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Rural Health
Resources by Topic: Infectious diseases

Medicare: CMS Needs to Address Risks Posed by Provider Enrollment Waivers and Flexibilities
Report discusses the waivers and flexibilities in Medicare requirements that were implemented during the COVID-19 pandemic. Highlights how these waivers, such as fingerprint-based criminal background checks and revalidating provider eligibility, put Medicare at a high risk for fraud, waste, and abuse. Details how these waivers affect rural providers, as well.
Additional links: Full Report
Date: 12/2022
Type: Document
Sponsoring organization: Government Accountability Office
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COVID-19 Relief Funds: Lessons Learned Could Improve Future Distribution of Federal Emergency Relief to Tribal Recipients
Examines approaches selected federal agencies used to administer programs that provided COVID-19 funds to tribal recipients. Identifies lessons learned that could improve future federal relief to these recipients.
Additional links: Full Report
Date: 12/2022
Type: Document
Sponsoring organization: Government Accountability Office
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COVID-19 in Nursing Homes: Outbreak Duration Averaged 4 Weeks and Was Strongly Associated with Community Spread
Examines how COVID-19 outbreaks affected nursing homes. Explores factors that were associated with the duration of COVID-19 outbreaks, including community-level transmission, staffing levels, nursing home size, and type of nursing home ownership. Includes rural references throughout.
Additional links: Full Report
Date: 12/2022
Type: Document
Sponsoring organization: Government Accountability Office
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Impact of Healthcare Capacity Disparities on the COVID-19 Vaccination Coverage in the United States: A Cross-Sectional Study
Examines the impact of the local healthcare capacity on vaccination coverage disparities in the U.S. at the county level. Identifies clustered low-vaccination areas in 17 states. Compares healthcare capacity, including social vulnerability, vaccine hesitancy, and medical doctors per capita, between low-vaccination and high-vaccination counties.
Author(s): Diego F. Cuadros, Juan D. Gutierrez, Claudia M. Moreno, et al.
Citation: The Lancet Regional Health - Americas, 18, 100409
Date: 12/2022
Type: Document
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Changes in All-Cause and Cause-Specific Mortality During the First Year of the Covid-19 Pandemic in Minnesota: Population-Based Study
Examines changes in the cause of death during COVID-19 pandemic year 2020 against the pre-pandemic years of 2018-2019 in the state of Minnesota. Analyzes all-cause mortality data by age, race/ethnicity, sex, and rural versus non-rural county.
Author(s): Rozalina G. McCoy, Ronna L. Campbell, Aidan F. Mullan, et al.
Citation: BMC Public Health, 22, 2291
Date: 12/2022
Type: Document
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How the COVID-19 Pandemic Changed Urban and Rural Spending Habits
A collection of charts showing changes in spending in urban and rural areas in 2019 compared to 2020. Includes data on healthcare expenditures, including medical supplies, medical services, health insurance, and prescription drugs. Also covers spending related to food, transportation, and more.
Date: 12/2022
Type: Website
Sponsoring organization: Bureau of Labor Statistics
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Changes in Hospitalizations and In-Hospital Deaths in the Initial Period of the COVID-19 Pandemic (April–December 2020), 38 States and DC
Presents data from 38 states on the number of all-cause hospitalizations and in-hospital deaths between April-December 2020 compared to the same period in 2019. Includes data by location of patient residence for large metro, medium and small metro, and rural areas.
Author(s): Marc Roemer, Jennifer Welch
Date: 12/2022
Type: Document
Sponsoring organization: Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality
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America's Health Rankings Annual Report 2022
Provides a national and state-by-state overview of population health by analyzing 51 measures to describe health outcomes in the U.S. and 32 additional measures used to track current and emerging health issues at state and national levels. Examines the effects of the COVID-19 pandemic in 2020 and 2021. Presents findings from the October 2022 COVID-Era Disparities Survey. Explores racial and ethnic disparities throughout, including data on American Indian/Alaska Native populations.
Additional links: Executive Brief
Date: 12/2022
Type: Document
Sponsoring organization: United Health Foundation
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Development of a Colorectal Cancer Screening Intervention for Alaska Native People During a Pandemic Year
Examines the development and implementation of a screening methodology for colorectal cancer (CRC) in Alaska Native (AN) populations. Analyzes 32 rural/remote AN communities who received various community-based CRC screening interventions compared to 14 AN communities who received opportunistic care for CRC screening. Includes discussion about barriers and challenges of screening in rural AN populations, particularly during the COVID-19 pandemic.
Author(s): Christie A. Flanagan, Lila J. Finney Rutten, John B. Kisiel, et al.
Citation: Contemporary Clinical Trials Communications, 30, 101016
Date: 12/2022
Type: Document
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Before and During Pandemic Telemedicine Use: An Analysis of Rural and Urban Safety-Net Clinics
Investigates telemedicine use for primary care before and during the COVID-19 pandemic. Utilizes electronic health record data to analyze 1,015,722 patients seen in 466 different safety-net clinics. Includes demographic breakdown of patients by sex, race/ethnicity, insurance status, chronic disease status, and urban, large rural, small rural, or isolated rural residence.
Author(s): Annie E. Larson, Whitney E. Zahnd, Melinda M. Davis, et al.
Citation: American Journal of Preventative Medicine, 63(6), 1031-1036
Date: 12/2022
Type: Document
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