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Rural Health
Resources by Topic: Access

Physician Density by Specialty Type in Urban and Rural Counties in the US, 2010 to 2017
Examines trends in physician density in rural and urban counties among primary care physicians, medical specialists, surgical specialists, or other specialists. Features statistics with breakdowns by large metropolitan, medium or small metropolitan, or rural counties.
Author(s): Sara R. Machado, Sahan Jayawardana, Elias Mossialos, Muthiah Vaduganathan
Citation: JAMA Network Open, 4(1)
Date: 01/2021
Type: Document
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Telehealth After COVID-19: Clarifying Policy Goals for a Way Forward
Examines how telehealth may be used to improve healthcare quality, reduce costs, improve access to care, and meet other policy objections. Presents recommendations for telehealth policy after the COVID-19 pandemic.
Author(s): Lori Uscher-Pines, Monique Martineau
Date: 01/2021
Type: Document
Sponsoring organization: RAND Corporation
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National Strategy for the COVID-19 Response and Pandemic Preparedness
A roadmap for responding to the COVID-19 pandemic and coordinating the national response across all federal departments and agencies. Centered around seven goals addressing mitigation, vaccination, and other key areas. Goal 6 focuses on protecting those most at risk and advancing equity across racial, ethnic, and rural/urban lines. Includes information on rural and tribal issues throughout, including addressing vaccine hesitancy and access to vaccines in hard-to-reach communities.
Date: 01/2021
Type: Document
Sponsoring organization: The White House
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Barriers to Health Care Access for Rural Medicare Beneficiaries: Recommendations from Rural Health Clinics
Presents findings from an online survey of Rural Health Clinics, describing barriers for Medicare patients in accessing healthcare services. Includes recommendations for improving access to care for rural Medicare beneficiaries.
Author(s): Megan Lahr, Carrie Henning-Smith, Adrita Rahman, Ashley M. Hernandez
Date: 01/2021
Type: Document
Sponsoring organization: University of Minnesota Rural Health Research Center
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Serving High Need/High Cost Patients in the Emergency Department
Provides an overview of high-need/high-cost (HNHC) patient program design, implementation, operation, and assessment for rural hospitals to improve participant health, reduce emergency department (ED) visits, and decrease hospital charges. Includes links to additional resources and HNHC patient program case studies.
Author(s): A. Clinton MacKinney, Christopher Stamy
Date: 01/2021
Type: Document
Sponsoring organization: Rural Health Value
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Con Alma Health Foundation: Health Equity and COVID Relief
An interview with Dolores E. Roybal, executive director of Con Alma Health Foundation, sharing how this New Mexico foundation partnered with other funders to provide almost $2 million in grants and created an advisory committee of immigrant-led, immigrant-serving organizations to address barriers limiting access to services.
Author(s): Allee Mead
Citation: Rural Monitor
Date: 01/2021
Type: Document
Sponsoring organization: Rural Health Information Hub
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Care Transformation Toolkit
Provides an overview of common approaches and best practices Medicare Accountable Care Organizations (ACOs) utilize to improve healthcare quality, lower healthcare costs, and enhance patient experiences. Describes ACO programs designed to use telehealth to expand access to care and improve efficiency, support high-risk beneficiaries through home visits, and provide timely access to skilled nursing care through Medicare waivers. Discusses lessons learned, options available to ACOs, and possible implementation challenges.
Date: 01/2021
Type: Document
Sponsoring organizations: Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services, Mathematica
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Viral Hepatitis National Strategic Plan for the United States: A Roadmap to Elimination 2021-2025
Functions as a comprehensive roadmap for federal and other stakeholders to decrease and ultimately eliminate viral hepatitis cases, prevent new infections, and enhance treatment and care in the U.S. Provides information on Hepatitis A, B, and C, including the number of reported and estimated cases from 2010-2018, current challenges, priority populations, and more.
Date: 01/2021
Type: Website
Sponsoring organization: U.S. Department of Health and Human Services
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One in Three Adults Used Telehealth during the First Six Months of the Pandemic, but Unmet Needs for Care Persisted
Examines the use of telehealth among nonelderly adults during the first 6 months of the COVID-19 pandemic. Explores overall telehealth utilization, patient satisfaction, wanting telehealth services but not receiving them, the share of patients who went without care, and reasons for not using telehealth. Includes data on race/ethnicity, type of insurance coverage, urban or rural residence, health status, and number of chronic conditions.
Author(s): Laura Barrie Smith, Fredric Blavin
Date: 01/2021
Type: Document
Sponsoring organization: Urban Institute
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Mental Health Systems Solutions Explorer
Interactive tool offering evidence-based solutions to increase mental healthcare utilization, increase access to care, and establish a continuum of care. Contains examples of each solution in practice. Solutions can be filtered to view those specifically of interest to rural communities.
Date: 01/2021
Type: Tool
Sponsoring organization: RAND Corporation
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