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Rural Health Information Hub

Rural Health
Resources by Topic: Emergency medical services

Missouri 2010-2013 Rural Health Plan
Identifies and addresses 4 priority rural health issues in Missouri, including: access to affordable health care, transportation, emergency services, and lack of rural health workforce.
Date: 04/2011
Sponsoring organization: Missouri Office of Rural Health and Primary Care
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Preparedness and Response to a Rural Mass Casualty Incident: Workshop Summary
Discusses problems in contacting emergency medical services when incidents occur in rural areas, such as delayed assistance, limited or no cell phone service, limited access to land lines, no 911 service, transportation, lack of hospital resources, and distances between hospitals and incident sites.
Additional links: Read Online
Author(s): Kristin Viswanathan, Theresa Wizemann, Bruce Altevogt
Date: 2011
Sponsoring organization: Health and Medicine Division (HMD), National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine
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A Novel Emergency Medical Services-Based Program to Identify and Assist Older Adults in a Rural Community
Describes a program using EMS providers to screen older adults for common geriatric syndromes and provide referrals to case managers and community resources.
Author(s): Manish N. Shah, Thomas V. Caprio, Peter Swanson, et al.
Citation: Journal of the American Geriatrics Society, 58(11), 2205-2211
Date: 11/2010
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State Flex Program EMS/Trauma Activities and Integration of Critical Access Hospitals into Trauma Systems
Examines State Flex Program trauma-related and emergency medical system (EMS) activities and the designation of Critical Access Hospitals (CAHs) as trauma centers. Includes data by state on CAH trauma center designation.
Additional links: Policy Brief
Author(s): Walter Gregg, Nicholas Jennings, Christopher Dickerson
Date: 03/2010
Sponsoring organization: Flex Monitoring Team
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Experiences of Critical Access Hospitals in the Provision of Emergency Medical Services
Examines the experiences of Critical Access Hospitals (CAHs) in operating an emergency medical services (EMS) unit. Findings are based on a rural ambulance service literature review and interviews with administrators and ambulance staff from five CAHs. Discusses the benefits and challenges that CAH providers face in operating EMS services.
Author(s): Janet P. Sutton, June Eichner
Date: 10/2008
Sponsoring organization: NORC Walsh Center for Rural Health Analysis
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Challenges for Rural Emergency Medical Services: Medical Oversight
Examines the challenges faced by rural emergency medical service agencies in recruiting a medical director and providing medical direction for EMS personnel.
Author(s): Victoria Freeman, Rebecca Slifkin, Daniel Patterson
Date: 05/2008
Sponsoring organization: The Cecil G. Sheps Center for Health Services Research
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Rural-Urban Differences in Characteristics of Local EMS Agencies
Describes the characteristics of local rural EMS agencies and important ways that they differ from the characteristics of agencies located in urban areas.
Author(s): Victoria Freeman, Rebecca Slifkin, Daniel Patterson
Date: 05/2008
Sponsoring organization: North Carolina Rural Health Research Program
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Issues in Staffing Emergency Medical Services: A National Survey of Local Rural and Urban EMS Directors
Explores rural-urban differences in medical oversight and the recruitment and retention of emergency medical technicians and paramedics as reported by a survey of 1,425 local EMS directors.
Author(s): Victoria Freeman
Date: 05/2008
Sponsoring organization: North Carolina Rural Health Research Program
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State Initiatives Funded by the Medicare Rural Hospital Flexibility Grant Program
Explores activities funded by the Medicare Rural Hospital Flexibility Program (Flex Program) in the previous two years to strengthen the rural health care infrastructure. Discusses which activities were considered most successful by State Flex Coordinators.
Additional links: Policy Brief, December 2007
Author(s): John Gale, Jennifer Lenardson, Walt Gregg, et al.
Date: 10/2007
Sponsoring organization: Flex Monitoring Team
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Ambulance Providers: Costs and Expected Medicare Margins Vary Greatly
Examines the differences in providers' costs of ambulance transports in 2004 and factors that contributed to these differences. Includes information for urban, rural, and super-rural areas.
Additional links: Full Report
Date: 05/2007
Sponsoring organization: Government Accountability Office
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