This website is being reviewed for updates. Some information is offline. We apologize for any inconvenience.
Skip to main content
Rural Health Information Hub

Rural Health
Resources by Topic: Access

Provider and Patient Satisfaction With the Dental Therapy Workforce at Apple Tree Dental
Describes satisfaction of clinical providers, organizational administrators, and patients with the dental therapy workforce at Apple Tree Dental Centers, a not-for-profit community dental organization with locations in urban and rural Minnesota. Features demographics with breakdowns by urban or rural location of clinic and residence of patients.
Author(s): Margaret Langelier, Simona Surdu, Ellen O'Malley
Date: 05/2022
Sponsoring organization: Center for Health Workforce Studies
view details
Community Clergy Training to Support Rural Veterans' Mental Health
Report discusses a mental health training program for clergy to support the mental health of rural veterans. Discusses the focuses of the training program and highlights outcomes from the increase of access to mental health support for rural veterans.
Date: 05/2022
Sponsoring organization: Veterans Health Administration's Office of Rural Health
view details
Rural–Urban Disparities in Health Access Factors Over Time: Implications for Cancer Prevention and Health Equity in the Midwest
Examines environmental and socioeconomic factors in rural and urban counties to understand differences in cancer burden and healthcare access. Analyzes 123 counties in Kansas and Missouri from 2009 to 2017 for health equity factors such as primary care provider availability, lack of insurance, unemployment, and childhood poverty. Includes rural versus urban cancer mortality rates in Kansas from 2008-2017.
Author(s): Jordan Baker, Hope Krebill, Hanluen Kuo, et al.
Citation: Health Equity, 6(1), 382-389.
Date: 05/2022
view details
Telemedicine Versus In-Person Primary Care: Impact on Visit Completion Rate in a Rural Appalachian Population
Explores telemedicine use in a primary care clinic in rural West Virginia and its impact on patient access and visit completion rates. Examines visit completion rates of 110,999 patients from January 2019 to November 2020, with patient data broken down by sex, age, marital status, and distance in miles from facility.
Author(s): Treah Haggerty, Heather M. Stephens, Shaylee A. Peckens, et al.
Citation: The Journal of the American Board of Family Medicine, 35(3), 475-484
Date: 05/2022
view details
Association Between Rural Hospital Service Changes and Community Demographics
Investigates possible differences in service availability by local demographics and examines the association between proportion of a rural community belonging to an Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality-identified priority population and local hospital service changes. Features statistics on changes in healthcare service availability in nonmetro hospitals from 2011-2017, with breakdowns by selected community demographic characteristics. Also includes statistics on changes in availability of 8 types of services in nonmetro hospitals from 2011-2017.
Author(s): Tyler L. Malone, Kathleen Knocke, George H. Pink, et al.
Date: 05/2022
Sponsoring organization: North Carolina Rural Health Research Program
view details
Health Care Access Among Self-Employed Workers in Nonmetropolitan Counties
Report examining access to healthcare for self-employed workers, their families, and their households in rural areas, focusing on availability and affordability. Covers health insurance coverage and affordability, availability of healthcare services, and changes in work, income, health status, and healthcare access in 2020.
Author(s): Elizabeth A. Dobis, Jessica E. Todd
Date: 05/2022
Sponsoring organization: USDA Economic Research Service
view details
Diabetes Prevalence and Monitoring by Urbanization
Poster presentation from the National Rural Health Association 2022 annual conference, examining the prevalence of diabetes and the quality of annual hemoglobin A1c (HbA1c) monitoring in a national sample of commercially-insured people. Features demographics and statistics including prevalence of diabetes among enrollees and HbA1c testing in people with diabetes in 2019 and 2020, with breakdowns by metro and nonmetro location.
Author(s): Lindsey R. Hammerslag, Katie Youngen, Ty Borders, Jeffery Talbert
Date: 05/2022
Sponsoring organization: Rural and Underserved Health Research Center
view details
State Medicaid Managed Care and Access to Rural Behavioral Health Services
Details how states with Medicaid managed care organizations (MCOs) are using MCO contract language to increase access to behavioral healthcare through service access requirements, provider network requirements, and telehealth utilization policies. Includes links to available MCO contracts and requests for applications.
Author(s): Eliza Mette, Jodi Manz
Date: 05/2022
Sponsoring organization: National Academy for State Health Policy
view details
Rural Patient Experiences of Accessing Care for Chronic Conditions: A Systematic Review and Thematic Synthesis of Qualitative Studies
Investigates rural patient experiences related to accessing healthcare for the purpose of chronic disease management. Analyzes 62 studies from 2010-2019 with a total of 1,354 participants experiencing chronic health issues. Discusses themes of navigating the rural environment and its cultural expectations, navigating the healthcare system, and financing healthcare.
Author(s): Elizabeth H. Golembiewski, Derek L. Gravholt, Victor D. Torres Roldan, et al.
Citation: The Annals of Family Medicine, 20(3), 266-272
Date: 05/2022
view details
A Playbook for New Rural Healthcare Partnership Models of Investment
Provides information for healthcare organizations looking to collaborate with local community and economic stakeholders to improve the health of their citizens. Includes case studies of multisector partnerships in rural areas that focus on upstream interventions, such as strengthening economic support, supporting local control, strengthening infrastructure to support healthcare access, and increasing resources.
Additional links: Update
Author(s): Ruth Thomas-Squance, Ashley Hernandez, Colleen Flynn, et al.
Date: 05/2022
Sponsoring organization: Build Healthy Places Network
view details