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Rural Health
Resources by Topic: Population health

Early Effects of COVID-19 on Physical Activity and Screen Time Use among Elementary School Students in Columbus, New Mexico
Presents the results of an online survey among parents of students attending Columbus Elementary School in Columbus, New Mexico, a rural Hispanic colonias on the US-Mexico border, to identify and measure changes in their children's physical activity and screen time use during the initial stages of COVID-19. Discusses the significance of home and community and other considerations supporting physical activity for children in the event of a future public health threat.
Author(s): Juan C Padilla, Jill A McDonald, Christopher Sroka, Cynthia Kratzke, Jagdish Khubchandani
Citation: Dialogues Health, 2022,1
Date: 12/2022
Type: Document
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2023 Physician Fee Schedule Update
Webinar recording discusses the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) Calendar Year (CY) 2023 Physician Fee Schedule and highlights how the policy changes around behavioral health and telehealth services may affect rural communities. Features presentations from representatives of the Health Resources and Services Administration (HRSA) and the CMS Center for Medicare, Hospital and Ambulatory Policy Group, Division of Ambulatory Services.
Additional links: Audio Recording, Webinar Slides, Webinar Transcript
Date: 12/2022
Type: Video/Multimedia
Sponsoring organization: Rural Health Information Hub
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Disparities in Patient Portal Access by U.S. Adults Before and During the COVID-19 Pandemic
Reports on a population-based survey to determine if socio-demographic disparities exist in accessing online patient portals. Using data from the 2020 U.S. Health Information National Trends Survey, insured adults who had a medical visit in the previous 12 months were asked about their knowledge, access, and use of online medical records. Demographic characteristics of patients who were offered access, and for patients who accessed online portals are compared. Reasons for not using an online portal are discussed. Compares online patient portal use by different patient characteristics, including education, race/ethnicity, sex, age, location (metro vs nonmetro/rural), insurance type, use of internet, and quality of care.
Author(s): Akira Nishii, Celeste Campos-Castillo, Denise Anthony
Citation: JAMIA Open, 5(4)
Date: 12/2022
Type: Document
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Improving Rural Health Through Telehealth-Guided Provider-to-Provider Communication
Presents the results of a comprehensive literature review to identify, summarize, and evaluate available research on the contributions of rural provider-to-provider telehealth communication and collaboration in addressing health disparities, and improving the health of rural populations. Topics cover the specific applications, effectiveness, implementation, sustainability, and barriers and facilitators of provider-to-provider telehealth in rural areas.
Additional links: Executive Summary, Full Report, Telehealth's Potential To Benefit Rural Healthcare Delivery: Infographic 1, Telehealth's Potential To Benefit Rural Healthcare Delivery: Infographic 2
Author(s): Annette Totten, Dana M. Womack, Marian S. McDonagh, et al.
Date: 12/2022
Type: Document
Sponsoring organization: Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality
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Changes in Physical Activity Outcomes in the Strong Hearts, Healthy Communities (SHHC-2.0) Community-Based Randomized Trial
Examines the Strong Hearts, Healthy Communities 2.0 (SHHC-2.0) intervention focused on exercise, nutrition, and civic engagement. Analyzes behavior changes of 182 women aged 40 and older living in rural New York and provides discussion about implementing wellness interventions in rural areas.
Author(s): Jay E. Maddock, Margaret Demment, Meredith Graham, et al.
Citation: International Journal of Behavioral Nutrition and Physical Activity, 19,159
Date: 12/2022
Type: Document
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Experiences with Health Care Access, Cost, and Coverage: Findings from the 2022 KFF Women's Health Survey
Presents findings from the 2022 KFF Women's Health Survey of 5,145 women ages 18-64 who were asked about their health status, use of prescription medications, accessibility to healthcare, their selected care sites, check-ups, use of telemedicine, and health coverage and costs. Includes data on telehealth services provided by urban and rural location.
Author(s): Michelle Long, Brittni Frederiksen, Usha Ranji Alina Salganicoff, Karen Diep
Date: 12/2022
Type: Document
Sponsoring organization: KFF
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Effect of Health System on the Association of Rurality and Level of Disadvantage with Receipt of Diabetic Eye Screening
Examines the role of disadvantage related to rural versus urban disparities of eye screenings in Wisconsin. Analyzes 118,707 adults with diabetes who had billed claims recorded in a 2012-2013 all-payer database. Includes demographic information including age, gender, insurance payer, clinic rurality, clinic disadvantage, and hierarchical condition category (HCC) risk score. Discusses the need for health system-level change to address social determinants of health.
Author(s): Loren J Lock, Roomasa Channa, Meghan B Brennan, Ying Cao, Yao Liu
Citation: BMJ Open Diabetes Research & Care, 10, e003174
Date: 12/2022
Type: Document
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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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Interpretation Services for Patients with Limited English Proficiency in Critical Access Hospitals
Discusses the importance of language interpretation services and guidelines for communication and language assistance in healthcare. Describes common themes that emerged through interviews with six Critical Access Hospitals (CAHs) located in areas with a high proportion of patients with limited English proficiency (LEP) regarding the provision of language translation services, and identifies best practices that CAHs can emulate.
Author(s): Madeleine Pick, Megan Lahr, Shehrose Charania
Date: 12/2022
Type: Document
Sponsoring organization: Flex Monitoring Team
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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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