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Rural Health Information Hub

Rural Health
Resources by State: Pennsylvania

The Appalachian Region: A Data Overview from the 2018-2022 American Community Survey Chartbook
State- and county-level information on population, age, race and ethnicity, housing occupancy, education, labor force, employment, transportation, income, health insurance coverage, disability, and veteran status, for the 13 Appalachian states. Features statistics with breakdowns by 5 levels of population density. Includes data explorer options for Appalachian categories such as population and age, education, income and poverty, computer and broadband access, rural Appalachia versus rural America, and employment and commuting.
Additional links: Full Report
Author(s): Sara Srygley, Nurfadila Khairunnisa, Diana Elliott
Date: 06/2024
Type: Website
Sponsoring organizations: Appalachian Regional Commission, Population Reference Bureau
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Impact of the Affordable Care Act on Access to Accredited Facilities for Cancer Treatment
Examines access to cancer care at accredited hospitals in Pennsylvania due to expanded coverage under the Affordable Care Act (ACA). Analyzes patient characteristics before and after ACA implementation, with breakdowns according to sex, age, race/ethnicity, area deprivation, and urban, large town, small town, or rural location, among other characteristics. Provides commentary on ACA impacts for patients in nonurban areas.
Author(s): Lindsay M. Sabik, Youngmin Kwon, Coleman Drake, et al.
Citation: Health Services Research
Date: 05/2024
Type: Document
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Health Care Coalitions: A Resource to Support Critical Access Hospital Emergency Preparedness Planning
Describes unique challenges Critical Access Hospitals (CAHs) face regarding emergency preparedness planning. Presents findings from interviews with leaders from eight statewide or regional healthcare coalitions (HCCs) regarding strategies and resources HCCs provide to support the CAH emergency preparedness planning process.Outlines the functions and roles of HCCs by the four Administration for Strategic Preparedness and Response (ASPR) capability goals.
Author(s): John Gale, Karen Pearson, Rebecca Stearns
Date: 04/2024
Type: Document
Sponsoring organization: Flex Monitoring Team
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Services to Individuals with Intellectual Disability, Developmental Disability, or Autism Through the Pennsylvania Office of Developmental Programs
Examines ways to deliver services to individuals with intellectual disability, developmental disability, and autism, and offers recommendations for offering services efficiently and uniformly. Includes sections on Medicaid waivers, types of services, workforce development, and program accountability. Features a section on transportation challenges in rural areas for people with disabilities.
Author(s): Yvonne Llewellyn Hursh, Stephen J. Kramer, Wendy L. Baker
Date: 02/2024
Type: Document
Sponsoring organization: Joint State Government Commission, General Assembly of the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania
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Lessons Learned from Efforts to Support Vulnerable Critical Access and Other Rural Hospitals
Provides an overview of state and federal programs, demonstrations, and models designed to support Critical Access Hospitals (CAHs) and other rural hospitals. Describes challenges facing CAHs and rural hospitals, including chronic workforce shortages, high operating and staffing costs, inadequate reimbursement, operational and regulatory issues, and the diverse demographics of rural communities. Discusses lessons learned, the new for a new rural hospital model, and next steps.
Author(s): John Gale, Celia Jewell, Karen Pearson
Date: 02/2024
Type: Document
Sponsoring organization: Flex Monitoring Team
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Enhancing the Health Status of Rural Pennsylvanians: 2022-2023 Impact Report
Brief summary of activities of the Pennsylvania State Office of Rural Health. Describes mission, services offered, and funding sources. Features brief statistics on various types of rural healthcare facilities.
Date: 02/2024
Type: Document
Sponsoring organization: Pennsylvania Office of Rural Health
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Early Impacts of the Pennsylvania Rural Health Model on Potentially Avoidable Utilization
Assesses the impact of the Pennsylvania Rural Health Model (PARHM) on potentially avoidable utilization rates between 2016 and 2022 by comparing participating and non-participating hospitals. Discusses the potential impact of COVID-19 on results.
Author(s): Donald S. Bourne, Eric T. Roberts, Lindsay M. Sabik
Citation: Health Affairs Scholar, 2(2)
Date: 02/2024
Type: Document
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Pennsylvania Hospital Workforce Survey
Examines Pennsylvania hospitals' efforts to recruit and retain talented workers, using data from a survey conducted in October and November 2023. Describes how care is evolving to support providers and patients, examines healthcare professional shortages, and offers strategies to eliminate violence against healthcare professionals. Features statistics on vacancy rates, with breakdown by rural areas.
Date: 01/2024
Type: Document
Sponsoring organization: Hospital and Healthsystem Association of Pennsylvania
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What States Can Learn from Maryland's Experience with Hospital Global Budgeting
Podcast episode exploring lessons learned from Maryland's hospital global budgeting model. Includes a discussion on small and rural hospitals' financial sustainability and their involvement in the model, as well as comparisons to the Pennsylvania Rural Health Model and the Vermont All-Payer Accountable Care Organization (ACO) Model.
Date: 01/2024
Type: Audio
Sponsoring organization: Mathematica
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Selected Rural Healthcare Facilities in Pennsylvania
Shows the state's Critical Access Hospitals (CAHs) and Rural Health Clinics (RHCs), as well as Federally Qualified Health Center (FQHC) sites and short term/PPS (Prospective Payment System) hospitals located in rural areas.
Date: 01/2024
Type: Map/Mapping System
Sponsoring organization: Rural Health Information Hub
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