ruralmedics.com

Rural Healthcare Access
The second of a three-part series about the health impacts of living in rural Oregon, which asks why does health care seem to be lacking in rural parts of Oregon?

Experts: Rural Areas Need Doctors
The future of health care in the Alabama Black Belt was among the topics discussed during the ninth annual Rural Health Conference at the Bryant Conference Center on Thursday.

Dangers of Social Work Gain Attention
The Herald-Dispatch shows that in social work, the responsibilities are many, the pay is low, and the risks are clearer than ever. Job-related violence and threats are common in social work, according to the National Association of Social Workers.

Life Expectancy Declining in Parts of WV, Rural America
West Virginia Public Broadcasting announces a new report showing that life expectancy is declining in parts of rural America including several counties in West Virginia.

PACE Health Care Program Starts Operation
The Sioux City Journal (IA) reports that starting this week, older Siouxlanders in fragile health have access to a new program aimed at helping them remain in their own homes.

Premier Technology Aims to Stimulate Growth, Jobs in Rural Idaho
According to the Idaho Statesman, Premier Technology Inc., a manufacturer and industrial contractor headquartered in Blackfoot, has announced a program to stimulate economic growth and create well-paying jobs in rural areas of Idaho.

The Risk Management and Patient Safety Institute Announces Agreement with Pioneering Health Care Simulation Organization, PSO One
The Risk Management and Patient Safety Institute (RM&PSI), a national leader in clinical risk management practices and patient safety programs for health care institutions and providers, today announced a partnership with Battle Creek, Mich.-based PSO One, a pioneer in the development and use of onsite (in-situ) simulation training experiences for hospitals.

VA Centers to Coordinate Rural Veterans Telehealth Services
Government Health IT reports that exploring how best to extend telehealth services to veterans living in rural areas will be one of the key missions of three Veterans Rural Health Resource Centers to be opened by the Veterans Affairs Department on Oct. 1.

HUD Readies Disaster Assistance for Gulf Hurricane Victims
HUD Press Release: U.S. Housing and Urban Development Secretary Steve Preston today announced HUD is ready to speed federal disaster assistance to hurricane-ravaged counties throughout the Gulf Coast and provide support to homeowners and low-income renters forced from their homes following Hurricane Gustav. This assistance includes foreclosure relief for families whose damaged homes are insured through the Federal Housing Administration (FHA) living in presidentially declared disaster areas.

Save the Children Supports Plan to Improve Health Care for Kentucky Children
(MARKET WIRE via COMTEX) Save the Children strongly supports Governor Beshear's proposed plan to streamline the Kentucky Children's Health Insurance Program -- often referred to as "K-CHIP" -- to ensure poor children receive important health services. By removing barriers to access, more children eligible but not currently receiving health coverage would be insured.

Almost Half of All U.S. Adults and Nearly Two-Thirds of Obese Adults Will Develop Painful Osteoarthritis of the Knee by Age 85, a Study Based at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill Suggests
Almost half of all U.S. adults and nearly two-thirds of obese adults will develop painful osteoarthritis of the knee by age 85, a study based at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill suggests. The study also found that a persons lifetime risk rose as their body mass index or BMI increased, with the greatest risk found in those whose weight was normal at age 18 but were overweight or obese at 45 or older.

Capital Funding Available to Smaller Health Care Organizations in California's Rural and Underserved Communities
Centre Daily Times (PA) tells how UnitedHealth Group and its PacifiCare of California subsidiary are providing easier access to capital financing for smaller health care organizations that provide vital health care services to underserved, low-income and underinsured communities statewide.

Foundation to Spend $1.5M on Rural Health Issues
The Democrat and Chronicle (NY) reports that in its first large-scale effort to address the health issues of rural areas, the Greater Rochester Health Foundation has promised nearly $1.5 million over the next three years to help drive down obesity, monitor water safety and offer clinics for the uninsured.

Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality; Study of Factors Influencing Consumer Choices Among Health Plans and Clinicians; Proposed Collection; Comment Request
This notice announces the intention of the Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality (AHRQ) to request approval of the proposed information collection project: "Study of Factors Influencing Consumer Choices Among Health Plans and Clinicians." This study will use an experimental design to determine factors that influence consumer understanding and use of performance information to select among health plans and clinicians.

Administration for Children and Families; Notification of the Establishment of the National Commission on Children and Disasters
This notice announces the establishment of the National Commission on Children and Disasters, a Secretary's Advisory Committee.

Meals on Wheels Hit Hard By Rising Gas and Food Prices
Contra Costa Times(CA) says rising fuel and food costs are squeezing the Meals on Wheels programs that assist hundreds of homebound and frail seniors.

Health Plan Reality: Clinics Firing Patients
Star Tribune (MN) reports of smaller clinics dropping patients with high-deductible policies who aren't paying up after treatment.

TelaDoc to Provide Advanced Patient Information Sharing and Consumer "House Calls" Using the Microsoft HealthVault Platform
Consumers will have enhanced connectivity to medical information as well as unprecedented telephonic access to physicians as a result of the applications announced today between TelaDoc Medical Services (www.teladoc.com), a comprehensive service that utilizes telehealth tools and physician or patient-selected cross coverage and Microsoft HealthVault, a free Web-based platform that enables individuals to collect, store, and share health information with hospitals and physicians. As a result of this union of healthcare technologies, consumers can also search medical topics related to TelaDoc through Microsofts search sites including Live Search Health, become TelaDoc members and connect to a physician within minutesand then share that medical visit with their other care providers.

Funding Aids Stroke Care System
Augusta Chronicle (GA) tells that an innovative Web-based program that allows doctors to evaluate stroke patients at remote sites is getting a $2 million boost to its business from the company that runs Medical College of Georgia Hospital and Clinics.

Hard Times Hitting Students and Schools
NY Times article reports with mortgage foreclosures throwing hundreds of families out of their homes here each month, dismayed school officials say they are feeling the upheaval: record numbers of students turning up for classes this fall are homeless or poor enough to qualify for free meals.

State Long-Term Care Partnership Program: State Reciprocity Standard; Notice with Comment Period
Under section 6021 of Public Law 109-171, the Deficit Reduction Act of 2005 (DRA), States may provide asset disregards (and related estate recovery offsets) for Medicaid applicants who receive benefits under qualified long term care insurance policies (Partnership policies) that were purchased in the same State. This notice sets forth standards for states that choose to enter into a reciprocity agreement under section 6021(b) of the DRA, under which they agree to provide the same disregards and offsets for qualified Partnership policies that a Medicaid applicant purchased in another State that participates in the reciprocity agreement.

VA Offers Care, Support to Gulf Coast Vets in Advance of Gustav
The Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) is working closely with other federal and local agencies to protect patients, staff and operational capability as the Gulf Coast region prepares for Hurricane Gustav, which is expected to make landfall along the coast near the Texas-Louisiana border sometime Monday.

2008 Physician Quality Reporting Initiative (PQRI) National Provider Conference Call with Question & Answer Session
The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) Provider Communications Group will host the seventh in a series of national provider conference calls on the 2008 Physician Quality Reporting Initiative (PQRI). This toll-free call will take place from 3:30 p.m. 5:00 p.m., EDT, on Thursday, September 18, 2008.

Notice of Availability; Common Formats for Patient Safety Data Collection and Event Reporting
As requested by the Secretary of DHHS, AHRQ has coordinated the development of a set of common definitions and reporting formats (Common Formats) which would facilitate the voluntary collection of patient safety data and reporting of this information to PSOs. The purpose of this notice is to announce the initial release of the Common Formats, Version 0.1 Beta, and the process for development of future versions.

VA Mobile Health Care Clinics Reach Rural Veterans
The Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) is rolling out four new mobile health clinics outfitted to bring primary care and mental health services closer to veterans in 24 predominately rural counties, where patients must travel long distances to visit their nearest VA medical center or outpatient clinic.

Getting Back to the Garden
Boston Globe, (MA) article tells how farmers and their wares are becoming increasingly popular with city and suburban slickers, as consumers are responding to worries over food safety, high prices at supermarkets, and energy use.

Outstanding HIV/AIDS Health Care Providers Honored at HRSA Conference
HHS' Health Resources and Services Administration presented awards to eight individuals for their exceptional achievements in providing health care services to medically underserved Americans living with HIV/AIDS.

Wanted: Broadband and Broader Minds
Daily Yonder article discusses how the success of rural e-commerce requires fast connections to the Internet, but according to educator Frank Odasz, flexible leadership is just as critical as technology.

Fewer Without Health Insurance, U.S. Census Says
MarketWatch article reports that the number of people without health-insurance coverage fell to 45.7 million in 2007 from 47 million in 2006, the government said in its annual snapshot.

Senators Urge More Time for Comments on Rural Health Center Rule
AHA News reports that Senate Finance Committee Chairman Max Baucus (D-MT) and Ranking Member Charles Grassley (R-IA) have urged the administration to extend by 60 days todays comment deadline for a proposed rule changing federal requirements and payment for rural health clinics.