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Rural Health
Resources by Topic: Social determinants of health

Assessment of Strategies Used in US Hospitals to Address Social Needs During the COVID-19 Pandemic
Presents findings on efforts to address social determinants of health (SDOH) by rural hospitals, Critical Access Hospitals (CAHs), and safety-net hospitals according to 2020 American Hospital Association survey data. Discusses rates of social needs among patient populations served by rural and urban hospitals and rates of SDOH screening and community partnerships.
Author(s): Jose F. Figueroa, Ciara Duggan, Cristina Toledo-Cornell, et al.
Citation: JAMA Health Forum, 3(10), e223764
Date: 10/2022
Type: Document
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Using Z Codes to Improve Health Equity in Rural Indiana
Describes how Cameron Memorial Community Hospital, a Critical Access Hospital in Indiana, used ICD-10-CM Z codes to detect and address patients' social needs as part of its health equity strategy.
Date: 10/2022
Type: Document
Sponsoring organization: American Hospital Association
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Socioeconomic Factors Affecting Outcomes in Total Knee and Hip Arthroplasty: A Systematic Review on Healthcare Disparities
Examines health disparities in patient access, utilization, and outcomes related to total joint arthroplasty (TJA). Conducts a literature review of 44 studies that discuss socioeconomic factors associated with TJA disparities such as insurance type, socioeconomic status, hospital volume, and rural versus urban geographic location.
Author(s): Paul M. Alvarez, John F. McKeon, Andrew I. Spitzer, et al.
Citation: Arthroplasty, 4, 36
Date: 10/2022
Type: Document
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2022 Missouri Poverty Report
Provides county-level data on poverty and its related impacts in Missouri. Includes information on education, food and nutrition, health and mental health, housing, benefit programs such as Medicaid and the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP), the impact of COVID-19, and more.
Date: 09/2022
Type: Document
Sponsoring organization: Missouri Community Action Network
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Impact of Social Vulnerability on Comorbid Cancer and Cardiovascular Disease Mortality in the United States
Examines racial and social disparities as related to cancer and cardiovascular disease (CVD) mortality. Utilizes 2015-2019 data from the Centers for Disease Control (CDC) and Prevention Wide-Ranging Online Data for Epidemiologic Research (WONDER) database to analyze mortality rates and 2014-2018 data from the CDC's Agency for Toxic Substances and Disease Registry to estimate the respective county-level social vulnerability index (SVI). Includes demographic breakdowns of mortality rates according to age, sex, race/ethnicity, and large metropolitan, medium small metropolitan, or micropolitan/noncore (nonmetropolitan) location.
Author(s): Sarju Ganatra, Sourbha S. Dani, Ashish Kumar, et al.
Citation: Journal of American College of Cardiology: CardioOncology, 4(3), 326-337
Date: 09/2022
Type: Document
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Health Panel Comment Letter – Medicare Shared Savings Program Requirements
Comments offered in response to a July 29, 2022, proposed rule regarding changes to the Medicare Shared Savings Program (SSP) to facilitate more widespread participation in Accountable Care Organizations (ACOs). Discusses how changes will impact rural Medicare beneficiaries, as well as challenges to extending ACOs to all rural counties. Covers advanced interest payments, extended time in one-sided risk, changes to calculating benchmarks, proposals to allow low revenue ACOs to realize shared savings at a lower minimum, a health equity adjustment, and social determinants of health measures.
Date: 09/2022
Type: Document
Sponsoring organization: Rural Policy Research Institute Rural Health Panel
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Landscape of Area-Level Deprivation Measures and Other Approaches to Account for Social Risk and Social Determinants of Health in Health Care Payments
Examines social determinants of health (SDOH) at the community level and their impact on health-related social needs (HRSNs) of the individual. Discusses how policies related to federal payment systems can incentivize screening for HRSNs as well as referrals to appropriate social and behavioral services. Provides an environmental scan of what measures can be used to provide accountability for funding and policy efforts targeted at SDOH. Includes an appendix that defines and describes indices of social risk, such as the social vulnerability index (SVI) and area deprivation index (ADI), as well as payment models that include measures of social risk.
Author(s): Joshua Breslau, Laurie Martin, Justin Timbie, Nabeel Qureshi, Deborah Zajdman
Date: 09/2022
Type: Document
Sponsoring organizations: HHS Office of the Assistant Secretary for Planning and Evaluation, RAND Corporation
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A Recap of Medicaid Non-Emergency Medical Transportation (NEMT) Listening Sessions
Provides an overview of the impact of Medicaid Non-Emergency Medical Transportation (NEMT) services as well as feedback from mobility providers and stakeholders during Center for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) listening sessions. Presents discussions about public transportation coordination, the relationship between transportation services and social determinants of health, implications of Transportation Network Companies (TNCs) on users with disabilities, and data reporting. Includes information specific to rural populations.
Date: 09/2022
Type: Document
Sponsoring organization: National Aging and Disability Transportation Center
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Consumer Finances in Rural Appalachia
Describes the financial needs and challenges of consumers in rural Appalachia. Features sections on consumer finance profiles, including a section on medical debt, and consumer distress and delinquencies. Appendix A includes state-level statistics for the 13 Appalachian states, including percent of rural people with medical debt in the state.
Author(s): Matthew Liu, Cooper Luce, Michael Orevba, Shawn Sebastian, Cortnie Shupe
Date: 09/2022
Type: Document
Sponsoring organization: Consumer Financial Protection Bureau
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"How Do We Get to Them?" Insights on Preconception and Interconception Health for Women in Rural Northwest Ohio
Examines preconception and interconception health concerns for women of a reproductive age living in rural Hardin County. Analyzes semistructured interviews with 14 community participants and discusses 3 themes related to women's health: available resources, community observations about social determinants and access, and potential health intervention strategies.
Author(s): Akia D. Clark, Natalie A. DiPietro Mager
Citation: Ohio Journal of Public Health, 5(1), 85-93
Date: 08/2022
Type: Document
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