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Rural Health Information Hub

Rural Health
Resources by Topic: Access

Serving Rural Medicare Beneficiaries
Chapter five of MedPAC's Report to Congress: Medicare and the Health Care Delivery System. Covers rural Medicare beneficiaries, access to health services, rural vs urban coverage of care, health care quality in rural areas, and rural payment adjustments.
Date: 06/2012
Sponsoring organization: Medicare Payment Advisory Commission
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Lost in the Rush to National Reform: Recommendations to Improve Impact on Behavioral Health Providers in Rural Areas
Highlights the challenges faced by behavioral health agencies, providers, and clients in rural New Mexico via a piloted version of the health home model and presents recommendations to improve access to and quality of services.
Author(s): Rafael Semansky, Cathleen Willging, David Ley, Barbara Rylko-Bauer
Citation: Journal of Health Care for the Poor and Underserved, 23(2), 842-856
Date: 05/2012
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Mixed Methods Study of Management of Health Conditions in Rural Low-income Families: Implications for Health Care Policy in the USA
Examines the health issues and health management strategies utilized by rural low-income women and their families. Explains how health care reform measures may improve individual health status and reduce rural health disparities if they are carefully implemented.
Author(s): Leigh Ann Simmons, Catherine Huddleston-Casas, Kari Morgan, Derek Feldman
Citation: Rural and Remote Health, 12(2), 1879
Date: 04/2012
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Echocardiogram Utilization Among Rural and Urban Veterans
Reports on a study of echocardiogram usage of veterans in urban, rural, and highly rural areas of the U.S. Analyzes data by sex, race, and comorbidity and looks at the distance of rural veterans to the nearest VA Medical Center (VAMC).
Author(s): Kingston Okrah, Mary Vaughan-Sarrazin, Peter Kaboli, Peter Cram
Citation: Journal of Rural Health, 28(2), 211-220
Date: 03/2012
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Delivering Free Healthcare to Rural Central Appalachia Population: The Case of the Health Wagon
Describes the Health Wagon, a full mobile medical clinic delivering free healthcare to those in rural Southwest Virginia in Central Appalachia.
Author(s): Teresa Gardner, Paul Gavaza, Paula Meade, Donna Adkins
Citation: Rural and Remote Health, 12(1), 2035
Date: 03/2012
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Characteristics of Telemental Health Service Use by American Indian Veterans
Details a study on the use of telemedicine to treat post-traumatic stress disorder among American Indian and Alaska Native veterans. Discusses the use of video conferencing to provide access to care for rural Native veterans seeking mental health services.
Author(s): Dr. Jay H. Shore, Dr. Elizabeth Brooks, Dr. Heather Anderson, et al.
Citation: Psychiatric Services, 63(2), 179-181
Date: 02/2012
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Establishing and Maintaining Public Health Infrastructure in Rural Communities
Reports on the availability of public health services in rural communities. Provides recommendations for establishing and maintaining public health infrastructure and services in rural areas. Includes a case study from Maine.
Additional links: Policy Brief
Author(s): Michael Meit, Naomi Hernandez
Date: 02/2012
Sponsoring organization: NORC Walsh Center for Rural Health Analysis
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Formative Research Conducted in Rural Appalachia to Inform a Community Physical Activity Intervention
Describes the perceived barriers to and facilitators of physical activity in rural Appalachia. Reviews organized programs for physical activity and suggests partnerships for physical activity programming. Table 3 lists the barriers and facilitators of physical activity.
Author(s): Tina M. Kruger, Mark Swanson, Rian E. Davis, et al.
Citation: American Journal of Health Promotion, 26(3), 143-151
Date: 01/2012
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Community Strategies to Address Cancer Disparities in Appalachian Kentucky
An overview of a community-based participatory research intervention in Appalachian Kentucky to address cancer disparities. Includes discussion of the perceptions and barriers to screening. Covers strategies for working in Appalachia, rural locations, and other traditionally undeserved areas. Table 3 lists characteristics and Figure 1 is an example focus group interview guide.
Author(s): Nancy E. Schoenberg, Britteny M. Howell, Nell Fields
Citation: Family & Community Health, 35(1), 31-43
Date: 2012
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Increasing Access to Oral Health Care for People Living with HIV/AIDS in Rural Oregon
Describes a program, Innovations in Oral Health Care Initiative, that works to expand oral healthcare services to individuals living with HIV/AIDS in rural Oregon through collaboration with a dental hygiene school and a dental case manager to help provide access to services. Includes service delivery activities and descriptive roles for each provider.
Author(s): Jill Jones, Mahyar Mofidi, Helene Bednarsh, Alan Gambrell, Carol R. Tobias
Citation: Public Health Reports, 17(Suppl 2), 65-72
Date: 2012
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