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Rural Health
Resources by Type: Document

The Relationship Between Felt Stigma and Non-Fatal Overdose among Rural People Who Use Drugs
Analyzes associations between felt stigma and recent non-fatal overdose among 2,608 rural people who use opioids from January 2018 to March 2020. Discusses factors influencing stigma in rural areas and describes interventions which reduce stigma-related barriers to treatment and overdose prevention.
Author(s): Adams L. Sibley, Emma Klein, Hannah L.F. Cooper, et al.
Citation: Harm Reduction Journal, 21, 77
Date: 04/2024
Type: Document
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Indian Health Service: Opportunities Exist to Improve Clinician Screening Adherence and Oversight
Examines the Indian Health Service's (IHS) oversight of the credentialing and privileging process that reviews and verifies the professional qualifications of IHS physicians. Describes administrative tasks performed by IHS clinicians at federally operated facilities and the amount of time spent on these tasks. Offers recommendations to IHS, including the development of a single, authoritative source outlining procedures to meet credentialing and privileging requirements.
Additional links: Full Report
Date: 04/2024
Type: Document
Sponsoring organization: Government Accountability Office
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Locations and Characteristics of Pharmacy Deserts in the United States: A Geospatial Study
Classifies census tracts as pharmacy deserts or non-pharmacy deserts. Compares pharmacy desert and non-pharmacy desert areas by various social determinants of health and pharmacy characteristics including rurality. See the supplemental materials for state-by-state and rural/urban comparisons.
Author(s): Rachel Wittenauer, Parth D. Shah, Jennifer L. Bacci, Andy Stergachis
Citation: Health Affairs Scholar, 2(4)
Date: 04/2024
Type: Document
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Evaluation of the Maryland Total Cost of Care Model: Progress Report
Provides an overview of the Maryland Total Cost of Care Model and evaluates the first four years of the program, 2019-2022. Explores the effects of the model on Medicare spending; service use, including preventable hospital use; and healthcare quality measures. Estimates the potential impact of switching Maryland to the Medicare prospective payment system (PPS) on Medicare spending and service use, including implications for rural and safety net hospitals.
Additional links: Appendices, Findings at a Glance, Transformation Spotlight
Date: 04/2024
Type: Document
Sponsoring organizations: Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services, Mathematica
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2023 National CAH Quality Inventory & Assessment National Report
Presents a high-level summary of key data points from the October-December 2023 National Critical Access Hospital (CAH) Quality Inventory and Assessment. Includes data on CAH system affiliation; median average daily census and emergency department volume; hospital inpatient, behavioral health and specialty care, and outpatient and other service lines; and CAH quality payment model participation.
Author(s): Megan Lahr, Robert Barclay, Madeleine Pick
Date: 04/2024
Type: Document
Sponsoring organization: Flex Monitoring Team
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Eyes on the Road: Assessing the Quality of Wisconsin's Local Roads
Provides an overview on the quality of Wisconsin local roads. Includes data on roads presented by municipality and county, with additional discussion about rural roads.
Date: 04/2024
Type: Document
Sponsoring organization: Wisconsin Policy Forum
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Assessing the Impact of COVID-19 on Rural Hospitals
Explores the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on rural hospital financial performance. Presents data on profitability and patient care margin trends from 2017 to 2022. Describes characteristics of rural hospitals in three categories of patient care margins: those that always had negative margins, always had positive margins, and those with mixed margins. Discusses the impact of COVID-19 relief funding on total hospital margins.
Author(s): Saleema A. Karim, Nathan W. Carroll, Paula H. Song, Adam Atherly
Date: 04/2024
Type: Document
Sponsoring organizations: American Hospital Association, Department of Health Administration at the Virginia Commonwealth University College of Health Professions
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Communities Need Safe Drinking Water: A Rural Environmental Justice Case Study
Discusses access to clean drinking water in rural, underserved communities and Native nations, and presents case studies of communities working to improve environmental health equity. Features the Environmental Justice Community Action Network (EJCAN) of North Carolina, the Rural Community Assistance Corporation (RCAC) of the Native Village of Hooper Bay, Alaska, and community leaders in Ivanhoe, North Carolina.
Author(s): Rebecca Huenink
Date: 04/2024
Type: Document
Sponsoring organization: Aspen Institute
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Federal Retail Pharmacy Program Contributions to Bivalent mRNA COVID-19 Vaccinations Across Sociodemographic Characteristics — United States, September 1, 2022–September 30, 2023
Reports on COVID-19 bivalent vaccine doses administered by pharmacies participating in the Federal Retail Pharmacy Program (FRPP) from September 1, 2022–September 30, 2023. Includes data on doses administered in urban and rural settings and discusses urban compared to rural contributions of FRPP pharmacies.
Author(s): Roua El Kalach, Nkenge Jones-Jack, Mattie A. Elam, et al.
Citation: MMWR (Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report), 73(13), 286-290
Date: 04/2024
Type: Document
Sponsoring organization: Centers for Disease Control and Prevention
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Medicare Payment for Rural or Geographically Isolated Hospitals
Displays data on Medicare payment adjustments for Sole Community Hospitals, Medicare-Dependent Hospitals, Low-Volume Hospitals, and Critical Access Hospitals. Includes information on the number of qualifying hospitals by state and eligibility criteria.
Date: 04/2024
Type: Document
Sponsoring organization: Congressional Research Service
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