Our Participating Programs and Sponsors

Ohio University HCOM
Central Maine Medical Center Family Medicine Residency – Swift River Rural Training Track
Colorado Family Medicine Residencies
Ohio University RUSP
Cahaba Medical Care
Spokane Teaching Health Center
Family Medicine Residency of Idaho
Oregon Health & Science University-Cascades East Family Medicine Residency
Family Medicine Residency of Western Montana
Providence Oregon Family Medicine Hood River Rural Training Program
Hidalgo Medical Services Family Medicine Residency Program
Wayne County Hospital RESST Program
UND Bismarck/Center for Family Medicine-Hettinger RTT & UND Minot/Williston Medical Center-Rural Residency
Wisconsin Rural Physician Residency Assistance Program
University of Arizona College of Medicine – Tucson Family Medicine Residency

 

Registration is open for our 2024 Scholarly Intensive Seminar Series!  Click HERE for more information!

 

 

Featured News Story

Annual Rural Photo Contest

Posted on:

The Rural Medical Training Collaborative (formerly RTT Collaborative) invites you to participate in our annual rural photo contest.  Each year we hold a “bragging rights” competition for the shutter bugs associated with our organization to showcase their best photos that represent rural healthcare and training.  The deadline for submission is the end of April, but this year, for the first time ever, all entries that are submitted prior to the start of our annual meeting on April 10th, will be featured at the meeting and eligible to win the new “Rural Educators” award, to be selected by the attendees at the annual meeting in Asheville,
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Latest News

News stories via the Rural Health Information Hub News stories of interest to rural health, with information provided via the Rural Health Information Hub

  • Food Stamps Go Further in Rural Areas — Until You Add Transportation Costs
    on July 15, 2024 at 5:00 am

    Highlights the impact of transportation costs on Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) benefits between rural and urban areas. Discusses rural grocery store access, broadband access, local industry, and county-level data on SNAP coverage.

  • Rural Hospitals Built During Baby Boom Now Face Baby Bust
    on July 15, 2024 at 5:00 am

    Highlights declines in birth rates across time and the associated impact on rural labor and delivery services. Discusses the impact of low service volume on maintaining labor and delivery services and offering high quality healthcare.

  • CMS Announces Resources and Flexibilities to Assist with the Public Health Emergency in the State of Texas
    on July 12, 2024 at 5:00 am

    Announcement of a public health emergency beginning July 5, 2024 from The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) related to Hurricane Beryl in Texas. Offers information and resources for those impacted and responding to the hurricane including CMS waivers, healthcare enrollment, a disaster toolkit, dialysis care, and medical equipment and supplies replacement.

  • Improving Public Health by Strengthening Community Infrastructure
    on July 11, 2024 at 5:00 am

    Profiles Thrive Allen County, a Kansas nonprofit rural revitalization organization that recently presented a webinar focusing on how community-driven work in poor rural areas can improve local infrastructure, which in turn can promote better public health.

  • CMS Proposes New Payments for Digital Health Under CY2025 PFS Draft Rule
    on July 11, 2024 at 5:00 am

    The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services' proposed calendar year 2025 physician fee schedule rule includes new payments and coverage for digital health and telehealth services. The draft rule contains significant provisions for Rural Health Clinics and Federally Qualified Health Centers and gives opioid treatment programs more flexibility in their use of telehealth services.

  • Biden Harris Administration Proposes Policies to Reduce Maternal Mortality, Advance Health Equity, and Support Underserved Communities
    on July 10, 2024 at 5:00 am

    The Hospital Outpatient Prospective Payment System and Ambulatory Surgical Center proposed rule would increase access to care and advance health equity. The proposal introduces new requirements for maternal quality improvement efforts, increases access to services in tribal, rural, and other underserved communities, addresses barriers to Medicare coverage for those recently incarcerated, and supports the agency's goals of reducing opioid overdoses.

  • Nearly Half of U.S. Counties Don't Have a Single Cardiologist
    on July 8, 2024 at 5:00 am

    A study published in the Journal of the American College of Cardiology showed that 46.3% of U.S. counties, many of which are rural, lack a cardiologist. Features a county-level map with shadings showing counties with at least one cardiologist.

  • Randolph County, Ill. Turns Unused Part of Nursing Home Into State-Of-The-Art Behavioral Health Center
    on July 5, 2024 at 5:00 am

    Describes process by which Randolph County, Illinois used grant funding to transform part of an underused county-owned nursing home into a behavioral health center. The county held stakeholder meetings to address initial opposition among community members and created a consensus around development of a center.

  • Rural RPM Program Is a Lifeline for Pregnant Women
    on July 3, 2024 at 5:00 am

    Discusses how a remote patient monitoring program in northern Minnesota is increasing access to care and resources for rural pregnant women. Details the program's structure and highlights the use of in-home telehealth appointments, physical monitoring equipment, and arranging transportation for in-person care.

  • Safe and Stable Housing Is a Foundation of Successful Recovery
    on July 3, 2024 at 5:00 am

    Highlights a program providing recovery housing for people with opioid use disorder (OUD) in rural North Carolina. Details the program's structure, background, and funding. Discusses models referenced in the program's design.

Helpful Resources

Rural resources via the Rural Health Information Hub Resources, reports, and other documents on rural health topics from a variety of sources, with information provided via the Rural Health Information Hub

  • Mortality Disparities Among Arrestees by Race, Sentencing Disposition, and Place
    on July 15, 2024 at 7:37 pm

    Analyzes mortality disparities among justice-involved individuals in South Dakota. Examines the mortality rates of 182,472 unique arrestees from 2000-2016 according to race, sentence category, cause of death, and location, broken down by urban, rural non-Indian country, and rural Indian country.

  • Urban–Rural Disparities in Food Insecurity and Weight Status Among Children in the United States
    on July 15, 2024 at 6:46 pm

    Analyzes urban versus rural place of residence and its association with childhood food insecurity and weight status. Utilizes 2013-2016 National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (NHANES) data and provides breakdowns of urban versus rural food insecurity by child's age and weight status, according to underweight/normal weight, overweight, and obese designations.

  • Does SNAP Cover the Cost of a Meal in Your County?
    on July 15, 2024 at 6:10 pm

    Analyzes the ability of the the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) to cover the price of a meal. Includes background information on the program as well as an interactive map that shows the cost of a moderately priced meal by county and the proportion of the cost covered by SNAP, county designation according to the rural-urban continuum code (RUCC), and SNAP benefit per meal versus total cost of meal according to select time periods between 2022-2023. -- Robert Wood Johnson Foundation, Urban Institute

  • How a Rural Health System Continues to Provide Essential Obstetric Services
    on July 15, 2024 at 4:05 pm

    Podcast episode describing how Kittitas Valley Healthcare in rural Washington State worked to continue to provide obstetric services at its Critical Access Hospital (CAH) amid the departure of its full-time obstetric providers. Discusses the involvement of the governing board and recruitment and retention efforts. -- American Hospital Association

  • Positioning Telehealth Policy to Ensure High-Quality, Cost-Effective Care
    on July 15, 2024 at 3:31 pm

    Presents policy recommendations and suggestions to guide policymakers when considering the future of telehealth. Analyzes peer-reviewed research; government reports; and findings from interviews with payers, providers, provider associations, federal agencies, consumer advocates, technology leaders, policy experts, and other stakeholders. Includes rural references and considerations throughout. -- Bipartisan Policy Center

  • How Payment Caps Can Reduce Hospital Prices and Spending: Lessons from the Oregon State Employee Plan
    on July 12, 2024 at 9:15 pm

    Report discusses how policy changes to state employee insurance plans affected healthcare costs in Oregon. Details Oregon's plan to place payment caps tied to Medicare reimbursement rates and exceptions for rural and Critical Access Hospitals. -- Milbank Memorial Fund

  • CY 2025 Medicare Hospital Outpatient Prospective Payment System and Ambulatory Surgical Center Payment System Proposed Rule (CMS 1809-P)
    on July 11, 2024 at 8:52 pm

    Fact sheet providing an overview of the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) proposed rule regarding updates and changes to the Medicare payments for hospital outpatient and Ambulatory Surgical Center (ASC) services for calendar year 2025. Summarizes provisions regarding changes to Intensive Outpatient Program (IOP) and partial hospital program rate setting; a proposal to include an add-on payment to the Medicare outpatient hospital all-inclusive rate (AIR) for certain high-cost drugs for people with Medicare who receive care at Indian Health Service (IHS) or tribal hospitals; updates to the Hospital Outpatient Quality Reporting (OQR), Ambulatory Surgical Center Quality Reporting (ASCQR), and Rural Emergency Hospital Quality Reporting (REHQR) Programs; a proposal for new Conditions of Participation (CoPs) for hospitals and Critical Access Hospitals (CAHs) for obstetrical services; Medicaid and CHIP continuous eligibility; Medicaid clinic services "four walls" exceptions; and more. -- Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services

  • Standing Technical Expert Panel for the Development, Evaluation, and Maintenance of Post-Acute Care (PAC) and Hospice Quality Reporting...
    on July 11, 2024 at 8:15 pm

    Describes a December 15, 2023, Technical Expert Panel (TEP) regarding the development of additional cross-setting measures for the Post-Acute Care (PAC) and Hospice Quality Reporting Programs (QRPs), and filling measurement gaps with the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) Universal Foundation measures. Summarizes TEP comments on adding measures to PAC and Hospice QRPs in four domains: 1) behavioral and mental health, 2) patient experience of care, 3) pain management, and 4) immunization. Covers panelists' discussions on the appropriateness of the existing measure set and potential new measures, setting-specific considerations, data sources, and other topics related to each domain. Includes rural references throughout. -- Abt Associates, Acumen, Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services

  • Assessing and Advancing Progress in the Delivery of High-Quality Cancer Care: Proceedings of a Workshop
    on July 11, 2024 at 4:35 pm

    Proceedings of a workshop focused on assessing progress in cancer care quality and equity in the past decade, from 2013-2023. Includes discussion on changes, strategies, and advances in cancer care, as well as how to improve cancer care for various populations, such as rural. -- Health and Medicine Division (HMD), National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine

  • Calendar Year (CY) 2025 Medicare Physician Fee Schedule Proposed Rule
    on July 11, 2024 at 4:20 pm

    Fact sheet providing an overview of the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) proposed rule regarding updates and changes to the Medicare payments under the Physician Fee Schedule (PFS) and other Medicare Part B issues for calendar year 2025. Summarizes provisions related to telehealth services; advanced primary care management services; behavioral health services; opioid treatment programs; dental and oral health services; Rural Health Clinic (RHC) and Federally Qualified Health Center (FQHC) Conditions for Coverage, care coordination services, telecommunication services, payment for vaccine costs, intensive outpatient program (IOP) services; and more. -- Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services