Advancing payment and delivery reform in the ambulatory safety net in rural areas presents unique challenges and will require solutions specific to this context, for both primary care and behavioral health.
Some health centers have been using the National Association of Community Health Center (NACHC) Protocol for Responding to and Assessing Patients’ Assets, Risks, and Experiences (PRAPARE) tool to document SDH data.
Many hospital systems grapple with their role in combating the history of racism to promote equity. This new informational brief begins with a background on the impact of structural racism on patients, providers, and the community and a description of a workstream to combat structural racism for America’s Essential Hospitals and its members. It concludes with a description of twelve activities hospitals already perform to combat racism and three actions similar associations are undertaking.
This brief summarizes key challenges faced by the rural ambulatory safety net in delivering primary care and behavioral health services since COVID-19 and the policy changes that have been implemented in response to those challenges. It also offers state-level policy recommendations to improve rural-specific primary care and behavioral health care through sustaining and supporting the movement towards telehealth, addressing social needs, and advancing value-based payment and care.
