ms. thompson. ms. thompson: consistent with my turns around access for providers i would strongly recommend continuing to expand the use of telemedicine. >> dr. murphy. dr. murphy: i think two i would give, relaxation of medicare regulations in terms of allowing rural hospitals to maybe execute more innovative strategies in recruiting physicians, so we have some rural support of that and i secondly think the relaxation or acceleration of the ability of the medicare program to waive certain requirements for rural hospitals and other rural management. >> i thank you all for our your testimony. senator enzi. senator enzi: thank you. i appreciate that this hearing is being held and i appreciate the great talent we've put together to do it. 'll yield. >> senator cantwell, you can go next. the senator said he'd yield. >> mr. chairman. f i could, i think in order of who is here it would be senator enzi next, then senator cassidy and then senator cantwell of the senators who are here. senator hatch: appreciate

ms. thompson. >> top priority would be recognition of the difficulty in acquiring and retaining providers to rural communities. >> if you wave your want what could we pursue because that's enormously important. >> rural healthcare and rural communities create an environment that is unique in this country and the community cares for each other and i think the opportunity that are before us that have been demonstrated in our models create not only hospitals in sufficient but in all health care across the continuum and this kind of environment is motivating and inspiring and quite frankly we could create a platform for transforming and i want to give ms. murphy the chance to wrap up around. the chairman is gracious about this but let's keep the record open for you all to give us as many concrete ideas for getting more fighters to rural america because this is important. we try this and that and look, we all understand that year after year we are faced with this question of whether there will be anybod

ms. thompson. on the federal wreck side which one would you pick -- federal rag side which one would you pick? >> as we measure value in rural communities they are with measures that are relevant to who we are and what we provide. right now we report so many measures to so many agencies. they are not meaningful always in moving us ahead with our quality. for instance some of the things we report on, the volume we do is so small that one single fallout appears to make us look like we have a lesser quality then maybe our urban counterparts and that is simply not true. that is a very important point. the point of meaning for use, the revelation of meaningful use has improved the use of technology in the healthcare industry but the pace the changes happening and the expense it takes rural facilities to keep up, i worry about those measures getting between the doctors and the patient. >> consistent with my concerns around access or providers. i would strongly recommend continuing to expand the use of te

ms. foxx: thank you, mr. thompson. again, i appreciate the work that you have done in this field , session after session and i appreciate the way you approach your work on the education and work force committee. we respect you greatly and know you are well respected by all of your colleagues here and we're all pushing, all pushing to get the bill passed out of the senate and are very, very hopeful. in addition we keep our fingers crossed. we pray, we keep our fingers crossed and we hope. i would now like to yield such time as he may consume to another one of the great members of the education and work force committee, mr. rick allen from the great state of georgia. >> i rise teed to highlight the importance of work force development in america. over the past year and a half, this congress has been working to turn this economy around and give americans across the coup try back to work. after passing the most comprehensive tax overhaul and rolling back obama rules and regular layings, our economy is beginning to thrive.

ms. foxx: thank you, mr. speaker. today i rise to recognize sean of winston-salem, north carolina. this year the north carolina high school athletic association awarded him the thompson memorial eight will make a difference this. honor is awarded each year to one coach from each region of the state for excellence in sportsmanship, dedication, and being a student role model. known for his supportive relationships with athletes and using the game to teach life lessons that go beyond the core, he finished his career as north brookside's head basketball coach after 12 seasons to spend more time with his family. however, he continues his dedication to students as the school's athletic director. congratulations to mr. vessel in receiving the eight who make a difference award. we're fortunate to have him as an example of sportsmanship and encouraging role model in north carolina's fifth district. i wish him success in his future endeavors. and now i yield back, mr. speaker. the speaker pro tempore: the chair recognizes the gentleman from arizona, mr. o'halleran, for five minutes. mr. o'halleran: mr. speaker, i rise today to honor the life of mr. rodney lewis, a respected me

thompson: i don't rise in opposition. if the gentlelady will yield? ms. stefanik: i yield to my colleague, mr. thompson from pennsylvania. the chair: the gentleman is recognized. mr. thompson: i thank the gentlelady for offering this amendment. incredibly important amendment. she talked about one of many invasive species. you know, this body uniformerly and united put a lot of money into significant threat to our forests which was wildfire funding. those of us who live on the east coast are -- we have wildfires, mr. chairman, but they're more limited in scope. we don't have certainly the devastating effects, the half a million acres i saw when i visited washington. our primary problem is invasive species. the woly is the one that goes after our state tree. we take it personal. when it kills the hemlock trees, it warms our trout streams which we're known for and that's part of our number two industry, which is tourism. we have a new threat that is just recently come into this country from somewhere in asia. it might have been china. i'm not sure. it's calle