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Rural Health Information Hub

Rural Health
Resources by Topic: Mobile and episodic healthcare delivery

VA Health Care: Actions Needed to Improve Information Reported on Mobile Medical Units
Describes how the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) utilizes mobile medical units to provide primary and specialty medical care to veterans in communities with veteran populations too small to support local facilities and in areas with limited access to specialty care, including rural areas. Examines VA's annual reports to Congress between 2018 and 2023 about mobile medical units' operations and performance. Offers recommendations to the VA to improve the reliability of the data and contextual information reported to Congress on mobile medical units.
Additional links: Full Report
Date: 12/2023
Sponsoring organization: Government Accountability Office
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Nursing Students Bring Free Care to Rural Virginia with Student-Run Mobile Health Clinic
Features Old Dominion University's mobile health clinic, which provides healthcare services in rural southeastern Virginia while providing clinical opportunities to nursing students.
Author(s): Gretel Kauffman
Citation: Rural Monitor
Date: 11/2023
Sponsoring organization: Rural Health Information Hub
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Helping Older Adults Age Well in Rural America
Provides an overview of strategies that mitigate challenges related to aging in rural communities. Provides data on healthcare access in rural areas and presents successful models that focus on transportation, social services, and alternative care models, such as paramedicine and hybrid care.
Author(s): Martha Hostetter, Sarah Klein
Date: 11/2023
Sponsoring organization: Commonwealth Fund
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Bringing the Doctor to the Patients: Cardiology Outreach to Rural Areas
Analyzed 30 year cardiologist rural outreach travel data from Iowa to determine factors impacting outreach decision-making and the impact on rural access to cardiology care. Discusses cardiologist distribution, predicted impacts of reduction in workforce, and policy measures to increase access to care, particularly for the most at risk rural outreach sites.
Author(s): J. Jason Bell, Sanghak Lee, Thomas Gruca
Citation: Journal of Marketing, 88(1)
Date: 10/2023
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Addressing the Opioid Crisis: A Look at the Evolving Landscape of Federal OUD Treatment Policies
Provides an overview of five federal policies that impacted the provision of opioid use disorder (OUD) treatments during the COVID-19 pandemic. Covers regulations related to buprenorphine medication, methadone dispensing programs, overdose prevention and reversal methods, and leveraging Medicaid for pre- and post-release from prison OUD treatment services. Discusses how state laws may limit federal efforts.
Author(s): Heather Saunders, Nirmita Panchal
Date: 07/2023
Sponsoring organization: KFF
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Assessing the Effectiveness of Policies to Improve Access to Primary Care for Underserved Populations: Case Study Analysis: Kanawha County, West Virginia
Case study of policy initiatives to increase access to primary care, focusing on Kanawha County, West Virginia. Discusses workforce shortages, healthcare access, structural barriers to primary care, healthcare affordability, and more.
Author(s): Maanasa Kona, Jalisa Clark, Emma Walsh-Alker, Megan Houston
Date: 06/2023
Sponsoring organization: Milbank Memorial Fund
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2023 National Survey on MIH-CP Programs
Results of a February 2023 survey of approximately 400 emergency medical services (EMS) agencies nationwide that have launched mobile integrated healthcare and community paramedicine (MIH-CP) programs. Features statistics on nontraditional services offered, and programs by demographic region served, with breakdowns by 3 levels of population density.
Date: 05/2023
Sponsoring organization: National Association of Emergency Medical Technicians
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Barriers to Rural Health Care From the Provider Perspective
Results of a study using data from interviews with 20 healthcare providers in rural areas of western Pennsylvania. Explores barriers to care, including cost and insurance, geographic dispersion, and provider shortage and burnout. Offers strategies for improvement, including use of telehealth, mobile clinics, and increased use of advanced practice providers.
Author(s): Avinash Maganty, Mary E. Byrnes, Megan Hamm, et al.
Citation: Rural and Remote Health, 23(2), 7769
Date: 05/2023
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Sparta Community Hospital Spotlight
Describes how the Sparta Community Hospital worked to identify the social determinants of health in its community. Discusses the addition of a mobile clinic to increase access to primary care, address barriers, and advance health equity. Transcript available below description.
Date: 05/2023
Sponsoring organization: National Rural Health Resource Center
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Implications of COVID-19 on Safety-Net Oral Health Services
Examines COVID-19 pandemic impacts on Federally Qualified Health Centers (FQHCs) and other safety-net dental providers. Describes the challenges safety-net providers face in delivering care to underserved and rural communities, and examines impacts on safety-net providers offering oral health services through mobile programs. Features statistics on FQHCs offering oral health services, with breakdowns by region.
Author(s): Margaret Langelier, Simona Surdu, Theekshana Fernando, Sai Sindhura Gundavarapu, Alex Romero
Date: 04/2023
Sponsoring organization: Oral Health Workforce Research Center
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