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Resources by Topic: Rural-urban differences

Lower Electronic Health Record Adoption and Interoperability in Rural Versus Urban Physician Participants: A Cross-Sectional Analysis from the CMS Quality Payment Program
Compares rural versus urban physician adoption of electronic health records (EHRs) and interoperability, as related to federal programs such as Medicare Access, Children's Health Insurance Program (CHIP) Reauthorization Act of 2015, and the 21st Century Cures Act. Utilizes 2021 Quality Payment Program Experience Report Public Use File data to analyze 209,152 physicians, with rural versus urban data breakdowns according to physician practice characteristics, EHR adoption, geographic distribution of interoperability scores, and more.
Author(s): A. Jerrod Anzalone, Carol R. Geary, Ran Dai, et al.
Citation: BMC Health Services Research, 25, 128
Date: 01/2025
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Associations Between Socioeconomic, Spatial and Educational Factors and Midlife Periodontal Disease Risk: Evidence From 'High School and Beyond'
Examines periodontal disease (PD) risks according to socioeconomic, geographic, and educational factors. Utilizes data from 26,820 people from 1980 to 2021 to analyze self‐reported PD diagnosis, with breakdowns according to educational attainment, demographics, childhood income, geographic region, urbanicity, and more.
Author(s): John Robert Warren, Jessie Himmelstern, Chandra Muller, Eric Grodsky, Ryan Demmer
Citation: Journal of Clinical Periodontology, 52(6), 843-858
Date: 01/2025
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Virginia's Pharmacy Technician Workforce: 2024
An overview of the pharmacy technician workforce in Virginia based on data from the 2024 Pharmacy Technician Workforce Survey. Features statistics including the number of pharmacy technicians in rural Virginia and how many grew up in rural areas.
Date: 01/2025
Sponsoring organization: Virginia Department of Health Professions
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2023 Pennsylvania Dentist and Dental Hygienist Workforce Survey Report
Presents findings from the 2023 Dentist Survey and 2023 Dental Hygienist Survey, designed to collect information on the characteristics and distribution of the dentist and dental hygienist workforces in Pennsylvania. Features demographics and statistics with breakdowns by urban and rural location.
Date: 01/2025
Sponsoring organization: Pennsylvania Department of Health
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Virginia's Dental Hygienist Workforce: 2024
An overview of the Virginia dental hygienist workforce based on data from the 2024 Dental Hygienist Workforce Survey. Features statistics on the number of dental hygienists working in rural Virginia as well as how many grew up in rural areas of Virginia.
Date: 01/2025
Sponsoring organization: Virginia Department of Health Professions
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Food Security Status Across the Rural-Urban Continuum Before and During the COVID-19 Pandemic
Examines food insecurity across the rural-urban continuum and the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on food access in various locations. Utilizes 2015-2019 and 2020-2021 Current Population Survey Food Security Supplement (CPS FSS) data to analyze food security according to urban, large rural city/town, small rural town, or isolated rural town/area.
Author(s): Patrick J. Brady, Melissa N. Laska, Rachel Widome, Sruthi Valluri
Date: 01/2025
Sponsoring organization: U.S. Census Bureau
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The 2024 Annual Homelessness Assessment Report (AHAR) to Congress
Presents a point-in-time estimate of the number of people experiencing sheltered and unsheltered homelessness in January/February 2024. Explores national estimates on homeless individuals, families, unaccompanied youth, veterans, and chronically homeless individuals. Provides data on homelessness trends over time, demographics of homeless individuals, sheltered individuals, and differences by geography.
Author(s): Tanya de Sousa, Meghan Henry
Date: 01/2025
Sponsoring organizations: Abt Global, U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development
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Opioid Use among Rural Medicare Beneficiaries
Examines trends in prescription opioid use among Medicare beneficiaries in rural areas, utilizing 2010-2017 Medicare Current Beneficiary Survey (MCBS) data. Provides data on receipt of opioid prescriptions among community-dwelling and facility-dwelling beneficiaries, associations between prescribing and chronic overlapping pain conditions (COPCs), and prescriptions exceeding CDC guidelines. Includes rural-urban comparisons.
Author(s): Yvonne Jonk, Heidi O'Connor, Karen Pearson, et al.
Date: 01/2025
Sponsoring organization: Maine Rural Health Research Center
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Trends and Patterns of Job Quality in the United States
Studies job quality trends including wage levels, employer sponsored health insurance, and retirement benefits between 2000 and 2022 for workers in metropolitan and nonmetropolitan areas as well as other demographic and industry factors.
Additional links: Report Summary
Author(s): Ephraim M. Nkonya, John Pender
Date: 01/2025
Sponsoring organization: USDA Economic Research Service
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Number of Census Tracts Classified Low Income and Low Access to Foodstores Increased in U.S. Urban and Rural Areas from 2015 to 2019
Bar chart comparing number of rural and urban census tracts classified as either or both low-income and low foodstore access between 2015 and 2019. Discusses reasons for the changes over time.
Author(s): Alana Rhone, Clio Polanco Cercado
Date: 01/2025
Sponsoring organization: USDA Economic Research Service
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