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Rural Health
Resources by Topic: Access

Evaluation of the Medicare Care Choices Model: Fifth and Final Annual Evaluation Report
Evaluates the Medicare Care Choice Model (MCCM), which tests whether offering eligible Medicare beneficiaries the option to receive supportive services without forgoing payment for treatment of their terminal conditions improved their quality of life and care, increased patient and family satisfaction, and reduced Medicare expenditures. Describes the characteristics of participating hospices and withdrawal of providers over time; beneficiaries who were referred to, eligible for, and enrolled in MCCM; services provided and the quality of service delivery; transitions from MCCM to the Medicare hospice benefit; beneficiary outcomes and effects across subgroups; and key findings. Includes information on rural provider and beneficiary participation in the model and compares rural and urban beneficiary outcomes.
Additional links: Findings at a Glance, Participant Experience & Evaluation Results Video
Date: 11/2023
Type: Document
Sponsoring organizations: Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services, Mathematica
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QuickStats: Percentage of Adults Who Used the Internet in the Past 12 Months to Communicate with a Doctor or Doctor's Office, by Urbanization Level — National Health Interview Survey, United States, July–December 2022
Bar chart showing adult use of the internet to communicate with a doctor, with data by location of residence for metropolitan, micropolitan, and noncore areas.
Citation: MMWR (Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report), 72(44), 1207
Date: 11/2023
Type: Chart/Graph
Sponsoring organization: Centers for Disease Control and Prevention
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Extra Episode - Rural Communities Opioid Response Program with Megan Meacham and Sarah O'Donell
Podcast episode featuring Megan Meacham and Sarah O'Donnell from the Federal Office of Rural Health Policy. Describes the Rural Communities Opioid Response Program (RCORP), which aims to improve access to substance use disorder, prevention, treatment, and recovery services in rural communities. Discusses examples of how RCORP grantees are effectively serving communities and tips for accessing resources to address the opioid crisis in tips for accessing resources to address the rural opioid crisis.
Date: 11/2023
Type: Audio
Sponsoring organization: Impact! Communications, Inc.
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Health is Primary: Charting a Path to Equity and Sustainability
Examines factors driving the downward trends in primary care, including fewer clinicians practicing primary care, fewer available appointments, lower spending on primary care, and fewer adults reporting that they have a usual source of primary care. Features a literature review, supply and demand analysis, and recommendations for potential solutions. Mentions rural throughout.
Additional links: Executive Summary, Slide Presentation
Author(s): Alison Huffstetler, Ann Greiner, Anam Siddiqi, et al.
Date: 11/2023
Type: Document
Sponsoring organizations: Primary Care Collaborative, Robert Graham Center
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Formative Evaluation of Colorectal Cancer Screening Practices at Two Hawaiʻi Rural Community Health Centers and One Urban Hospital
Reports on colorectal cancer screening (CRCS) practices in 2 rural community health centers and 1 urban hospital in Hawaii. Covers types of intervention provided, barriers and facilitators of CRCS, and recommendations for increasing CRCS. Identifies challenges related to rural access to care.
Author(s): David A. Stupplebeen, Whitney Watts
Date: 10/2023
Type: Document
Sponsoring organization: University of Hawaii and Mānoa Office of Public Health Studies
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Human Immunodeficiency Virus Diagnosis and Care among Adults with Intellectual and Developmental Disabilities Who Are Publicly Insured
Evaluates human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) testing, diagnosis, and care among adults with intellectual and developmental disabilities, utilizing 2012 Medicare-Medicaid data. Identifies disparities related to ethnicity, geography, and more, including regional and rural/nonrural comparisons.
Author(s): T.G. James, M.S. Argenyi, A. Gravino, T.W. Benevides
Citation: Journal of Intellectual Disability Research, 68(2), 150-163
Date: 10/2023
Type: Document
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2023 Survey of Rural Families and Summer Meal Service
Provides feedback from rural families regarding their use of summer meal services based on accessibility, transportation options, and location of meal site. Includes survey data focused on food access, grocery costs, congregate or non-congregate meal preference, factors related to meal pickup preferences, and travel concerns.
Additional links: Microreport, Slides
Date: 10/2023
Type: Document
Sponsoring organization: No Kid Hungry
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Evaluation of Employment Coaching for TANF and Related Populations: The Potential of Home-Based Employment Coaching to Support Economic Stability
Provides an overview of how home-based employment coaching has similar benefits to other home-based services, such as those related to parenting and child well-being. Discusses the Building Nebraska Families (BNF) program which took place in rural areas. Includes feedback on the importance of access in rural and remote communities.
Author(s): Emily Sama-Miller, Pamela Holcomb
Date: 10/2023
Type: Document
Sponsoring organization: Administration for Children and Families
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RCORP - Child and Adolescent Behavioral Health Grantee Directory: 2023 Cohort
Provides contact information and initial project information for 9 initiatives funded under the Rural Communities Opioid Response Program - Child and Adolescent Behavioral Health grant program for 2023. Projects focus on establishing and expanding sustainable behavioral healthcare services and to prevent substance misuse for children and adolescents aged 5-17 years who live in rural communities.
Date: 10/2023
Type: Document
Sponsoring organizations: Federal Office of Rural Health Policy, JBS International, Inc.
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RCORP - Medication Assisted Treatment Access II Grantee Directory: 2023 Cohort
Provides contact information and initial project information for 26 initiatives funded under the Rural Communities Opioid Response Program - Medication Assisted Treatment (MAT) Access grant program for 2023. Projects focus on establishing new MAT access points and increasing capacity for the provision of sustainable MAT services in high-risk rural communities.
Date: 10/2023
Type: Document
Sponsoring organizations: Federal Office of Rural Health Policy, JBS International, Inc.
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