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Rural Health
Resources by Topic: Access

Health Insurance Marketplaces: Issuer Participation Trends in Non-Metropolitan Places, 2014-22
Policy brief examining the changes in Health Insurance Marketplace (HIM) plan issuers from 2014-2022. Presents statistics on the average number of issuers per county in each year for metropolitan, micropolitan, and noncore counties and by region.
Author(s): Eliot Jost, Abigail Barker, Leah Kemper, et al.
Date: 08/2022
Type: Document
Sponsoring organization: RUPRI Center for Rural Health Policy Analysis
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Update on Rural Independently Owned Pharmacy Closures in the United States, 2003-2021
Provides updated information on independently owned rural pharmacy closures from 2003 to 2021. Compares the annual retail pharmacy counts and percent change in the number of pharmacies by pharmacy type and metropolitan, micropolitan, and noncore county status. Builds on past publications from RUPRI regarding rural pharmacy closures.
Author(s): Edmer Lazaro, Fred Ullrich, Keith J. Mueller
Date: 08/2022
Type: Document
Sponsoring organization: RUPRI Center for Rural Health Policy Analysis
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Long Drives and Red Tape: Mapping Rural Veteran Access to Primary Care Using Causal-Loop Diagramming
Explores the factors that contribute to barriers to primary care for rural veterans. Discusses how factors such as physical distance to VA facilities, the efficacy of VA programs, and other factors combine to affect levels of primary care access for veterans in rural areas.
Author(s): Erin S. Kenzie, Mary Patzel, Erik Nelson, et al.
Citation: BMC Public Health, 22, 1075
Date: 08/2022
Type: Document
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Preserving Independence among Under-Resourced Older Adults in the Southeastern United States: Existing Barriers and Potential Strategies for Research
Literature review examining barriers to independent aging in the Southeast, including physical, mental, and social challenges related to chronic conditions, health disparities, and access to care. Includes a section on barriers for older adults in rural areas of the Southeast.
Author(s): Ene M. Enogela, Taylor Buchanan, Christy S. Carter, et al.
Citation: International Journal for Equity in Health, 21, 119
Date: 08/2022
Type: Document
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Health Panel Comment Letter – Medicare Advantage Program
Offers comments in response to the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) Request for Information on various aspects of the Medicare Advantage (MA) program. Presents a rural perspective on the MA program and discusses health equity in the MA program, expanding access to care, and value-based contracting. Includes data on the proportion of MA plans offering supplemental benefits in noncore, micropolitan, and metropolitan counties in 2020.
Date: 08/2022
Type: Document
Sponsoring organization: Rural Policy Research Institute Rural Health Panel
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"How Do We Get to Them?" Insights on Preconception and Interconception Health for Women in Rural Northwest Ohio
Examines preconception and interconception health concerns for women of a reproductive age living in rural Hardin County. Analyzes semistructured interviews with 14 community participants and discusses 3 themes related to women's health: available resources, community observations about social determinants and access, and potential health intervention strategies.
Author(s): Akia D. Clark, Natalie A. DiPietro Mager
Citation: Ohio Journal of Public Health, 5(1), 85-93
Date: 08/2022
Type: Document
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Perceptions of How Integrated Care Impacts Treatment in Rural Settings
Examines provider perceptions when working in rural integrated care contexts. Analyzes 8 interviews from primary and behavioral health professionals in Ohio, Maine, and Tennessee about their experiences on integrated care teams and discusses themes such as healthcare access, interprofessional education, and provider communication.
Author(s): Dawn Graham, Samantha Nandyal, Salonas Ayad
Citation: Ohio Journal of Public Health, 5(1), 79-84
Date: 08/2022
Type: Document
Sponsoring organization: Ohio Public Health Association
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Availability of Pharmacies in Minoritized Racial/Ethnic Areas
Explores the availability of pharmacies nationwide across ZIP Code Tabulation Areas (ZCTAs) categorized by rurality and racial and ethnic composition. Provides data on the number of pharmacies per capita by ZCTA rurality and minoritized ethnic and racial group category and the distribution of urban and rural ZCTAs that do not have a pharmacy by ethnic and racial group.
Author(s): Whitney E. Zahnd, Gabriel Benavidez, Oyeleye Oyesode, et al.
Date: 08/2022
Type: Document
Sponsoring organization: Rural and Minority Health Research Center (formerly the South Carolina Rural Health Research Center)
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Availability of Medicare-Certified Hospice Services in Minoritized Racial/Ethnic Group Areas
Explores the availability of hospice care nationwide across ZIP Code Tabulation Areas (ZCTAs) categorized by rurality and racial and ethnic composition. Provides data on the characteristics of hospice providers that serve rural areas and a high proportion of minoritized ethnic and racial groups, as well as the percent of ZCTAs served by one or no hospice providers by Rural-Urban Commuting Area (RUCA) Code.
Author(s): Janice C. Probst, Nicholas Yell, Gabriel Benavidez, Jan Eberth, Melinda Merrell
Date: 08/2022
Type: Document
Sponsoring organization: Rural and Minority Health Research Center (formerly the South Carolina Rural Health Research Center)
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Availability of Home Health Services in Minoritized Racial/Ethnic Group Areas
Explores the availability of home health care nationwide across ZIP Code Tabulation Areas (ZCTAs) categorized by rurality and racial and ethnic composition. Provides data on the characteristics of home health agencies that serve rural areas and a high proportion of minoritized ethnic and racial groups, as well as the percent of ZCTAs served by one or no home health agencies by Rural-Urban Commuting Area (RUCA) Code.
Author(s): Janice C. Probst, Gabriel Benavidez, Nicholas Yell, Jan Eberth, Melinda Merrell
Date: 08/2022
Type: Document
Sponsoring organization: Rural and Minority Health Research Center (formerly the South Carolina Rural Health Research Center)
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