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Rural Health
Resources by Topic: Service delivery models

Delivery of High-Speed Broadband Services in Unserved and Underserved Areas of the Commonwealth (Pennsylvania): Fourth Annual Report
Provides an update on the role of broadband in education, telehealth, agriculture, and community and economic development; barriers to development; funding resources; developments in Pennsylvania state and local initiatives; and efforts to identify unserved and underserved Pennsylvania communities. Includes a discussion of the Pennsylvania Broadband Development Authority and new federal funding for expansion and development in Pennsylvania.
Additional links: Summary
Author(s): Yvonne Llewellyn Hursh, Lydia Hack, Allison N. Kobzowicz, Bryan W. DeWalt, Wendy L. Baker
Date: 07/2023
Type: Document
Sponsoring organization: Joint State Government Commission, General Assembly of the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania
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Rural Health Policy Landscape: Implications for Addressing Behavioral Health
Presentation slides from a July 22, 2023, presentation at the 48th Annual Rural Social Work Conference. Provides an overview of the federal, state, and commercial insurance policy landscapes regarding healthcare value and payment. Offers policy recommendations related to rural behavioral health.
Author(s): Keith J. Mueller
Date: 07/2023
Type: Document
Sponsoring organization: Rural Policy Research Institute
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MedPAC Data Book: Health Care Spending and the Medicare Program, 2023
Provides an overview of Medicare spending and highlights data on Medicare beneficiary demographics, dual-eligible beneficiaries, quality of care provided through the Medicare program, and other payer liability. Examines settings of care, including rural-specific provider sites, as they relate to spending, access to care, and profit margins. Compares rural and urban beneficiaries and providers throughout. Chart 6-2 addresses rural hospital closures.
Date: 07/2023
Type: Document
Sponsoring organization: Medicare Payment Advisory Commission
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Availability of Cancer Care Services and the Organization of Care Delivery at Critical Access Hospitals
Examines the availability and organization of cancer care services at Critical Access Hospitals (CAHs). Summarizes results of a survey of nursing and patient care leaders at 135 CAHs. Describes cancer treatment, diagnostic, and screening services provided at CAHs and the staff used to deliver patient care. Identifies four levels of CAH cancer care services.
Author(s): Ira Moscovice, Helen Parsons, Nathan Bean, et al.
Citation: Cancer Medicine, 2023
Date: 07/2023
Type: Document
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Changes in Telehealth Experienced by Advanced Practice RNs During COVID-19
Summarizes 7,467 advanced practice RNs' national survey responses from June-September 2020 about the use of telehealth before and during the pandemic, and analyzes free-text comments about how the use of telehealth changed during the pandemic. Discusses challenges in rural areas, including provider shortages and lack of broadband access.
Author(s): Mavis N. Schorn, Carole R. Myers, Julie Barroso, et al.
Citation: Computers, Informatics, Nursing, 41(7), 507–513
Date: 07/2023
Type: Document
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Expanded Report to Congress: Non-Emergency Medical Transportation in Medicaid, 2018–2021
Examines the Medicaid analysis of non-emergency medical transportation (NEMT) using Transformed Medicaid Statistical Information System (T-MSIS) data from 2018-2021. Explores the number and percentage of Medicaid beneficiaries using NEMT, the average number of NEMT "ride days" per NEMT user per month enrolled in Medicaid, the types of medical services accessed when using NEMT, monthly trends in the use of NEMT versus telehealth services before and during the COVID-19 public health emergency (PHE), and the volume of NEMT services used by type of NEMT delivery model. Offers recommendations for states and local stakeholders regarding Medicaid coverage of NEMT. Presents data by state and by beneficiary characteristics, including Medicaid eligibility category, health conditions, and urban-rural location.
Date: 07/2023
Type: Document
Sponsoring organizations: Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services, U.S. Department of Health and Human Services
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Rapid Implementation of Veterans Health Administration Telehealth Creative Arts Therapies: Survey Evaluation of Adoption and Adaptation
Discusses the adoption of telehealth to deliver creative arts therapies (CAT) to rural veterans via the Veterans Health Administration (VHA). Analyzes 2021 survey responses from 120 VHA CAT therapists focused on barriers and facilitators of telehealth CAT such as technology issues, adaptations need for tele-delivery, and potential benefits.
Author(s): Kristin M. Story, Mindy E. Flanagan, Sheri L. Robb, et al.
Citation: BMC Health Services Research, 23, 769
Date: 07/2023
Type: Document
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Updated Medicare FFS Telehealth Trends by Beneficiary Characteristics, Visit Specialty and State, 2019-2021
Examines telehealth visits by Medicare beneficiaries from 2019 through 2021. Compares telehealth use by patient characteristics, including urban and rural residence and Primary Care Health Professional Shortage Area (HPSA), visit specialty, health conditions, and state.
Author(s): Lok Wong Samson, Sara J. Couture, Tim B. Creedon, Laura Jacobus-Kantor, Steven Sheingold
Date: 07/2023
Type: Document
Sponsoring organization: HHS Office of the Assistant Secretary for Planning and Evaluation
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Evaluation of the Vermont All-Payer Accountable Care Organization Model: Third Evaluation Report
Evaluates the first four and a half performance years of the Vermont All-Payer Accountable Care Organization Model (VTAPM), which aims to assess whether scaling an Accountable Care Organization (ACO) across all payers in the state can reduce program expenditures while preserving or improving care quality. Discusses the implementation of the model, provider engagement, efforts to address population health goals; characteristics of participating hospitals, practitioners, and beneficiaries; and the model's impacts on Medicare spending, utilization, and quality of care. Describes trends in substance use disorder diagnosis and treatment for Medicaid members. Outlines challenges and lessons learned, as well as areas for future research.
Additional links: Findings at a Glance, Technical Appendices
Date: 07/2023
Type: Document
Sponsoring organizations: Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services, NORC at the University of Chicago
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Telemedicine and the Carbon Footprint of Healthcare: An Empirical Analysis of Illinois Counties
Examines the impact of telemedicine on reducing carbon emissions in Illinois. Provides metro versus nonmetro estimates as well as county-level estimates of carbon emissions savings in both outpatient and hospital settings.
Author(s): Adee Athiyaman
Date: 07/2023
Type: Document
Sponsoring organization: Illinois Institute for Rural Affairs
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