Purpose
The purpose of this section is to provide grants for expanded delivery of health care services in rural areas, for the planning and implementation of integrated health care networks in rural areas, and for the planning and implementation of small health care provider quality improvement activities.
Definitions
Director
The term “Director” means the Director specified in subsection (d).
Federally qualified health center; rural health clinic
section 1395x(aa) of this titleThe terms “Federally qualified health center” and “rural health clinic” have the meanings given the terms in .
Health professional shortage area
section 254e of this titleThe term “health professional shortage area” means a health professional shortage area designated under .
Medically underserved community
section 295p(6) of this titleThe term “medically underserved community” has the meaning given the term in .
Medically underserved population
section 254b(b)(3) of this titleThe term “medically underserved population” has the meaning given the term in .
Program
section 241 of this titleThe Secretary shall establish, under , a small health care provider quality improvement grant program.
Administration
Programs
section 241 of this titleThe rural health care services outreach, rural health network development, and small health care provider quality improvement grant programs established under shall be administered by the Director of the Office of Rural Health Policy of the Health Resources and Services Administration, in consultation with State offices of rural health or other appropriate State government entities.
Grants
In general
In carrying out the programs described in paragraph (1), the Director may award grants under subsections (e), (f), and (g) to expand access to, coordinate, and improve the quality of basic health care services, and enhance the delivery of health care, in rural areas.
Types of grants
Rural health care services outreach grants
Grants
The Director may award grants to eligible entities to promote rural health care services outreach by improving and expanding the delivery of health care services to include new and enhanced services in rural areas, through community engagement and evidence-based or innovative, evidence-informed models. The Director may award the grants for periods of not more than 5 years.
Eligibility
Applications
Rural health network development grants
Grants
In general
Grant periods
The Director may award grants under this subsection for periods of not more than 5 years.
Eligibility
Applications
Small health care provider quality improvement grants
Grants
The Director may award grants to provide for the planning and implementation of small health care provider quality improvement activities, including activities related to increasing care coordination, enhancing chronic disease management, and improving patient health outcomes. The Director may award the grants for periods of 1 to 5 years.
Eligibility
Applications
Expenditures for small health care provider quality improvement grants
In awarding a grant under this subsection, the Director shall ensure that the funds made available through the grant will be used to provide services to residents of rural areas. The Director shall award not less than 50 percent of the funds made available under this subsection to providers located in and serving rural areas.
General requirements
Prohibited uses of funds
Coordination with other agencies
The Secretary shall coordinate activities carried out under grant programs described in this section, to the extent practicable, with Federal and State agencies and nonprofit organizations that are operating similar grant programs, to maximize the effect of public dollars in funding meritorious proposals.
Preference
Report
Not later than 4 years after , and every 5 years thereafter, the Secretary shall prepare and submit to the Committee on Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions of the Senate and the Committee on Energy and Commerce of the House of Representatives a report on the activities and outcomes of the grant programs under subsections (e), (f), and (g), including the impact of projects funded under such programs on the health status of rural residents with chronic conditions.
Authorization of appropriations
There are authorized to be appropriated to carry out this section $79,500,000 for each of fiscal years 2021 through 2025.
July 1, 1944, ch. 373Pub. L. 104–299, § 3(a)110 Stat. 3642Pub. L. 107–251, title II, § 201116 Stat. 1628Pub. L. 108–163, § 2(b)117 Stat. 2021Pub. L. 110–355, § 4122 Stat. 3994Pub. L. 116–136, div. A, title III, § 3213134 Stat. 370(, title III, § 330A, as added , , ; amended , , ; , , ; , , ; , , .)
Editorial Notes
Prior Provisions
act July 1, 1944, ch. 373, title III, § 330Pub. L. 94–63, title V, § 501(a)89 Stat. 342Pub. L. 94–278, title VIII, § 801(b)90 Stat. 415Pub. L. 95–83, title III, § 30491 Stat. 388Pub. L. 95–626, title I, § 104(a)92 Stat. 3556–3559Pub. L. 96–3293 Stat. 83Pub. L. 96–88, title V, § 509(b)93 Stat. 695Pub. L. 96–470, title I, § 106(e)94 Stat. 2238Pub. L. 97–35, title IX95 Stat. 561Pub. L. 97–414, § 8(e)96 Stat. 2060Pub. L. 99–280100 Stat. 399Pub. L. 100–386102 Stat. 921Pub. L. 100–607, title I, § 163(3)102 Stat. 3062Pub. L. 101–239, title VI, § 6103(e)(5)103 Stat. 2207Pub. L. 101–527, § 9(a)104 Stat. 2332Pub. L. 102–531, title III, § 309(b)106 Stat. 3500Pub. L. 104–299, § 2A prior section 254c, , as added , , ; amended , , ; , , ; , –(d)(3)(B), (4), (5), (e), (f), ; , , §§ 6(b)–(d), 7(c), , 84; , , ; , , ; , , §§ 903(a), 905, 906, , 562; , , ; , , §§ 2–4, , 400; , , §§ 3, 4, , 923; , , ; , , ; , , ; , , , related to community health centers, prior to the general amendment of this subpart by .
Amendments
Pub. L. 116–136, § 3213(1)(A)2020—Subsec. (d)(2)(A). , substituted “basic” for “essential”.
Pub. L. 116–136, § 3213(1)(B)Subsec. (d)(2)(B). , inserted “to” after “grants” in introductory provisions and struck out “to” at beginning of cls. (i) to (iii).
Pub. L. 116–136, § 3213(2)(A)Subsec. (e)(1). , inserted “improving and” after “outreach by” and “, through community engagement and evidence-based or innovative, evidence-informed models” after “rural areas” and substituted “5 years” for “3 years”.
Pub. L. 116–136, § 3213(2)(B)(i)Subsec. (e)(2). , inserted “shall” after “entity” in introductory provisions.
Pub. L. 116–136, § 3213(2)(B)(ii)Subsec. (e)(2)(A). , substituted “be an entity with demonstrated experience serving, or the capacity to serve, rural underserved populations” for “shall be a rural public or rural nonprofit private entity”.
Pub. L. 116–136, § 3213(2)(B)(iii)Subsec. (e)(2)(B). , (iv), struck out “shall” before “represent” and inserted “that” after “members” in introductory provisions and struck out “that” at beginning of cls. (i) and (ii).
Pub. L. 116–136, § 3213(2)(B)(iii)Subsec. (e)(2)(C). , struck out “shall” before “not previously”.
Pub. L. 116–136, § 3213(2)(C)Subsec. (e)(3)(C). , substituted “the rural underserved populations in the local community or region” for “the local community or region”.
Pub. L. 116–136, § 3213(3)(A)(i)(I)Subsec. (f)(1)(A). , substituted “plan, develop, and implement integrated health care networks that collaborate” for “promote, through planning and implementation, the development of integrated health care networks that have combined the functions of the entities participating in the networks” in introductory provisions.
Pub. L. 116–136, § 3213(3)(A)(i)(II)Subsec. (f)(1)(A)(ii). , substituted “basic health care services and associated health outcomes” for “essential health care services”.
Pub. L. 116–136, § 3213(3)(A)(ii)Subsec. (f)(1)(B). , amended subpar. (B) generally. Prior to amendment, text read as follows: “The Director may award such a rural health network development grant for implementation activities for a period of 3 years. The Director may also award such a rural health network development grant for planning activities for a period of 1 year, to assist in the development of an integrated health care network, if the proposed participants in the network do not have a history of collaborative efforts and a 3-year grant would be inappropriate.”
Pub. L. 116–136, § 3213(3)(B)(i)Subsec. (f)(2). , inserted “shall” after “entity” in introductory provisions.
Pub. L. 116–136Subsec. (f)(2)(A). , § (3)(B)(ii), substituted “be an entity with demonstrated experience serving, or the capacity to serve, rural underserved populations” for “shall be a rural public or rural nonprofit private entity”.
Pub. L. 116–136, § 3213(3)(B)(iii)Subsec. (f)(2)(B). , struck out “shall” before “represent” and inserted “that” after “participants” in introductory provisions and struck out “that” at beginning of cls. (i) and (ii).
Pub. L. 116–136, § 3213(3)(B)(iv)Subsec. (f)(2)(C). , struck out “shall” before “not previously”.
Pub. L. 116–136, § 3213(3)(C)(i)Subsec. (f)(3)(C)(iii). , amended cl. (iii) generally. Prior to amendment, cl. (iii) read as follows: “how the local community or region to be served will benefit from and be involved in the activities carried out by the network;”.
Pub. L. 116–136, § 3213(3)(C)(ii)Subsec. (f)(3)(D). , substituted “the rural underserved populations in the local community or region” for “the local community or region”.
Pub. L. 116–136, § 3213(4)(A)Subsec. (g)(1). , inserted “, including activities related to increasing care coordination, enhancing chronic disease management, and improving patient health outcomes” after “quality improvement activities” and substituted “5 years” for “3 years”.
Pub. L. 116–136, § 3213(4)(B)(i)Subsec. (g)(2). , inserted “shall” after “entity” in introductory provisions.
Pub. L. 116–136, § 3213(4)(B)(ii)Subsec. (g)(2)(A). , (iii), struck out “shall” at beginning of cls. (i) and (ii), and inserted “or regional” after “local” in cl. (ii).
Pub. L. 116–136, § 3213(4)(B)(ii)Subsec. (g)(2)(B). , struck out “shall” before “not previously”.
Pub. L. 116–136, § 3213(4)(C)Subsec. (g)(3)(D). , substituted “the rural underserved populations in the local community or region” for “the local community or region”.
Pub. L. 116–136, § 3213(5)Subsec. (h)(3). , inserted “, as appropriate,” after “the Secretary” in introductory provisions.
Pub. L. 116–136, § 3213(6)Subsec. (i). , amended subsec. (i) generally. Prior to amendment, text read as follows: “Not later than , the Secretary shall prepare and submit to the appropriate committees of Congress a report on the progress and accomplishments of the grant programs described in subsections (e), (f), and (g).”
Pub. L. 116–136, § 3213(7)Subsec. (j). , substituted “$79,500,000 for each of fiscal years 2021 through 2025” for “$45,000,000 for each of fiscal years 2008 through 2012”.
Pub. L. 110–3552008—Subsec. (j). substituted “$45,000,000 for each of fiscal years 2008 through 2012.” for “$40,000,000 for fiscal year 2002, and such sums as may be necessary for each of fiscal years 2003 through 2006.”
Pub. L. 108–1632003—Subsec. (b)(4). substituted “section 295p(6)” for “section 295p”.
Pub. L. 107–2512002— amended section generally. Prior to amendment, section related to a rural health outreach, network development, and telemedicine grant program, and in subsec. (a), provided for administration by the Office of Rural Health Policy; in subsec. (b), set out the objectives of grants; in subsec. (c), set out eligibility requirements; in subsec. (d), described preferred characteristics of applicant networks; in subsec. (e), specified permitted uses of grant funds; in subsec. (f), limited the duration of grants; and in subsec. (g), authorized appropriations.
Statutory Notes and Related Subsidiaries
Effective Date of 2003 Amendment
Pub. L. 108–163Pub. L. 107–251section 3 of Pub. L. 108–163section 233 of this titleAmendment by deemed to have taken effect immediately after the enactment of , see , set out as a note under .
Effective Date
section 5 of Pub. L. 104–299section 233 of this titleSection effective , see , as amended, set out as an Effective Date of 1996 Amendment note under .
Rural Access to Emergency Devices
Pub. L. 106–505, title IV114 Stat. 2340
SHORT TITLE.
“This subtitle may be cited as the ‘Rural Access to Emergency Devices Act’ or the ‘Rural AED Act’.
FINDINGS.
GRANTS.
In General .—
Community Partnerships .—
Use of Funds .—
Report .—
Authorization of Appropriations .—
Report on Telemedicine
Pub. L. 106–129, § 6113 Stat. 1675
Executive Documents
Ex. Ord. No. 13941. Improving Rural Health and Telehealth Access
Ex. Ord. No. 13941, , 85 F.R. 47881, provided:
By the authority vested in me as President by the Constitution and the laws of the United States of America, it is hereby ordered as follows:
SectionPurpose 1. . My Administration is committed to improving the health of all Americans by improving access to better care, including for the approximately 57 million Americans living in rural communities. Americans living in rural communities face unique challenges when seeking healthcare services, such as limited transportation opportunities, shortages of healthcare workers, and an inability to fully benefit from technological and care-delivery innovations. These factors have contributed to financial insecurity and impaired health outcomes for rural Americans, who are more likely to die from five leading causes, many of which are preventable, than their urban counterparts. That gap widened from 2010 to 2017 for cancer, heart disease, and chronic lower respiratory disease.
Pub. L. 111–148Since 2010, the year the [Patient Protection and] Affordable Care Act [] was passed, 129 rural hospitals in the United States have closed. Predictably, financial distress is the strongest driver for risk of closure, and many rural hospitals lack sufficient patient volume to be sustainable under traditional healthcare-reimbursement mechanisms. From 2015 to 2017, the average occupancy rate of a hospital that closed was only 22 percent. When hospitals close, the patient population around them carries an increased risk of mortality due to increased travel time and decreased access.
During the COVID–19 public health emergency (PHE), hospitals curtailed elective medical procedures and access to in-person clinical care was limited. To help patients better access healthcare providers, my Administration implemented new flexibility regarding what services may be provided via telehealth, who may provide them, and in what circumstances, and the use of telehealth increased dramatically across the Nation. Internal analysis by the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) of the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) showed a weekly jump in virtual visits for CMS beneficiaries, from approximately 14,000 pre-PHE to almost 1.7 million in the last week of April. Additionally, a recent report by HHS shows that nearly half (43.5 percent) of Medicare fee-for-service primary care visits were provided through telehealth in April, compared with far less than one percent (0.1 percent) in February before the PHE. Importantly, the report finds that telehealth visits continued to be frequent even after in-person primary care visits resumed in May, indicating that the expansion of telehealth services is likely to be a more permanent feature of the healthcare delivery system.
Rural healthcare providers, in particular, need these types of flexibilities to provide continuous care to patients in their communities. It is the purpose of this order to increase access to, improve the quality of, and improve the financial economics of rural healthcare, including by increasing access to high-quality care through telehealth.
Sec.Launching an Innovative Payment Model to Enable Rural Healthcare Transformation42 U.S.C. 1315a 2. . Within 30 days of the date of this order [], the Secretary of HHS (Secretary) will announce a new model, pursuant to section 1115A of the Social Security Act (), to test innovative payment mechanisms in order to ensure that rural healthcare providers are able to provide the necessary level and quality of care. This model should give rural providers flexibilities from existing Medicare rules, establish predictable financial payments, and encourage the movement into high-quality, value-based care.
Sec.Investments in Physical and Communications Infrastructure 3. . Within 30 days of the date of this order, the Secretary and the Secretary of Agriculture shall, consistent with applicable law and subject to the availability of appropriations, and in coordination with the Federal Communications Commission and other executive departments and agencies, as appropriate, develop and implement a strategy to improve rural health by improving the physical and communications healthcare infrastructure available to rural Americans.
Sec.Improving the Health of Rural Americans 4. . Within 30 days of the date of this order, the Secretary shall submit a report to the President, through the Assistant to the President for Domestic Policy and the Assistant to the President for Economic Policy, regarding existing and upcoming policy initiatives to:
(a) increase rural access to healthcare by eliminating regulatory burdens that limit the availability of clinical professionals;
(b) prevent disease and mortality by developing rural-specific efforts to drive improved health outcomes;
(c) reduce maternal mortality and morbidity; and
(d) improve mental health in rural communities.
Sec.Expanding Flexibilities Beyond the Public Health Emergency 5. . Within 60 days of the date of this order, the Secretary shall review the following temporary measures put in place during the PHE, and shall propose a regulation to extend these measures, as appropriate, beyond the duration of the PHE:
(a) the additional telehealth services offered to Medicare beneficiaries; and
(b) the services, reporting, staffing, and supervision flexibilities offered to Medicare providers in rural areas.
Sec.General Provisions 6. . (a) Nothing in this order shall be construed to impair or otherwise affect:
(i) the authority granted by law to an executive department or agency, or the head thereof; or
(ii) the functions of the Director of the Office of Management and Budget relating to budgetary, administrative, or legislative proposals.
(b) This order shall be implemented consistent with applicable law and subject to the availability of appropriations.
(c) This order is not intended to, and does not, create any right or benefit, substantive or procedural, enforceable at law or in equity by any party against the United States, its departments, agencies, or entities, its officers, employees, or agents, or any other person.