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Rural Health
Resources by Type: Document

Outpatient Telehealth Use Soared Early in the COVID-19 Pandemic but Has since Receded
Brief examining outpatient telehealth visits from March 2019 to August 2021 based on a data set that includes over 126 million patients from 889 hospitals and 19,320 clinics nationwide. Covers changes in telehealth use during the pandemic, telehealth use by age group and sex, rural and urban rates of telehealth use, and telehealth use for management of chronic conditions. Discusses impacts on healthcare access, cost, quality, and outcomes, as well as policy implications.
Author(s): Justin Lo, Matthew Rae, Krutika Ann, Cynthia Cox
Date: 02/2022
Sponsoring organizations: KFF, Peterson Center on Healthcare
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How States Can Expand Health Care Access in Rural Communities
Discusses policy options states could use to increase access to care and the supply of healthcare providers in rural areas. Covers financial assistance programs for medical and dental education; malpractice reform; scope of practice changes for advanced practice registered nurses, physician assistants, and dental health aide therapists; telemedicine parity; and mobile clinics.
Date: 02/2022
Sponsoring organization: Center for American Progress
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Estimating Mortality from Coal Workers' Pneumoconiosis Among Medicare Beneficiaries with Pneumoconiosis Using Binary Regressions for Spatially Sparse Data
Results of a study to estimate the excess risk associated with mortality from various pneumoconioses among Medicare beneficiaries and to assess how the combined individual and county‐level factors contribute to the increased mortality risk of coal workers' pneumoconiosis. Uses data from 2011-2014 and features statistics with breakdowns by rural and non-rural locations.
Author(s): Rajib Paul, Oluwaseun Adeyemi, Ahmed A. Arif
Citation: American Journal of Industrial Medicine, 2022, 1-6
Date: 02/2022
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Demographics of High-Income Households In Rural Illinois, 2021
Explores profiles and distribution of income in rural Illinois among households in top income brackets. Provides demographic information on family type/size, age, race, and education. Discusses implications for rural communities.
Author(s): Adee Athiyaman, Chris Merrett
Date: 02/2022
Sponsoring organization: Illinois Institute for Rural Affairs
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Commission on Combating Synthetic Opioid Trafficking Final Report
Reports on synthetic drug trafficking in the U.S., including the challenges for law enforcement, need for updated drug policy, and surveillance and data analysis concerns. Discusses public health considerations and challenges for reducing the demand for drugs via treatment. Technical Appendixes include rural references throughout, and Figure B.5 shows opioid-involved overdose deaths by Core-Based Statistical Areas (CBSAs) for 2000-2019.
Additional links: Technical Appendixes
Date: 02/2022
Sponsoring organizations: Drug Enforcement Administration, Office of National Drug Control Policy, Office of the Director of National Intelligence, RAND Corporation, U.S. Department of Defense, U.S. Department of Homeland Security, U.S. Department of State, U.S. Department of Treasury, U.S. House of Representatives, U.S. Senate
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Pandemic Increases Pressure on Rural Hospitals & Communities: Vulnerability, Health Inequity and Staffing Crisis Amplified in Pandemic's Third Year
Examines the stability of the rural healthcare safety net. Discusses disparities between rural and urban communities and communities with hospitals vulnerable to closure. Describes the benefits of COVID-19 relief funding on rural hospitals and how scheduled reimbursement cuts and staffing shortages could impact hospitals' financial stability. Also discusses how staffing shortages impact access to obstetrics and chemotherapy care in rural areas.
Date: 02/2022
Sponsoring organization: Chartis Center for Rural Health
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The Problem Of The Color Line: Spatial Access To Hospital Services For Minoritized Racial And Ethnic Groups
Study examining healthcare access by race and geography, covering distances to hospital services for minoritized ZIP Code Tabulation Areas (ZTCAs). Discusses factors that lead to disparities in access for rural minority communities, including policy, rural hospital closures, and safety-net program issues.
Additional links: Story Map: The Problem Of The Color Line
Author(s): Jan M. Eberth, Peiyin Hung, Gabriel A. Benavidez, et al.
Citation: Health Affairs, 41(2), 237-246
Date: 02/2022
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Persistently Poor Rural Counties Experienced Lower Employment Impacts From the Coronavirus (COVID-19) Pandemic but Have Higher Cumulative COVID-19 Case Rates
Examines COVID-19 case rates among persistently poor rural counties in relation to economic impacts from the pandemic. Offers comparative data on job losses and vaccination rates for metro and nonmetro counties with persistent poverty and non-persistent poverty based on USDA Economic Research Service data and U.S. Department of Commerce, Bureau of the Census and Bureau of Labor Statistics data.
Author(s): Elizabeth A. Dobis, Thomas Krumel, Austin Sanders
Citation: Amber Waves
Date: 02/2022
Sponsoring organization: USDA Economic Research Service
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Rural Working-Age Adults Report Worse Health Than Their Urban Peers
Examines differences in self-rated physical health among residents of large urban counties, medium/small urban counties, metro-adjacent counties, and remote rural counties. Uses data from a survey of approximately 4,000 U.S. adults ages 18-64, conducted in February-March 2021.
Author(s): Shannon M. Monnat, Danielle C. Rhubart
Date: 02/2022
Sponsoring organization: Lerner Center for Public Health Promotion
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Using Machine Learning to Identify Factors Associated with Practice Location of the Healthcare Workforce
Results of a study applying machine learning techniques to identify factors predicting the decision of physicians, nurses, dentists, and pharmacists to practice in a rural area. Uses data sets collected by the Utah Medical Education Council in 2014, 2016, and 2017. Features statistics with breakdowns by rural and non-rural location.
Author(s): Jerry Bounsanga, Martin S. Lipsky, Eric S. Hon, et al.
Citation: Rural and Remote Health, 22(1), 7050
Date: 02/2022
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