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Rural Health
Resources by Topic: Emergency medical services

Ambulance Services for Medicare Beneficiaries: State Differences in Usage, 2012-2014
Policy brief analyzing how ambulance use varies among U.S. communities. Features state-level statistics including number of Medicare patients transported by ambulance, miles transported, and number of days ambulance transport was used per patient. Compares mean characteristics of states by census division, including percentage of population living in rural areas.
Author(s): SuZanne Troske, Alison Davis
Date: 10/2017
Type: Document
Sponsoring organization: Rural & Underserved Health Research Center
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Wisconsin EMS Agencies Interactive Map
Provides county-level data on emergency medical service (EMS) agencies in Wisconsin. Map is searchable by level of rurality, service license level, service type, county, and Regional Trauma Advisory Committee (RTAC) region.
Date: 08/2017
Type: Map/Mapping System
Sponsoring organization: Wisconsin Office of Rural Health
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Air Ambulance: Data Collection and Transparency Needed to Enhance DOT Oversight
Addresses various aspects of air transport for critically ill patients, including the amount charged for service, factors affecting the service, and actions the federal government could take to provide pricing oversight. Discusses the implications and importance of air transport for rural areas throughout.
Additional links: Full Report
Date: 07/2017
Type: Document
Sponsoring organization: Government Accountability Office
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Lights and Siren Use by Emergency Medical Services (EMS): Above All Do No Harm
Explores traditional reasons for EMS to use lights and sirens (L&S), with statistics and data from 2015 on 911 call incidents response and patient transport to medical facilities, with breakdowns by rural, suburban, urban, and wilderness locations. Also contains literature review of L&S-related articles from scholarly and non-peer reviewed journals.
Author(s): Douglas F. Kupas
Date: 05/2017
Type: Document
Sponsoring organization: National Highway Traffic Safety Administration
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Promising Practice: GA SORH Looks at the Feasibility of EMS Regionalization in the State
Reports on a study undertaken by the Georgia State Office of Rural Health (GA-SORH) and the Association County Commissioners of Georgia (ACCG) to determine if regionalization of emergency medical services (EMS) among counties was feasible as a way to fill the gaps left from the closure of several rural hospitals in the state.
Author(s): Beth Blevins
Date: 03/2017
Type: Document
Sponsoring organization: National Organization of State Offices of Rural Health
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Evaluation of Rural vs Urban Trauma Patients Served by 9-1-1 Emergency Medical Services
Evaluates differences in rural and urban emergency medical services (EMS) using injury severity, care process, and mortality among injured patients based on data from rural and urban Oregon and Washington. Addresses distance to trauma centers, EMS structures, timing of death, and other factors.
Author(s): Craig D. Newgard, Rongwei Fu, Eileen Bulger, et al.
Citation: JAMA Surgery, 152(1), 11-18
Date: 01/2017
Type: Document
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Antifibrinolytics in a Rural Trauma State: Assessing the Opportunities
Retrospective review evaluating the use of tranexamic acid (TXA) at a level 1 trauma center located in a rural area as a treatment to improve mortality and prevent hemorrhagic death in trauma patients. Documents the number of rural trauma patients who met the criteria for receiving TXA treatment, and determines if patients experiencing longer transport times and/or transfers from other hospitals such as Critical Access Hospitals (CAHs) would be regarded as ineligible for effective TXA treatment.
Author(s): James M Bardes, Amanda Palmer, Jorge Con, Alison Wilson, Gregory Schaefer
Citation: Trauma Surgery and Acute Care Open, 2(1)
Date: 2017
Type: Document
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Rural Risk: Geographic Disparities in Trauma Mortality
Examines injury mortality between rural and urban residents with traumatic injuries using data from the 2009 to 2010 Nationwide Emergency Department Sample study. Includes rural and urban statistics by age group, mortality, trauma designation, census region, and other variables.
Author(s): Molly P. Jarman, Renan C. Castillo, Anthony R. Carlini, Lisa M. Kodadek, Adil H. Haider
Citation: Surgery, 160(6), 1551-1559
Date: 12/2016
Type: Document
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Community Paramedic Toolkit
Toolkit for ambulance services, hospitals, and others considering the development or expansion of a community paramedicine program in Minnesota. Includes program planning, education and training, financing, and models of care, among other discussions.
Date: 12/2016
Type: Document
Sponsoring organization: Minnesota Department of Health - Office of Rural Health and Primary Care
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Innovations in Rural Health System Development: Service Delivery Advances in Care Coordination, Emergency Care, and Telehealth
Offers examples of emergency services, telehealth technology, and care coordination initiatives with a focus on Maine, and how they impact rural service delivery and safeguard rural access to critical health services.
Author(s): Amanda Burgess, Andrew Coburn
Date: 10/2016
Type: Document
Sponsoring organizations: Maine Health Access Foundation, Maine Rural Health Research Center
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