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Rural Health Information Hub

Rural Health
Resources by Topic: Access

Understanding COPD and Pulmonary Rehabilitation
Provides an overview of chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) symptoms and causes, and explains how rural-based pulmonary rehabilitation services help to restore independence and quality of life in COPD patients. Highlights the prevalence of COPD in rural communities and the steps that Critical Access Hospitals and other small rural hospitals can take to improve access to much-needed pulmonary rehabilitation services. Includes transcript.
Date: 02/2024
Sponsoring organization: National Rural Health Resource Center
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Factors Associated with Gaps in Naloxone Knowledge: Evidence from a 2022 Great Plains Survey
Examines naloxone knowledge in Nebraska, such as familiarity with, access to, and competency administering naloxone. Analyzes 2022 Nebraska Annual Social Indicators Survey data with breakdowns according to respondent substance use, social and demographic data, and metro versus nonmetro location. Discusses issues such as naloxone access, education, and stigma related to opioid-related overdose deaths.
Author(s): Spencer Cooper-Ohm, Patrick Habecker, Ryan Humeniuk, Rick A. Bevins
Citation: Harm Reduction Journal, 21, 37
Date: 02/2024
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State Medicaid & CHIP Telehealth Toolkit
Toolkit to support state policymakers in expanding the use of telehealth to deliver Medicaid and Children's Health Insurance Program (CHIP) services. Provides information on telehealth flexibilities under Medicaid and CHIP; billing best practices; strategies for telehealth in value-based care; best practices from states during the COVID-19 public health emergency; strategies to promote the delivery of accessible and culturally competent care via telehealth; evaluation strategies to understand how telehealth affects quality, outcomes, and cost, and more. Offers state policy and operational considerations; information about common telehealth modalities; frequently asked questions for states to consider as they explore whether to expand the use of telehealth; Medicaid managed care and fee-for-service state checklists; and other planning tools. Includes information about using telehealth to deliver services to medically underserved and rural communities, older adults, and other specific populations.
Date: 02/2024
Sponsoring organization: Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services
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Real-World Trends, Rural-Urban Differences, and Socioeconomic Disparities in Utilization of Narrow Versus Broad Next-Generation Sequencing Panels
Analyzes oncology genomic panel utilization of 9,886 subjects who received testing between January 2016 and June 2020. Provides data on test panel sizes and clinical trial matching status, with breakdowns by level of socioeconomic deprivation and rural or urban status. Describes trends in genomic testing, and discusses the significance of testing access to equity in cancer care.
Author(s): Yiqing Zhao, Anastasios Dimou, Zachary C. Fogarty, et al.
Citation: Cancer Research Communications, 4(2), 303-311
Date: 02/2024
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Availability of Mental Telehealth Services in the US
Examines availability, wait times, and service features of mental telehealth services across demographic and geographical characteristics. Analyzes mental health treatment facilities (MHTFs) across the U.S. and provides data on mental health conditions treated, types of services used, and facility and county characteristics of MHTFs, including metro versus nonmetro location.
Author(s): Jonathan Cantor, Megan S. Schuler, Samantha Matthews, et al.
Citation: JAMA Health Forum, 5(2)
Date: 02/2024
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Medicare Enrollees and the Part D Drug Benefit: Improving Financial Protection through the Low- Income Subsidy
Provides an overview of the Medicare Part D Low-Income Subsidy (LIS) program, which covers some or all Part D drug costs. Presents estimates of number of Medicare Part D enrollees who received LIS in 2020 and their characteristics, as well as Medicare beneficiaries who did and did not have prescription drug coverage but who appear to be eligible for LIS based on income and resources. Compares Medicare enrollees demographic, financial, health status, and healthcare utilization characteristics, including rurality.
Author(s): Yevgeniy Feyman, Joel Ruhter, Kenneth Finegold, et al.
Date: 02/2024
Sponsoring organization: HHS Office of the Assistant Secretary for Planning and Evaluation
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Critical Access Hospital Telehealth Guide
Provides practical guidance on implementing and sustaining telehealth in Critical Access Hospitals, to optimize healthcare delivery, expand access, and enhance care coordination. Focuses on Medicare outpatient telehealth services, but also includes information on Medicaid coverage and remote services that may not strictly be considered telehealth.
Date: 02/2024
Sponsoring organizations: National Rural Health Resource Center, Northwest Regional Telehealth Resource Center
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Quantifying Arizona's Mental Health Workforce Shortage Using Health Professional Shortage Area (HPSA) Data, Updated: January 2025
Report describing the shortages of psychiatrist physicians in Arizona. Data include shortages in both tribal nations and at a county-level.
Date: 01/2024
Sponsoring organization: Arizona Center for Rural Health
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Evaluating the Connection Between Rural Travel Time and Health: A Cross-Sectional Analysis of Older Adults Living in the Northeast United States
Presents a study that explores the travel time to receive healthcare, use of preventive care, and overall health outcomes for rural adults over 50 in the Northeastern U.S. Bases findings on a survey rural adults living in 7 states in the Northeast and breaks down data by age and household income, among other measures.
Author(s): Madison Hearn, Casey Pinto, Jennifer L. Moss
Citation: Journal of Primary Care and Community Health, 15, 21501319241266114
Date: 01/2024
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Stakeholder Perspectives on a Telemedicine Referral and Coordination Model To Expand Medication Treatment for Opioid Use Disorder in Rural Primary Care Clinics
Examines acceptability of utilizing an external telemedicine (TM) vendor to improve access to medications for opioid use disorder (MOUD) in rural areas. Analyzes interview data from 7 rural primary care clinics and a TM-MOUD vendor to explore themes such as logistical barriers, stigma, privacy, and access. Includes demographic data on survey respondents as well as acceptability ratings.
Author(s): Allison J. Ober, Alex R. Dopp, Sarah E. Clingan, et al.
Citation: Journal of Substance Use and Addiction Treatment, 156, 209194
Date: 01/2024
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