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Rural Health
Resources by Topic: Technology for health and human services

Pre-Pandemic Assessment: A Decade of Progress in Electronic Health Record Adoption among U.S. Hospitals
Assessment of trends in electronic health record adoption between 2009 and 2020. Compares hospitals by rurality, size, ownership, and more. Discusses the impacts of COVID-19.
Author(s): John (Xuefeng) Jiang, Kangkang Qi, Ge Bai, Kevin Schulman
Citation: Health Affairs Scholar, 1(5)
Date: 11/2023
Type: Document
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Why Do Older, White, Rural Residents Have Slower Broadband Speeds?
Evaluates the role of age and rurality in slower broadband speeds for older, white, rural residents. Discusses the concept of a reverse digital divide.
Author(s): Robert Gallardo
Citation: The Daily Yonder
Date: 11/2023
Type: Document
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Understanding Rural-Urban Differences in Veterans' Internet Access Use, and Patient Preferences for Telemedicine
Report breaks down differences in internet access, use, and opinions about telehealth for rural and urban veterans. Bases findings on interviews with eligible veterans and highlights veterans' experiences with telehealth.
Date: 11/2023
Type: Document
Sponsoring organization: Veterans Health Administration's Office of Rural Health
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Why Rural Matters 2023: Centering Equity and Opportunity
Report describing schools in rural communities. Discusses the impact of COVID-19, access to psychologists and mental health supports, impact on poverty, broadband access, and more. Includes state-level comparisons.
Author(s): Daniel Showalter, Sara L. Hartman, Karen Eppley, Jerry Johnson, Bob Klein
Date: 11/2023
Type: Document
Sponsoring organization: National Rural Education Association
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Identifying Strategies for Strengthening the Health Care Workforce in the Commonwealth of Virginia
Provides an overview of recent trends in the shortage of the nursing, primary care, and behavioral healthcare workforce in Virginia. Summarizes findings from an environmental scan and qualitative and quantitative data analysis regarding recruitment and retention strategies. Identifies interventions that could help the Virginia Health Workforce Development Authority (VHWDA) successfully address workforce shortages and which interventions should be prioritized based on desired policy outcomes. Presents a system dynamic model simulating the medium- to long-term supply and employment trends within Virginia's healthcare workforce under status quo conditions and under various policy interventions. Includes information on recruitment and retention in rural areas throughout.
Additional links: Annex, Research Brief: Recommendations for Strengthening the Health Care Workforce in the Commonwealth of Virginia
Author(s): Megan Andrew, Brian Briscombe, Raffaele Vardavas, et al.
Date: 11/2023
Type: Document
Sponsoring organization: RAND Corporation
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Advancing Health Equity in Rural, Tribal, and Geographically Isolated Communities: FY2023 Year in Review
Summarizes Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) activities in fiscal year 2023 to advance health equity for people living in rural, tribal, and geographically isolated communities. Covers six priority focus areas: applying a community-informed geographic lens; increasing the collection and use of standardized data; strengthening and supporting healthcare professionals; optimizing medical and communication technology; expanding access to comprehensive healthcare coverage, benefits, and services and supports; and driving innovation and value-based care.
Date: 11/2023
Type: Document
Sponsoring organization: Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services
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HHS is Taking Action to Strengthen Primary Care
Describes the importance of primary care to improving access to healthcare, the health and well-being of individuals and communities, and health equity. Discusses challenges facing primary care and outlines actions taken by the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) to address these challenges. Covers primary care payment, workforce, access, health information technology, and research and practice improvement support.
Date: 11/2023
Type: Document
Sponsoring organization: U.S. Department of Health and Human Services
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QuickStats: Percentage of Adults Who Used the Internet in the Past 12 Months to Communicate with a Doctor or Doctor's Office, by Urbanization Level — National Health Interview Survey, United States, July–December 2022
Bar chart showing adult use of the internet to communicate with a doctor, with data by location of residence for metropolitan, micropolitan, and noncore areas.
Citation: MMWR (Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report), 72(44), 1207
Date: 11/2023
Type: Chart/Graph
Sponsoring organization: Centers for Disease Control and Prevention
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5G Fund for Rural America: Current Status and Issues
Provides an overview of the Federal Communications Commission's (FCC) 5G Fund for Rural America, an initiative to bring voice and high-speed mobile broadband services to rural areas unlikely to see 5G cellular deployments without subsidies. Outlines considerations and concerns raised by members of Congress about the program.
Date: 11/2023
Type: Document
Sponsoring organization: Congressional Research Service
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Closing the Broadband Infrastructure Gap: State Grant Funds and the Digital Divide
Analyzes Pew Trusts data on awarded broadband grants in 17 states between 2014 and 2020 to determine common characteristics of funded projects, criteria for allocation, and communities reached. Includes discussion of implications for Broadband Equity, Access, and Deployment (BEAD) funds and the impact on existing disparities. Offers rural and urban comparisons.
Additional links: Q&A with Pew Trusts, Summary
Author(s): Natassia A. Bravo, Mildred E. Warner
Date: 10/2023
Type: Document
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