U.S. Senator Heidi Heitkamp today announced that she helped unveil a series of bills that would make sure the federal government is listening closely to the needs and challenges of rural communities in North Dakota and across the country when accessing critical resources like health care.
Long a champion for improving and expanding health services for North Dakotans in rural and remote areas, Heitkamp helped introduce three bills that are designed to work in tandem to make a lasting impact on health care in North Dakota's rural communities. By addressing limited transportation and information technology options, boosting health providers for the communities that need them, and improving the quality of care available, Heitkamp is continuing her work to stand up for rural America and make sure rural communities get reliable, consistent health services.
"Rural North Dakotans are the backbone of our state's economy, and our way of life, but too often, the unique barriers they face in accessing quality health services go unheard or unconsidered by the federal agencies responsible for providing that access -- but these bills work to change that," said Heitkamp. "Every day in the U.S. Senate, I fight for rural America and the families, businesses, and communities that make up the fabric of North Dakota. This strong package of bills is designed to address the specific concerns I've heard from rural communities across our state, so we can make sure the challenges they face in obtaining the consistent, reliable health services are heard loud and clear -- and are thoroughly addressed."
Heitkamp's bills, which she joined U.S. Senator Al Franken (D-MN) in introducing, would work to improve rural health care by:
Improving accessibility to health service information and facilities: The Connecting Rural Americans to Care Act would work to address two consistent challenges to quality health care services rural communities often face, including a lack of transportation options as well as an inadequate health information technology infrastructure. By working to increase transportation opportunities as well as build online resources, this bill would work to address consistent barriers rural Americans face in accessing health services.
Identifying health care workforce needs in rural areas: Through comprehensive reforms, the Strengthening Our Rural Health Workforce Act would work to strengthen rural America's health workforce as well as efforts on behalf of federal agencies to assess health care workforce needs in rural communities, and to expand the number of primary care providers, support emerging professions, and grow the mental health workforce in rural areas. By identifying the need for health workers in specific rural areas, this bill would make sure communities in remote areas are able to obtain quality care from medical professionals.
Boost the quality of health care provided in rural areas: The Rural Health Care Quality Improvement Act would call on the U.S. Secretary of Health and Human Services (HHS) to establish a core set of measures that are tailored to rural health care delivery, promoting payment reforms in rural areas, and improving rural representation in delivery system reform organizations.
This package of legislation builds on Heitkamp's consistent work to improve access to health care for rural communities in North Dakota and across the country. A leader in the U.S. Senate Rural Health Caucus, Heitkamp brought HHS Acting Deputy Secretary Dr. Mary Wakefield -- a North Dakota native -- to Mayville last month where they met with rural health care providers and experts to discuss practical limitations rural health services providers face trying to comply with federal rules and the need to make sure rules are written in a way that better supports these communities.
In February, the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) heeded her call to make sure rural communities are better prioritized in the federal government through the creation of a Rural Health Council to take rural health care into account when federal rules are written.
Heitkamp has consistently led her U.S. Senate colleagues in pushing the Administration to consider the impact of federal health policies on rural communities before finalizing rules. In February 2015, Heitkamp supported two bills that would make sure current regulations don't place undue burdens on rural health care facilities or families and, as a result, better support individuals and families living in rural communities.
Heitkamp has pushed to make sure patients get the care they need at any one of North Dakota's 36 Critical Access Hospitals -- which provide emergency care in rural areas -- and that health providers are paid for the care they provide. By helping introduce the Critical Access Relief Act, Heitkamp worked to undo a CMS rule requiring Critical Access Hospitals physicians to predict and certify that a patient will be discharged or transferred to another hospital within 96 hours after admission. Heitkamp also promoted commonsense flexibility for rural patients and their health providers -- which don't always have the time or budget to be present during outpatient services, by supporting Protecting Access to Rural Therapy Services (PARTS) Act, which would instead allow outpatient therapeutic services to be rendered without requiring the supervising physician to be physically present.