Rural Health Research Centers

Objectives: The Rural Health Research Center and Telehealth Focused Rural Health Research Center programs are designed to increase the amount of publically available, high quality, impartial, policy-relevant research to assist decision makers at the federal, state, and local levels to better understand the challenges faced by rural communities and providers. The research conducted by these research centers provides information that will improve access to health care and population health. The Rapid Response Rural Data Analysis and Issue Specific Rural Research Studies program recipient assists rural communities with conducting rapid data analyses and short-term research studies to understand the impact of current and proposed policies and regulations as well as to provide information that will improve access to health care and population health in rural communities across the United States. Due to the nature of rural policy analysis and formulation, rural organizations and health care providers often require timely information that is available only through specialized analysis of databases of information compiled by the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid (CMS), and other federal and state agencies or provider organizations. Most rural groups and individuals do not have the capacity to store the data sets, the staff expertise to refine and analyze the data, nor the technology necessary to run statistical analyses. Findings from these analyses are used to help inform rural health care providers and stakeholders that set policies impacting rural communities. The Rural Health Research Dissemination Program recipient disseminates and markets policy-oriented information for use by diverse audiences, such as rural stakeholders at national, state, and community levels and policy decision-makers, to inform and raise awareness of issues regarding policy implications, access, quality and status of health care delivery, services, and management on behalf of rural communities. The information includes the body of research funded by the Federal Office of Rural Health Policy (FORHP) and is designed to help decision-makers and policy analysts concerned with a variety of rural health issues at national, state, and community levels better understand the problems rural communities face in assuring access to health care and promoting good health for their members. The Rural Policy Analysis Program supports research and analysis of key policy issues affecting rural communities to inform rural policy makers. Funded projects focus on the changing rural environment and (1) facilitate public dialogue on key rural policy issues by tracking emerging rural health and human services policy issues; (2) identify opportunities for integrating health and human services in rural policy, program, and evaluation in a local community context; (3) identify opportunities to demonstrate broad community impact of policies and programs in rural health and human services, consistent with policy goals related to rural revitalization and sustainability of rural regions; and (4) provide analysis of policies and regulations in the form of policy briefs, reports, webinars, and oral presentations. The purpose of the Rural Health Innovation and Transformation Technical Assistance Program (formerly called Rural Health Value) is to provide technical assistance to rural stakeholders and the public to help them understand and engage in the value-based care landscape in the context of rural health care. The Medicare Rural Hospital Flexibility Program Evaluation Cooperative Agreement supports monitoring, and evaluation to Critical Access Hospitals nationwide and to the State Rural Hospital Flexibility Program recipients to inform hospital performance improvement efforts. The Information Services to Rural Hospital Flexibility Program provides technical assistance, support, and education to the Rural Hospital Flexibility Program and the Small Rural Hospital Improvement Program. The goal of t