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Rural Health
Resources by Topic: Primary care

Vulnerable Rural Counties: The Changing Rural Landscape, 2000-2010
Examined how rural counties were impacted by the 2008 recession, specifically focused on an increase in poverty levels, shifts in population, and loss or reduction of healthcare services and facilities. Includes county-by-county maps with data such as poverty and unemployment rates, elderly population, educational level, non-White population, health insurance coverage, availability of primary care and other specialties, and change in number of hospitals and other healthcare facilities. Appendices include tables comparing urban and rural/remote county statistics.
Additional links: Fact Sheet
Author(s): Kevin J. Bennett, Yu-Hsiu Lin, Matthew Yuen, Deshia Leonhirth, Janice C. Probst
Date: 07/2016
Type: Document
Sponsoring organization: Rural and Minority Health Research Center (formerly the South Carolina Rural Health Research Center)
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Breaking the Barriers to Specialty Care: Practical Ideas to Improve Health Equity and Reduce Cost
Collection of briefs focused on how to improve access to specialty care for rural and low-income patients. Discusses telehealth, developing primary care capacity to provide appropriate specialty care, and coordinated specialist networks as approaches to improve specialty care access. Free, but registration required to download.
Date: 06/2016
Type: Document
Sponsoring organizations: Bristol-Myers Squibb Foundation, FSG
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Medicare Accountable Care Organizations: Beneficiary Assignment Update
Clarifies the changes issued in June 2015 regarding Accountable Care Organization's (ACO) beneficiary assignment under the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) ACO regulations. Addresses how the changes make it easier for Rural Health Clinics (RHCs) and Federally Qualified Health Centers (FQHCs) to participate in ACOs.
Author(s): Thomas Vaughn, A. Clinton MacKinney, Keith J. Mueller, Fred Ullrich, Xi Zhu
Date: 06/2016
Type: Document
Sponsoring organization: RUPRI Center for Rural Health Policy Analysis
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Screening for Adverse Childhood Experiences in a Family Medicine Setting: A Feasibility Study
Reports on a study set in 3 rural clinical sites exploring the feasibility of using the Adverse Childhood Experience (ACE) screening model for adults during routine office visits. ACEs are generally accepted as predictors in adult health outcomes.
Author(s): Patricia T. Glowa, Ardis L. Olson, Deborah J. Johnson
Citation: Journal of the American Board of Family Medicine, 29(3), 303-307
Date: 05/2016
Type: Document
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Availability of New Medicaid Patient Appointments and the Role of Rural Health Clinics
Results of a study conducted between November 2012 and April 2013, examining Rural Health Clinics in 10 states in terms of their willingness to accept new primary care patients on Medicaid. Features statistics on patient acceptance rates and appointment rates, with breakdowns by 6 levels of urban-rural classification.
Author(s): Michael R. Richards, Brendan Saloner, Genevieve M. Kenney, Karin V. Rhodes, Daniel Polsky
Citation: Health Services Research, 51(2), 570-591
Date: 04/2016
Type: Document
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Evaluation of Health Care Innovation Awards (HCIA): Primary Care Redesign Programs, Second Annual Report
Second annual evaluations of 14 Health Care Innovation Awards Round One projects focused on primary care redesign, addressing a range of intervention models, target populations, and organizational settings. Discusses common experiences across projects and profiles each project. Includes 2 rural-focused projects and 7 additional projects that included services to rural areas.
Date: 03/2016
Type: Document
Sponsoring organizations: Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services, Mathematica Policy Research
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MedPAC Report to the Congress: Medicare Payment Policy, 2016
Annual review of Medicare payment policies, with recommendations to Congress. Discussions of rural aspects of Medicare payment policies are included throughout the report. Focuses on payment adequacy, Medicare Advantage, and Medicare Part D.
Date: 03/2016
Type: Document
Sponsoring organization: Medicare Payment Advisory Commission
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Outcomes of Rural-Centric Residency Training to Prepare Family Medicine Physicians for Rural Practice
Reports the results of a study analyzing the number of graduates from rural-centric family medicine residency programs who chose to practice in rural areas and Primary Care Health Professional Shortage Areas (HPSAs).
Author(s): Davis G. Patterson, C. Holly A. Andrilla, David Schmitz, Randall Longenecker, David V. Evans
Date: 03/2016
Type: Document
Sponsoring organization: WWAMI Rural Health Research Center
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How Could Nurse Practitioners and Physician Assistants Be Deployed to Provide Rural Primary Care?
Examines various methods that can be implemented to help nurse practitioners (NPs) and physician assistants (PAs) meet the increased need for primary care services in rural areas. Provides rural and urban data on the number of new insurance enrollees and estimated primary care visits that resulted from the implementation of the Affordable Care Act.
Author(s): Eric H. Larson, C. Holly A. Andrilla, Cynthia Coulthard, Joanne Spetz
Date: 03/2016
Type: Document
Sponsoring organization: WWAMI Rural Health Research Center
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Stakeholders' Recommendations to Improve Patient-Centered "LGBTQ" Primary Care in Rural and Multicultural Practices
Discusses the results of a pilot study examining primary care practices when treating rural and ethnic-minority lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, and queer (LGBTQ) persons within the mostly rural and multicultural state of New Mexico, and offers guidelines to enhance services for the LGBTQ population within clinical settings.
Author(s): Miria Kano, Alma Rosa Silva-BaƱuelos, Robert Sturm, Cathleen E. Willging
Citation: Journal of the American Board of Family Medicine, 29(1) 156-160
Date: 02/2016
Type: Document
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