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Rural Health Information Hub

Rural Health
Resources by Topic: Access

November 2020 MedPAC Meeting Transcript
Transcript from the Medicare Payment Advisory Commission's (MedPAC) November 2020 meeting. Covers the expansion of telehealth in Medicare, Medicare beneficiaries' access to care in rural areas, effects of pharmaceutical manufacturer rebates on Part D's risk adjustment, and improving competition among Part D's benchmark plans.
Date: 11/2020
Sponsoring organization: Medicare Payment Advisory Commission
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An Observational Study of Telemental Care Delivery and the Context for Involuntary Commitment for Mental Health Patients in a Group of Rural Emergency Departments
Examines telemental healthcare delivery in Critical Access Hospital (CAH) emergency departments (ED) in 4 Indiana counties, with a focus on the context surrounding subsequent psychiatric involuntary commitment (IC) or noninvoluntary commitment (non-IC) of mental health patients who presented to the participating EDs. Provides information on patient demographics, ED wait time and length of stay, ED costs and reimbursement, and telehealth parity laws.
Author(s): Roseanne Fairchild, Shiaw-Fen Ferng-Kuo, Hicham Rahmouni, Daniel Hardesty
Citation: Telemedicine Reports, 1(1), 22-35
Date: 11/2020
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The Arizona Behavioral Health Workforce
Brief reporting on behavioral health needs in Arizona, the distribution of workforce by profession, rural disparities in access to behavioral health providers.
Author(s): B Koch, S Coates, D Derksen
Date: 11/2020
Sponsoring organization: Arizona Center for Rural Health
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The Complex Geographies of Telelactation and Access to Community Breastfeeding Support in the State of Ohio
Study examining face-to-face and virtual breastfeeding support options in Ohio, comparing access in urban and rural areas. Explores potential for telelactation services to increase access for rural mothers, noting the barrier of broadband service access. Offers maps that represent spatial data on breastfeeding support access and that identify locations where breastfeeding support interventions would have the most impact.
Author(s): Tony H. Grubesic, Kelly M. Durbin
Citation: PLoS One, 15(11), e0242457
Date: 11/2020
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Synergistic Disparities and Public Health Mitigation of COVID-19 in the Rural United States
Describes how public health responses to the COVID-19 pandemic emphasize racial, economic, and geographic disparities, especially among rural and poor populations. Covers public health mitigation measures, including disease surveillance, physical distancing, hand and respiratory hygiene, and public health communication. Discusses the ethical demands of public health practice during and following a public health emergency.
Author(s): Kata Chillag, Lisa Lee
Citation: Journal of Bioethical Inquiry, 17(4), 649-656
Date: 11/2020
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Income Disparities Widen the Gap in Oral Health of California Adults
Policy brief discussing associations between social determinants of health (SDOH) and oral health in California adults using data from the 2017 and 2018 California Health Interview Surveys (CHIS). Describes barriers related to oral health education, literacy, access to care, and oral health screening for low-income populations. Related infographic offers a map of oral health differences by region, noting disparities in rural California counties and data on income and other demographic characteristics.
Additional links: Infographic
Author(s): Nadereh Pourat, Maria Ditter
Date: 11/2020
Sponsoring organization: UCLA Center for Health Policy Research
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The Future of State Telehealth Policy
Provides an overview of state and federal telehealth flexibilities implemented during the COVID-19 pandemic. Discusses long-term considerations for governors regarding the impact of these flexibilities on healthcare delivery and payment and the appropriateness of these policies in the future.
Date: 11/2020
Sponsoring organization: National Governors Association
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Listening to Rural Stories: Q&A with Alisa Druzba
An interview with Alisa Druzba, director of the New Hampshire's Office of Rural Health and Primary Care, who discusses her journey to becoming a State Office of Rural Health (SORH) director, the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on her state, and the work her office focuses on to support rural New Hampshire.
Author(s): Allee Mead
Date: 11/2020
Sponsoring organization: Rural Health Information Hub
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The Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices' Ethical Principles for Allocating Initial Supplies of COVID-19 Vaccine — United States, 2020
Discusses four ethical principles that will inform the Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices recommendations for the initial allocation of COVID-19 vaccine: maximizing benefits and minimizing harms; promoting justice; mitigating health inequities; and promoting transparency. The section on health inequities includes discussion of concerns for rural residents.
Author(s): Nancy McClung, Mary Chamberland, Kathy Kinlaw, et al.
Citation: MMWR (Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report), 69(47), 1782-1786
Date: 11/2020
Sponsoring organization: Centers for Disease Control and Prevention
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Ensuring Health Across Rural Minnesota in 2030
Offers recommendations to policymakers and stakeholders on how to expand access to high-quality and inexpensive healthcare for rural communities in Minnesota. Covers trends in factors that may affect rural health, such as increased diversity, older populations, higher healthcare costs, lack of broadband, closures of healthcare facilities, and more. Discusses how the COVID-19 pandemic has exacerbated issues in rural communities.
Date: 11/2020
Sponsoring organization: National Rural Health Resource Center
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