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Rural Health Information Hub

Rural Health
Resources by Topic: Access

Examining Rural Cancer Prevention and Control Efforts: Policy Brief and Recommendations to the Secretary
Provides an overview of issues related to cancer in rural areas, including barriers to accessing cancer care. Describes federal programs that support and enhance national and rural cancer control efforts, including funding, and offers policy recommendations. Features statistics on average annual percent change in cancer mortality rates from 2006-2015, with breakdowns by metropolitan and nonmetropolitan areas. Includes a U.S. map showing locations of cancer centers that received Rural Cancer Control Supplements grants in 2018.
Date: 08/2019
Sponsoring organization: National Advisory Committee on Rural Health and Human Services
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Supportive Services and Caregiving for Older Rural Adults: Policy Brief and Recommendations to the Secretary
Provides an overview of current supportive services and caregiving policies for rural older adults, in terms of availability, accessibility, and acceptability of services. Explores topics including long-term services and supports, telehealth, care coordination, transportation, stigma, and unpaid caregivers, and describes federal programs for older adults. Offers policy recommendations and considerations.
Date: 08/2019
Sponsoring organization: National Advisory Committee on Rural Health and Human Services
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Impact of Rural and Urban Hospital Closures on Inpatient Mortality
Examines the impact of California's hospital closures from 1995-2011 on adjusted inpatient mortality for sepsis, stroke, asthma/chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, and acute myocardial infarction. Features statistics including the number of closures by year, patient demographics with breakdowns by urban or rural location, and differential impacts of rural and urban closures with breakdowns by condition.
Author(s): Kritee Gujral, Anirban Basu
Citation: NBER Working Paper Series, Working Paper 26182
Date: 08/2019
Sponsoring organization: National Bureau of Economic Research
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Community Health Centers Meeting Rural Health Needs
Discusses the barriers to receiving and providing healthcare in rural communities, and highlights with data how community health centers are addressing barriers, delivering needed services, and improving health outcomes.
Date: 08/2019
Sponsoring organization: National Association of Community Health Centers
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Selection Biases in Technology-based Intervention Research: Patients' Technology Use Relates to Both Demographic and Health-related Inequities
Details a study on selection bias in health research, specifically the patient characteristics of people with implantable cardioverter defibrillators who were not included in an intervention on the basis of their inability to access the internet or a computer. Looks at patient demographics, such as age, race, education, and rural status, among other measures.
Author(s): Tammy Toscos, Michelle Drouin, Jessica Pater, et al.
Citation: Journal of the American Medical Informatics Association, 26(8-9), 835–839
Date: 08/2019
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Advancing Health Equity and Access Using Telemedicine: A Geospatial Assessment
Highlights a study on the effectiveness of a virtual urgent care (VUC) program in expanding healthcare access and addressing health equity in rural populations in North Carolina. Compares rural versus urban areas and breaks down data by rates of poverty, Medicare and Medicaid enrollment, and broadband access, among other measures.
Author(s): Saif Khairat, Timothy Haithcoat, Songzi Liu, et al.
Citation: Journal of the American Medical Informatics Association, 26(8-9), 796–805
Date: 08/2019
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Rural Access to MAT in Pennsylvania (RAMP): A Hybrid Implementation Study Protocol for Medication Assisted Treatment Adoption among Rural Primary Care Providers
Presents a study on the implementation of an intervention designed to expand access to medication-assisted treatment for people with opioid use disorder in rural Pennsylvania. Highlights the collaborators and roles within the intervention, breaking down the delivery and support infrastructure.
Author(s): Gerald Cochran, Evan S. Cole, Jack Warwick, et al.
Citation: Addiction Science & Clinical Practice, 14, 25
Date: 08/2019
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Rural America Has a Maternal Mortality Problem. Midwives Might Help Solve It.
Highlights the role of certified professional midwives in providing access to maternal and newborn care using an example from an Amish area of Tennessee. Discusses differences in state policies and integration with local health systems. Includes a map identifying maternal mortality rates by state.
Author(s): April Simpson
Date: 08/2019
Sponsoring organization: Pew
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Addressing Rural Hospital Closures Through Infrastructure Reform
Provides a historical overview of rural Medicare reimbursement and provider designations and discusses their impact on hospital closures. Supports changing the rural health infrastructure to provide more flexibility for rural hospitals and to emphasize primary care and emergency care access.
Author(s): Eleni Salyers
Date: 08/2019
Sponsoring organization: Bipartisan Policy Center
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Department of Health Care Services: It Has Not Ensured That Medi-Cal Beneficiaries in Some Rural Counties Have Reasonable Access to Care
Findings from a study to determine whether rural beneficiaries of the Medi-Cal Regional Model health plan were given acceptable access to care and adequate quality of care after the state transitioned into managed care plans in 2013. Includes county-level map showing Medi-Cal Managed Care Models and statistics showing maximum distance required to access care, with breakdowns by provider type.
Author(s): Elaine M. Howle
Citation: California State Auditor Report 2018-122
Date: 08/2019
Sponsoring organization: Auditor of the State of California
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