Rural Health
Resources by Topic: Access
COVID-19: Urgent Federal Actions to Accelerate America's Response
Presents six short-term recommendations for the Biden administration and Congress to address the COVID-19 pandemic. Highlights the need for policies and strategies to prevent or mitigate health disparities, including in rural and tribal areas.
Additional links: Webinar Recording
Date: 01/2021
Sponsoring organization: Bipartisan Policy Center
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Presents six short-term recommendations for the Biden administration and Congress to address the COVID-19 pandemic. Highlights the need for policies and strategies to prevent or mitigate health disparities, including in rural and tribal areas.
Additional links: Webinar Recording
Date: 01/2021
Sponsoring organization: Bipartisan Policy Center
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Mandated Report on Non-Emergency Medical Transportation Further Findings
Provides an overview of the non-emergency medical transportation (NEMT) Medicaid benefit. Presents findings from an analysis of administrative data on NEMT utilization and spending, including utilization by urban and rural status. Includes findings from a series of focus groups with NEMT benefit enrollees on the value of the program, challenges, and ideas for improvement.
Author(s): Kacey Buderi, Aaron Pervin
Date: 01/2021
Sponsoring organization: Medicaid and CHIP Payment and Access Commission
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Provides an overview of the non-emergency medical transportation (NEMT) Medicaid benefit. Presents findings from an analysis of administrative data on NEMT utilization and spending, including utilization by urban and rural status. Includes findings from a series of focus groups with NEMT benefit enrollees on the value of the program, challenges, and ideas for improvement.
Author(s): Kacey Buderi, Aaron Pervin
Date: 01/2021
Sponsoring organization: Medicaid and CHIP Payment and Access Commission
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Maine Health Access Foundation: Reaching Out to Organizations to Provide Directed Grants
An interview with Barbara Leonard and Ruta Kadonoff of the Maine Health Access Foundation. Discusses how the foundation provided unrestricted COVID-19 grants and open competitive grants and partnered with other philanthropies pooling together COVID-19 response funds. Describes the foundation's support for EMS, telehealth, tribal communities, behavioral health, and other concerns important to rural Maine.
Author(s): Allee Mead
Citation: Rural Monitor
Date: 01/2021
Sponsoring organization: Rural Health Information Hub
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An interview with Barbara Leonard and Ruta Kadonoff of the Maine Health Access Foundation. Discusses how the foundation provided unrestricted COVID-19 grants and open competitive grants and partnered with other philanthropies pooling together COVID-19 response funds. Describes the foundation's support for EMS, telehealth, tribal communities, behavioral health, and other concerns important to rural Maine.
Author(s): Allee Mead
Citation: Rural Monitor
Date: 01/2021
Sponsoring organization: Rural Health Information Hub
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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
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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
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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
Sponsoring organization: RAND Corporation
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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
Sponsoring organization: RAND Corporation
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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
Sponsoring organization: University of Minnesota Rural Health Research Center
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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
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
Sponsoring organization: Rural Health Value
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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
Sponsoring organization: Rural Health Value
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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
Sponsoring organizations: Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services, Mathematica
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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
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
Sponsoring organization: U.S. Department of Health and Human Services
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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
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 sociodemographic factors, health status, and number of chronic conditions.
Author(s): Laura Barrie Smith, Fredric Blavin
Date: 01/2021
Sponsoring organization: Urban Institute
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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 sociodemographic factors, health status, and number of chronic conditions.
Author(s): Laura Barrie Smith, Fredric Blavin
Date: 01/2021
Sponsoring organization: Urban Institute
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