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Rural Health
Resources by Topic: Physicians

Rural Family Physicians in Patient Centered Medical Homes Have a Broader Scope of Practice
Results of a study to determine whether rural family physicians in Patient Centered Medical Home (PCMH) practices have a broader scope of practice than those in non-PCMH practices. Features statistics including physician characteristics and scope of clinical services, with breakdowns by PCMH and non-PCMH and by large rural, small rural, and frontier areas.
Author(s): Lars E. Peterson, Bo Fang
Date: 02/2018
Type: Document
Sponsoring organization: Rural and Underserved Health Research Center
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Rural Family Physicians Have a Broader Scope of Practice than Urban Family Physicians
Results of a study to determine differences between rural and urban family physicians in scope of practice for clinical and procedural care in 2014 and 2015. Features statistics including physician characteristics and percentages of physicians providing various types of services and care, with breakdowns by metropolitan, large rural, small rural, and frontier areas.
Author(s): Lars E. Peterson, Bo Fang
Date: 02/2018
Type: Document
Sponsoring organization: Rural and Underserved Health Research Center
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Workforce Outcomes of North Carolina Medical School Graduates: A Report to the Joint Legislative Oversight Committee on Health and Human Services and the Joint Legislative Education Oversight Committee
Describes the identity, location, and number of positions for medical school in North Carolina, identifies the numbers of graduates of medical education in various specialty areas, and tracks outcomes of graduates in primary care, obstetrics and gynecology, and psychiatry 5 years after completing training. Features state-level data through 2016, and includes statistics on percent of graduates in training or practice in rural areas 2008-2011.
Author(s): Julie C. Spero, Erin P. Fraher
Date: 01/2018
Type: Document
Sponsoring organization: The Cecil G. Sheps Center for Health Services Research
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The Workforce Outcomes of Physicians Completing Residency Programs in North Carolina
Describes the identity, location, and number of graduate medical education (GME) training programs in North Carolina, identifies the numbers of GME program graduates in various medical specialty areas, and tracks outcomes of graduates 5 years after completing training. Includes statistics with breakdowns by urban or rural areas of North Carolina.
Author(s): Erin P. Fraher, Julie C. Spero, Evan Galloway, Jim Terry
Date: 01/2018
Type: Document
Sponsoring organization: The Cecil G. Sheps Center for Health Services Research
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Competence Revisited in a Rural Context
Results of a national survey of 171 undergraduate and graduate medical educators and practicing physicians, with the goal of developing a list of competency domains for working in rural communities and assessing their importance in education and practice.
Author(s): Randall L. Longenecker, Andrea Wendling, Joyce Hollander-Rodriguez, John Bowling, David Schmitz
Citation: Family Medicine, 50(1), 28-35
Date: 01/2018
Type: Document
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Reinventing Rural Health Care: A Case Study of Seven Upper Midwest States
Examines the state of rural healthcare in seven states - Iowa, Minnesota, Montana, Nebraska, North Dakota, South Dakota, and Wyoming - and uses the findings to determine the impact of existing federal policies, understand ongoing healthcare challenges, and identify opportunities for improvement in rural healthcare access and delivery. Addresses rightsizing healthcare services to fit community needs, creating rural funding mechanisms, building and supporting the primary care physician workforce, and expanding telemedicine services. Analysis is based on interviews with over 90 national thought leaders and key stakeholders.
Additional links: Infographic, Summary – Rural Health Care: Lessons Learned
Date: 01/2018
Type: Document
Sponsoring organization: Bipartisan Policy Center
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Higher Primary Care Physician Continuity is Associated With Lower Costs and Hospitalizations
Results of a study using Medicare claims data for patients obtaining care from a sample of 6,551 primary care physicians. Features statistics including physician characteristics associated with providing continuity of care, with breakdowns by 5 levels of population density.
Author(s): Andrew Bazemore, Stephen Petterson, Lars E. Peterson, et al.
Citation: Annals of Family Medicine, 16(6), 492-497
Date: 2018
Type: Document
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MedPAC Report to the Congress: Physician Supervision Requirements in Critical Access Hospitals and Small Rural Hospitals
Provides background information on Medicare physician supervision requirements, and examines how enforcement of these requirements impacts access to care, quality of care, and staffing needs in Critical Access Hospitals (CAHs) and small rural hospitals. Findings are based on interviews with CMS officials, hospital association representatives, and CAH administrators in several states.
Date: 12/2017
Type: Document
Sponsoring organization: Medicare Payment Advisory Commission
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Trends in Primary Care Provision to Medicare Beneficiaries by Physicians, Nurse Practitioners, or Physician Assistants: 2008-2014
Examines trends in elderly patients receiving primary care from physicians alone, physicians with nurse practitioners (NPs) and/or physician assistants (PAs), and NPs/PAs without physicians. Considered these models for delivering primary care to Medicare patients with multiple chronic conditions and Medicare patients in rural and health professional shortage areas (HPSAs).
Author(s): Ying Xue, James S. Goodwin, Deepak Adhikari, Mukaila A. Raji, Yong-Fang Kuo
Citation: Journal of Primary Care and Community Health, 8(4), 256-263
Date: 10/2017
Type: Document
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Veterans Health Administration: Better Data and Evaluation Could Help Improve Physician Staffing, Recruitment, and Retention Strategies
Reviews the Veterans Health Administration's (VHA) recruitment and retention strategies, specifically for VHA physicians working in the five areas identified as mission-critical: primary care, mental health, gastroenterology, orthopedic surgery, and emergency medicine. Presents information on how many VHA physicians provide care, the extent VHA measures physician workload and productivity, and how current recruitment and retention strategies are evaluated. Addresses rural shortages and makes recommendations for improving VHA workforce development and planning based on interviews with VHA officials and a review of VHA documentation.
Additional links: Full Report
Date: 10/2017
Type: Document
Sponsoring organization: Government Accountability Office
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