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Rural Health Information Hub

Rural Health
Resources by State: Pennsylvania

Cross-Agency Approaches to Substance Use Disorder Prevention and Treatment: National Recommendations
Provides recommendations on how state agencies can work together to prevent and treat substance use disorder, including engaging with state offices of rural health. Offers examples from 8 states and emphasizes state efforts related to opioid misuse disorder.
Date: 03/2019
Sponsoring organization: National Academy for State Health Policy
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Evaluation of the Initiative to Reduce Avoidable Hospitalizations among Nursing Facility Residents - Payment Reform
Second annual report evaluating a Centers for Medicare and Medicaid (CMS) Innovation payment model intended to reduce avoidable hospitalizations for long-term care nursing facility residents. Appendices include findings from participating programs in Alabama, Missouri, Indiana, Nevada, Colorado, New York, and Pennsylvania. Addresses challenges for rural participants throughout.
Additional links: Findings at a Glance
Date: 03/2019
Sponsoring organizations: Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services, RTI International
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Promising Practice: Pennsylvania Office of Rural Health Puts Focus on Rural Human Trafficking
Discusses ways in which the Pennsylvania Office of Rural Health is raising awareness and bringing attention to the issue of human trafficking in rural areas.
Author(s): Beth Blevins
Date: 03/2019
Sponsoring organization: National Organization of State Offices of Rural Health
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Geographic Access to International Board-Certified Lactation Consultants in Pennsylvania
Study exploring access to International Board-Certified Lactation Consultants in rural and urban counties in Pennsylvania. Compiles county-level data that represents breastfeeding rates, geographic access to certified lactation consultants, and demographic characteristics. Compares proportions of urban and rural young children who have ready access, presenting that information in relation to nationwide disparities in breastfeeding support.
Author(s): Kristin N. Ray, Jill R. Demirci, Lori Uscher-Pines, Debra L. Bogen
Citation: Journal of Human Lactation, 35(1), 90-99
Date: 02/2019
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Insights from the Geographic Spread of the Lyme Disease Epidemic
Study examining the spread of pediatric lime disease in western Pennsylvania, comparing symptoms and provider types between rural and urban areas. Compiles interview data from 773 patients at the Children's Hospital of Pittsburgh, discussing implications for public health responses to epidemics in rural and urban settings. Figure 1 illustrates symptoms by type and case rates by age, month, and year of diagnosis.
Author(s): Taylor Eddens, Daniel J. Kaplan, Alyce J. M. Anderson, et al.
Citation: Clinical Infectious Diseases, 68(3), 426-434
Date: 02/2019
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Eye Health Needs: Preserving the Eyesight of Rural Populations
Explains the importance of vision care in health and describes how rural vision care can be improved to increase quality of life and prevent disability in rural patients. Features a rural Federally Qualified Health Center that has added eye care to its services and a vision van that provides care in underserved areas.
Author(s): Kay Miller Temple
Citation: Rural Monitor
Date: 01/2019
Sponsoring organization: Rural Health Information Hub
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Technical Assistance for Hospitals Applying to the Pennsylvania Rural Health Model — A CMMI-Sponsored Rural Hospital Global Budget Model
Describes the experiences of the Rural Health Value program in coaching hospitals in Pennsylvania that were interested in participating in a global budget model. Explains a process to quickly develop a plan focused on community health rather than exclusively on clinical services, to facilitate the transition from volume to value.
Date: 2019
Sponsoring organization: Rural Health Value
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Identifying Priority and "Bright-Spot" Counties for Diabetes Preventive Care in Appalachia: An Exploratory Analysis
Details a study of type 2 diabetes prevalence and mortality in rural Appalachian counties and compares rates with non-Appalachian counties.
Author(s): Peter J. Mallow, Michael Topmiller, Jennifer Rankin, Jene Grandmont, David Grolling
Citation: Journal of Appalachian Health, 1(1), 27-33
Date: 2019
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The Social Determinants of Health and the Decline in U.S. Life Expectancy: Implications for Appalachia
Study explores life expectancy in the U.S. and compares these trends to those in Appalachia. Looks at social determinants of health such as substance use, injuries, and suicide, among others, as possible contributing factors.
Author(s): Steven H. Woolf, Heidi Schoomaker, Latoya Hill, Christine M. Orndahl
Citation: Journal of Appalachian Health, 1(1), 6-14
Date: 2019
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Experiences of Medicaid Programs and Health Centers in Implementing Telehealth
Examines the experiences of 19 rural and urban Federally Qualified Health Centers (FQHCs) and 7 state Medicaid programs with supporting and delivering telehealth. Addresses state Medicaid policies, telehealth models and types, barriers and facilitators for telehealth, and future plans. Identifies considerations for payers, policymakers, and FQHCs interested in telehealth implementation.
Author(s): Lori Uscher-Pines, Kathryn Bouskill, Jessica Sousa, Mimi Shen, Shira H. Fischer
Date: 2019
Sponsoring organizations: HHS Office of the Assistant Secretary for Planning and Evaluation, RAND Corporation
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