Rural Health
Resources by Topic: Primary care

Quantifying Disparities in Accessibility and Availability of Pediatric Primary Care across Multiple States with Implications for Targeted Interventions
Examines disparities in accessing pediatric primary care for rural and urban communities and children with public versus private insurance. Uses data on accessibility and availability for children in 7 states: California, Georgia, Louisiana, Minnesota, Mississippi, North Carolina, and Tennessee. Discusses the policy implications of the findings both generally and for the states studied.
Author(s): Monica Gentili, Pravara Harati, Nicoleta Serban, Jean O'Connor, Julie Swann
Citation: Health Services Research, 53(3), 1458-1477
Date: 06/2018
Type: Document
view details

Medicaid Expansion and Community Health Centers: Care Quality and Service Use Increased for Rural Patients
Reports on a study to assess the impact of Medicaid expansion on quality of care and insurance coverage in rural and urban community health centers (CHCs), and to examine the impact of expansion on the volume of healthcare services provided by CHCs. Uses data from the 2011-15 or 2012-15 Uniform Data System collected by the Bureau of Primary Health Care of the Health Resources and Services Administration (HRSA).
Author(s): Megan B. Cole, Brad Wright, Ira B. Wilson, Omar Galárraga, Amal N. Trivedi
Citation: Health Affairs, 37(6), 900-907
Date: 06/2018
Type: Document
view details

Applying the Principles for Digital Development: Case Study of a Smartphone App to Support Collaborative Care for Rural Patients with Posttraumatic Stress Disorder or Bipolar Disorder
Examines ways of incorporating a patient-provider mobile health (mHealth) platform to support the delivery of primary care based mental health services in rural patients with post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) and/or bipolar disorder.
Author(s): Amy M. Bauer, Sarah Hodsdon, Jared M. Bechtel, John C. Fortney
Citation: Journal of Medical Internet Research, 20(6), e10048
Date: 06/2018
Type: Document
view details

Strategies for Expanding Primary Care Capacity in California
Addresses the need to improve the diversity, geographic distribution, and supply of primary care providers in California. Focuses on the education pipeline, recruitment and retention, nurse practitioners and physician assistants, and using data to inform workforce strategies.
Author(s): Janet Coffman, Kris Himmerick
Date: 06/2018
Type: Document
Sponsoring organization: Healthforce Center at UCSF
view details

Rural and Nonrural Primary Care Physician Practices Increasingly Rely on Nurse Practitioners
Details a study comparing rural and urban reliance on nurse practitioners as providers of primary care. Discusses the role of Medicaid expansion and scope of practice in findings.
Author(s): Hilary Barnes, Michael R. Richards, Matthew D. McHugh, Grant Martsolf
Citation: Health Affairs, 37(6)
Date: 06/2018
Type: Document
view details

What Makes Physician Assistant (PA) Training Programs Successful at Training Rural PAs?
Results of a study analyzing characteristics of PA programs producing high proportions of graduates who choose rural practice, using data collected from 173 programs from November 2015 through January 2016. Features statistics with breakdowns by rurally oriented and non-rurally oriented programs and those with high and low rural productivity.
Date: 06/2018
Type: Document
Sponsoring organization: WWAMI Rural Health Research Center
view details

PAs in Rural Locations Ready to Meet Primary Care Needs
Describes characteristics of physician assistants (PAs) working in rural areas, based on data collected from 9,140 PAs for the 2018 American Academy of PAs Salary Survey. Features statistics with breakdowns by rural or urban location and by various medical specialties.
Author(s): Noel Smith
Date: 06/2018
Type: Document
Sponsoring organization: American Academy of PAs
view details

Mental Health-related Physician Office Visits by Adults Aged 18 and Over: United States, 2012–2014
Examines adult mental health-related physician office visits by specialty and patient characteristics. Includes information on visits to psychiatrists, primary care physicians, and other physicians in large metropolitan, medium to small metropolitan, and rural areas.
Additional links: Questions for the Lead Author, NCHStats blog
Author(s): Donald Cherry, Michael Albert, Linda F. McCaig
Date: 06/2018
Type: Document
Sponsoring organization: Centers for Disease Control and Prevention
view details

Prescribing Practices of Rural Physicians Waivered to Prescribe Buprenorphine
Highlights a study on the prescribing practices of rural physicians with buprenorphine waivers, which allowed them to provide medication-assisted treatment (MAT) for opioid used disorder. Findings are based on surveys of all rural physicians with a Drug Enforcement Administration prescription waiver. Breaks down data by physician specialty, practice type, and waiver type, among other factors.
Author(s): Holly A. Andrilla, Cynthia Coulthard, Davis G. Patterson
Citation: American Journal of Preventive Medicine, 54(6) S3, S208-S214
Date: 06/2018
Type: Document
view details

Toolkit: State Strategies to Develop Value-Based Payment Methodologies for Federally Qualified Health Centers
Designed to help policymakers implement Medicaid value-based payment (VBP) methodologies by providing background information, key considerations, and state strategies. Table 1 in the Payment Methodologies section gives an overview of select state VBP methodologies for Federally Qualified Health Centers (FQHCs). Addresses challenges for small and rural FQHCs.
Author(s): Rachel Donlon, Hannah Dorr, Kitty Purington
Date: 05/2018
Type: Document
Sponsoring organization: National Academy for State Health Policy
view details