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Rural Health
Resources by Topic: Access

The Health and Well-Being of Children in Rural Areas: A Portrait of the Nation 2011–2012
Describes data from the National Survey of Children's Health demonstrating the health and well-being of children, as well as the family environment and the characteristics of the community that affect rural children and their families.
Date: 04/2015
Type: Document
Sponsoring organization: Maternal and Child Health Bureau
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Characteristics of Rural Communities with a Sole, Independently Owned Pharmacy
Characterizes the population of rural areas being served by a sole, independently owned pharmacy to better understand the role of rural pharmacies in providing broader healthcare services to underserved communities.
Author(s): Matthew Nattinger, Fred Ullrich, Keith Mueller
Date: 04/2015
Type: Document
Sponsoring organization: RUPRI Center for Rural Health Policy Analysis
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The Value Proposition of Retail Clinics
Describes the role retail clinics can play in improving healthcare access in underserved communities, including rural areas. Discusses the potential of telehealth use at retail clinics. Offers recommendations for optimizing the value of retail clinics to meet individual and community health needs.
Author(s): Deborah Bachrach, Jonah Frohlich, Allison Garcimonde, Keith Nevitt
Date: 04/2015
Type: Document
Sponsoring organization: Robert Wood Johnson Foundation
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Sole Community Hospitals: Early Indications Show That TRICARE's Revised Reimbursement Rules Have Not Affected Access to Care
Reports on the impact of a January 2014 revision to TRICARE's reimbursement for Sole Community Hospitals (SCHs), which serve primarily rural areas. The new TRICARE reimbursement rules approximate Medicare's for these hospitals. Looks at the impact of revised SCH reimbursement on healthcare access for servicemembers and their dependents. Findings based on claims data, as well as interviews with 10 SCHs and with national stakeholders. Appendices include information on SCHs with a high number of TRICARE admissions.
Additional links: Full Report
Date: 04/2015
Type: Document
Sponsoring organization: Government Accountability Office
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Travel Time and Attrition From VHA Care Among Women Veterans: How Far is Too Far?
Examines whether travel time impacts women veterans decisions to drop Veterans Health Administration care, with a comparison of the impact of travel time on rural and urban women veterans (see Figure 2).
Author(s): Sarah A. Friedman, Susan M. Frayne, Eric Berg, et al.
Citation: Medical Care, 53(4 Suppl 1), S15-S22
Date: 04/2015
Type: Document
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Addressing Chronic Disease Through Community Health Workers: A Policy and Systems-Level Approach
Provides guidelines for the integration of community health workers (CHWs) into community based chronic disease prevention programs. Includes examples from a variety of CHW programs, some of which serve rural communities.
Date: 04/2015
Type: Document
Sponsoring organization: Centers for Disease Control and Prevention
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Intimate Partner Violence in Rural America
Policy brief examining rates of intimate partner violence (IPV) affecting women in rural areas. Discusses factors affecting IPV rates, including Adverse Childhood Experiences (ACEs), poverty, rural human services infrastructure, and rural healthcare. Offers policy recommendations to address rural IPV.
Date: 03/2015
Type: Document
Sponsoring organization: National Advisory Committee on Rural Health and Human Services
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A Guidebook of Professional Practices for Behavioral Health and Primary Care Integration: Observations from Exemplary Sites
Assists primary care and behavioral health practices in identifying professional practices that have developed a successful workforce model of integrated care. Several primary care organizations with effective integrated behavioral health and primary care participated in the study including 3 in rural areas.
Author(s): Deborah J. Cohen, Melinda M. Davis, Jennifer D. Hall, Emma C. Gilchrist, Benjamin F. Miller
Date: 03/2015
Type: Document
Sponsoring organization: Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality
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Reducing Cancer Screening Disparities in Medicare Beneficiaries Through Cancer Patient Navigation
Features a study of an intervention to counter the cancer screening disparities of Native Hawaiian, Asian, and Pacific Islander Medicare beneficiaries in rural Hawaii. Breaks down data by race, age, and comorbidity, among other factors.
Author(s): Kathryn L. Braun, William L. Thomas Jr, Jermy‐Leigh B. Domingo, et al.
Citation: Journal of the American Geriatrics Society, 63(2)
Date: 02/2015
Type: Document
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The Future of Rural Behavioral Health
Policy paper discussing the unique challenges of providing behavioral healthcare services in rural areas. Includes policy recommendations and interventions related to workforce development, reimbursement and financing, integration of care, and the use of technology in delivering behavioral healthcare.
Author(s): Will Wilson, Angela Bangs, Tammy Hatting
Date: 02/2015
Type: Document
Sponsoring organization: National Rural Health Association
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