healthcare quality and expanded access for patients. The release of the Inpatient Prospective Payment System (IPPS) proposed rule for the 2020 fiscal year came with a bit of branding. “Rethinking Rural Health” and “Unleashing Innovations” were the two catchy slogans unveiled by the Centers for Medicare &…

Recent issues in Oklahoma, Nebraska portend a growing crisis. The news coming out of Oklahoma was grim: Pauls Valley Regional Medical Center couldn’t keep its doors open, despite a GoFundMe campaign, as well as a reported solicitation from country music star Toby Keith. And in September, Latimer County General Hospital,…

CMS unveils new rural healthcare strategy via telehealth. The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) wants to reduce hospital readmissions and unnecessary ER visits with its newly unveiled Rural Health Strategy. Currently, there are significant barriers to accessing telehealth. While physicians and providers have to answer to their respective…

 Rural healthcare models for assisting Alzheimer's Disease patients are profiled in this report on the impact of the disease on America’s rural health population. November is National Alzheimer’s Disease Awareness and Caregivers Month, and given that Americans annually commit about 18.2 billion hours of unpaid assistance to dementia and Alzheimer’s…

CMS sets up virtual participation for rural healthcare providers in the government’s MIPS program. New announcements from the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) are important for providers to take note of moving forward. Of particular note are the following rules that CMS has withdrawn. These include the following:…

Although violence and abuse are disproportionately represented in rural America, resources are available to help providers help victims. Every day, mental, physical, and emotional bruises and scars are inflicted on victims throughout the United States. Violence in rural America happens all too frequently across the age and socioeconomic spectrums, without…