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Rural Health Information Hub

Rural Health
Resources by Topic: Primary care

Indiana Primary Care Needs Assessment, 2018
Summary of efforts to identify gaps in access to health care and allocate resources to communities in greatest need, from 2015-2017. Includes trends in Health Professional Shortage Area (HPSA) designations in Indiana, the preliminary HPSA analysis summary, projected need of providers in Indiana counties, and health rankings within Indiana.
Author(s): Analise Dickinson, Sierra Vaughn, Hannah Maxey
Date: 03/2018
Sponsoring organization: Bowen Center for Health Workforce Research and Policy
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MedPAC Report to the Congress: Medicare Payment Policy, 2018
Annual review of Medicare payment policies, with recommendations to Congress. Includes discussion on Medicare payment policies directly affecting rural providers and beneficiaries. Addresses Medicare Part D, Medicare Advantage, telehealth, payment incentive programs, and payment adequacy for healthcare facilities and services.
Additional links: Chapter 14 Online-Only Appendixes: The Medicare Prescription Drug Program (Part D): Status Report (March 2018 Report, Revised June 25, 2018), Chapter 16 Online-Only Appendixes: Mandated Report: Telehealth Services and the Medicare Program (March 2018 report), Errata Sheet: Table 9-7, Page 255 (March 2018 Report, Revised May 30, 2018)
Date: 03/2018
Sponsoring organization: Medicare Payment Advisory Commission
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Behavioral Health Integration into Primary Care
Profile of a rural health system, Western Wisconsin Health (WWH), and its work to deliver behavioral health services. Provides an overview of how behavioral health providers and services were integrated with primary care, with a change to focus on whole-person care. Includes information on Medicare and Medicaid reimbursement for the behavioral health services provided at WWH's Rural Health Clinic. Discusses how WWH behavioral health providers offer telehealth services to other rural areas of Wisconsin.
Date: 03/2018
Sponsoring organization: Rural Health Value
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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
Sponsoring organization: Bipartisan Policy Center
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Access to Care: Populations in Counties with No FQHC, RHC, or Acute Care Hospital
Findings brief focusing on the 3 main facility types providing primary care in rural areas and examining how many people will likely have limited access to primary care based on their locations. Includes statistics on numbers of people living in counties without these facilities, with breakdowns by 9 census divisions.
Author(s): Meagan Clawar, Randy Randolph, Kristie Thompson, George H. Pink
Date: 01/2018
Sponsoring organization: North Carolina Rural Health Research Program
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Cavity Free at Three: CDC Evaluation 2013-2018
Presents the key findings of a 5-year evaluation of the Cavity Free at Three (CF3) program that trains medical and dental professionals to provide preventive oral health services for young children and pregnant women. The goal is to decrease dental disease and reduce disparities associated with oral health among populations in rural and urban Colorado.
Date: 2018
Sponsoring organization: Colorado Department of Public Health and Environment
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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
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Patient Characteristics Associated with Screening Positive for Alzheimer's Disease and Related Dementia
Examines factors in rural, suburban, and urban primary care practices to improve screening for Alzheimer's disease and related dementias in Indiana. Includes statistics on demographics and clinical factors by rurality.
Author(s): Nicole R Fowler, Anthony J Perkins, Sujuan Gao, et al.
Citation: Clinical Interventions in Aging, 13, 1779-1785
Date: 2018
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The Impact of Nurse Practitioner Scope-of-Practice Regulations in Primary Care
Examines the current and projected role of nurse practitioners (NPs) in rural and primary care settings, and discusses how changes in scope-of-practice (SOP) regulations for NPs may help alleviate healthcare access issues caused by a limited supply of physicians.
Author(s): Aziza Arifkhanova
Date: 2018
Sponsoring organization: RAND Corporation
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Behavioral Health Integration into Primary Care: A Microsimulation of Financial Implications for Practices
Evaluates the financial impact of integrating behavioral health services into primary care practices by simulating data using Medicare payments. Compares the potential impact for Federally Qualified Health Centers (FQHCs), rural versus urban non-FQHCs in high-poverty areas, and practices in lower-poverty areas. Addresses the costs and revenues for two types of behavioral health integration, the collaborative care model (CoCM) and the primary care behaviorist model (PCBM).
Citation: Journal of General Internal Medicine, 32(12), 1330-1341
Date: 12/2017
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