rural health

Public health officials said some parents are confused about what vaccines are required to attend Texas schools amid efforts to change recommendations.

Clinics with better internet connections are now offering telehealth services to patients who can’t do it from their homes.

The program is meant to soften the coming cuts to Medicaid. The state health department recently announced the first round of Kansas grantees. Hospitals are using the money to increase healthcare access to rural patients.

In April, the Texas Tech University Health Sciences Center and Texas A&M University Health Sciences Center hosted a tour of a clinic built in a retrofitted shipping container in Burton, Texas. It's the latest collaboration in an ongoing effort to bring community-run clinics to rural areas, where access is harder to achieve.

To avoid the long distances rural health care providers have to travel for needed training, Texas Health has created a mobile simulation lab to bring the training directly to providers.

Some of Texas' largest buyers of health care provided insight into what might be driving higher health care costs. The House Select Committee on Health Care Affordability concluded its two-day public hearing Friday.

Nearly 2,000 Oklahomans die from stroke-related complications annually. That burden is felt more in rural communities, where access to specialized care is limited.

Texas has the largest number of rural hospitals in the country. In the past decade, 14 of the state's rural hospitals have closed and another 82 are at risk of closure, according to a recent report from the Center for Healthcare Quality and Payment Reform. Despite funding challenges, some rural hospitals are continuing and even expanding services through community support.

Texas proposed increases to Medicaid reimbursement rates for certain ambulance services. During a public rate hearing, providers said the higher rates could help maintain access to critical services, especially in rural areas.

Kansas received the sixth-highest amount among the states at $221 million.