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Rural Health
Resources by Topic: Primary care

The Health of US Primary Care: 2024 Scorecard Report — No One Can See You Now
Second annual scorecard exploring primary care in the United States across measures in four categories: access, financing, workforce/training, and research. Identifies five factors contributing to increased challenges in accessing primary care. The appendix includes data on the number and percentage of physician residents trained in an MUA, rural county, or both between the 2012-2013 and 2021-2022 academic years.
Additional links: Appendix, Full Report
Author(s): Yalda Jabbarpour, Anuradha Jetty, Hoon Byun, et al.
Date: 02/2024
Sponsoring organizations: Milbank Memorial Fund, Robert Graham Center, The Physicians Foundation
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Beneficiary and Clinician Perspectives on Medicare and Other Issues: Findings from 2023 Focus Groups in Select States
Summarizes findings from 24 focus groups of Medicare beneficiaries, Medicare and Medicaid (dual eligible) beneficiaries, and clinicians conducted between May and July 2023, including three virtual focus groups of rural Medicare beneficiaries. Highlights themes that emerged across the focus groups covering Medicare coverage options, access to care, telehealth, organization of care, and prescription drugs.
Date: 02/2024
Sponsoring organizations: Medicare Payment Advisory Commission, NORC at the University of Chicago
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Evaluation of the Primary Care First Model: Second Annual Report
Provides an overview of the Primary Care First (PCF) model, which aims to enhance primary care and move primary care practitioners toward value-based payment. Describes the PCF model implementation experiences for Cohort 1 and Cohort 2 practices. Explores the preliminary impact of the PCF Model on acute hospitalizations and Medicare Part A and B expenditures relative to a comparison group. Estimates the impacts of the model on a set of seven leading indicators to provide an early assessment of whether care delivery changes are resulting in meaningful early outcome changes. Highlights implications from this report for the Primary Care First model and future models.
Additional links: Findings at a Glance
Date: 02/2024
Sponsoring organizations: Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services, Mathematica
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Stakeholder Perspectives on a Telemedicine Referral and Coordination Model To Expand Medication Treatment for Opioid Use Disorder in Rural Primary Care Clinics
Examines acceptability of utilizing an external telemedicine (TM) vendor to improve access to medications for opioid use disorder (MOUD) in rural areas. Analyzes interview data from 7 rural primary care clinics and a TM-MOUD vendor to explore themes such as logistical barriers, stigma, privacy, and access. Includes demographic data on survey respondents as well as acceptability ratings.
Author(s): Allison J. Ober, Alex R. Dopp, Sarah E. Clingan, et al.
Citation: Journal of Substance Use and Addiction Treatment, 156, 209194
Date: 01/2024
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Mapping AHRQ's 30-Year Investment in Primary Care Research (1990-2020)
Reports on Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality (AHRQ) primary care research and its impacts on care delivery from 1990 to 2020. Discusses healthcare quality, equity, care models, person-centered care, workforce, technology, and more. Highlights rural-focused programs and research.
Author(s): M. Rockwell, J. Holtrop, A. Eden, et al.
Date: 01/2024
Sponsoring organization: Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality
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Status Report of the Alabama Primary Care Physician Workforce, 2024
Discusses distribution of Alabama's primary care physicians (PCPs) and their availability to state residents. Features county-level maps showing 78 Alabama cities and towns and the practice locations of PCPs, Alabama towns and cities with shortages of PCPs and those with an adequate number or a surplus of PCPs as of 2024, and statistics on physician need in Alabama population centers as of 2025, with breakdowns by urban or rural location.
Author(s): Heather Crow, William H. Coleman, Kyle Siegrist, Caleb Lenox
Date: 2024
Sponsoring organization: Alabama Office of Healthcare Workforce
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National Health Service Corps 2023 Report to Congress
Details program accomplishments of the National Health Service Corps (NHSC), provides updates on Health Professional Shortage Area designations, explains recruitment efforts for NHSC Scholarship and Loan Repayment Programs, provides estimates on number of patients seen by NHSC clinicians, and details short- and long-term retention rates. Features state-by-state data with breakdowns by urban and rural locations.
Date: 2024
Sponsoring organization: U.S. Department of Health and Human Services
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Mississippi State Department of Health 2024 Annual Report
Offers overview of public health indicators for residents of the state of Mississippi including mortality, teen birth rates, various health conditions, and vaccination. Discusses regulation and legislative changes, pharmaceutical programs, lab services, public health outreach, rural health and primary care, Health Professional Shortage Areas, and administrative updates.
Date: 2024
Sponsoring organization: Mississippi State Department of Health
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Medical School Graduates in Georgia
Fact sheet with results of a 2023 survey examining Georgia medical school graduates' specialty choice, residency choice, and retention rates. Features statistics including percent of graduates intending to establish their practice in an underserved region or rural community.
Date: 2024
Sponsoring organization: Georgia Board of Health Care Workforce
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Identifying Our Needs: A Survey of Elders Cycle VIII (2020 - 2023) - 2024 Data Book
Report presents data on the health and wellness of American Indian and Alaska Native elders. Explores data through a number of measures, such as general health, healthcare access, weight and nutrition, and memory and disability, among other measures.
Date: 2024
Sponsoring organization: National Resource Center on Native American Aging
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