Healthcare Access in Rural Communities – Resources
Selected recent or important resources focusing on Healthcare Access in Rural Communities.
Rural Working-Age Adults Report More Cost Barriers to Health Care
Policy brief examining rural-urban differences in affordability of care and cost-saving strategies among adults ages 18-64. Features demographics and statistics on prescription drug cost-saving measures and difficulty affording medical care in the past year, with breakdowns by rural and urban location.
Author(s): Erika C. Ziller, Carly Milkowski, Amanda Burgess
Date: 03/2023
Type: Document
Sponsoring organization: Maine Rural Health Research Center
view details
Policy brief examining rural-urban differences in affordability of care and cost-saving strategies among adults ages 18-64. Features demographics and statistics on prescription drug cost-saving measures and difficulty affording medical care in the past year, with breakdowns by rural and urban location.
Author(s): Erika C. Ziller, Carly Milkowski, Amanda Burgess
Date: 03/2023
Type: Document
Sponsoring organization: Maine Rural Health Research Center
view details
Access to Health Services Across Rural and Urban Minoritized Racial/Ethnic Group Areas
Summarizes results from a series of reports documenting disparities in access to health services nationwide across ZIP Code Tabulation Areas (ZCTAs) categorized by rurality and racial and ethnic composition. Presents data on the distance to care from the population center of rural and urban ZCTAs to the nearest provider. Covers first line, higher acuity, and home-based services.
Date: 03/2023
Type: Document
Sponsoring organization: Rural and Minority Health Research Center (formerly the South Carolina Rural Health Research Center)
view details
Summarizes results from a series of reports documenting disparities in access to health services nationwide across ZIP Code Tabulation Areas (ZCTAs) categorized by rurality and racial and ethnic composition. Presents data on the distance to care from the population center of rural and urban ZCTAs to the nearest provider. Covers first line, higher acuity, and home-based services.
Date: 03/2023
Type: Document
Sponsoring organization: Rural and Minority Health Research Center (formerly the South Carolina Rural Health Research Center)
view details
Implementation of a Women's Reproductive Behavioral Health Telemedicine Program: A Qualitative Study of Barriers and Facilitators In Obstetric and Pediatric Clinics
Results of a study exploring a South Carolina telemedicine program for the treatment of Perinatal Mood and Anxiety Disorders and Perinatal Substance Use Disorders in obstetric and pediatric providers in the outpatient community practice setting. Features statistics with breakdowns by urban or rural location.
Author(s): Katherine R. Sterba, Emily E. Johnson, Edie Douglas, et al.
Citation: BMC Pregnancy and Childbirth, 23, 167
Date: 03/2023
Type: Document
view details
Results of a study exploring a South Carolina telemedicine program for the treatment of Perinatal Mood and Anxiety Disorders and Perinatal Substance Use Disorders in obstetric and pediatric providers in the outpatient community practice setting. Features statistics with breakdowns by urban or rural location.
Author(s): Katherine R. Sterba, Emily E. Johnson, Edie Douglas, et al.
Citation: BMC Pregnancy and Childbirth, 23, 167
Date: 03/2023
Type: Document
view details
Rates of Primary Care and Integrated Mental Health Telemedicine Visits Between Rural and Urban Veterans Affairs Beneficiaries Before and After the Onset of the COVID-19 Pandemic
Shares the results of a study examining changes over time in rural-urban differences in telemedicine use for primary care and mental health integration services among Veterans Affairs (VA) beneficiaries. Uses data from 138 VA healthcare systems from March 2019 to December 2021. Features demographics and statistics with breakdowns by visit type and rural or urban area.
Author(s): Lucinda B. Leung, Caroline Yoo, Karen Chu, et al.
Citation: JAMA Network Open, 6(3)
Date: 03/2023
Type: Document
view details
Shares the results of a study examining changes over time in rural-urban differences in telemedicine use for primary care and mental health integration services among Veterans Affairs (VA) beneficiaries. Uses data from 138 VA healthcare systems from March 2019 to December 2021. Features demographics and statistics with breakdowns by visit type and rural or urban area.
Author(s): Lucinda B. Leung, Caroline Yoo, Karen Chu, et al.
Citation: JAMA Network Open, 6(3)
Date: 03/2023
Type: Document
view details
Impact of Tele-Emergency Consultations on Pediatric Interfacility Transfers: A Cluster-Randomized Crossover Trial
Results of a study examining the use of pediatric critical care telemedicine compared with telephone consultations associated with transfer rates of acutely ill children from community and rural emergency departments. Features statistics including baseline characteristics and disposition of patients in the telemedicine and telephone groups.
Author(s): James P. Marcin, Hadley S. Sauers-Ford, Jamie L. Mouzoon, et al.
Citation: JAMA Network Open, 6(2)
Date: 02/2023
Type: Document
view details
Results of a study examining the use of pediatric critical care telemedicine compared with telephone consultations associated with transfer rates of acutely ill children from community and rural emergency departments. Features statistics including baseline characteristics and disposition of patients in the telemedicine and telephone groups.
Author(s): James P. Marcin, Hadley S. Sauers-Ford, Jamie L. Mouzoon, et al.
Citation: JAMA Network Open, 6(2)
Date: 02/2023
Type: Document
view details
Rural Population Health in the United States: A Chartbook
Presents rural population health data by Census region and state, with some data by sex, race, and ethnicity. Includes U.S. maps showing county-level data as well as a variety of charts, including rural-urban disparity charts, state summary charts, and more. Topics addressed include access to care, health outcomes and risks, mortality, social determinants of health, and socioeconomic data.
Author(s): Randy Randolph, Sharita Thomas, Mark Holmes, et al.
Date: 02/2023
Type: Document
Sponsoring organization: North Carolina Rural Health Research Program
view details
Presents rural population health data by Census region and state, with some data by sex, race, and ethnicity. Includes U.S. maps showing county-level data as well as a variety of charts, including rural-urban disparity charts, state summary charts, and more. Topics addressed include access to care, health outcomes and risks, mortality, social determinants of health, and socioeconomic data.
Author(s): Randy Randolph, Sharita Thomas, Mark Holmes, et al.
Date: 02/2023
Type: Document
Sponsoring organization: North Carolina Rural Health Research Program
view details
Pre-Pandemic Geographic Access to Hospital-Based Telehealth for Cancer Care in the United States
Explores the availability of telehealth and oncology services across geographic and sociodemographic domains before the start of the COVID-19 pandemic. Utilizes 2019 and 2020 data sources to examine hospital characteristics by telehealth and oncology services, with information on hospital ownership, number of hospital beds, Health Professional Shortage Area (HPSA) status, presence of Rural Health Clinic (RHC) co-located at hospital, and more. Includes availability of telehealth, oncology, and hospital services broken down by county; HPSA status; income, average age, and race/ethnicity of residents; ratio of population to primary care physicians; rural noncore, rural micropolitan, or urban status; and more.
Author(s): David I. Shalowitz, Peiyin Hung, Whitney E. Zahnd, Jan Eberth
Citation: PLoS One, 18(1)
Date: 01/2023
Type: Document
view details
Explores the availability of telehealth and oncology services across geographic and sociodemographic domains before the start of the COVID-19 pandemic. Utilizes 2019 and 2020 data sources to examine hospital characteristics by telehealth and oncology services, with information on hospital ownership, number of hospital beds, Health Professional Shortage Area (HPSA) status, presence of Rural Health Clinic (RHC) co-located at hospital, and more. Includes availability of telehealth, oncology, and hospital services broken down by county; HPSA status; income, average age, and race/ethnicity of residents; ratio of population to primary care physicians; rural noncore, rural micropolitan, or urban status; and more.
Author(s): David I. Shalowitz, Peiyin Hung, Whitney E. Zahnd, Jan Eberth
Citation: PLoS One, 18(1)
Date: 01/2023
Type: Document
view details
Geographic Access to Pediatric Cancer Care in the US
Examines estimated travel time for various populations to access pediatric cancer care in the United States. Analyzes data from more than 90 million children and adolescents and young adults (AYAs) extracted from 2015-2019 American Community Survey 5-year estimates. Includes demographic breakdowns of median travel time by race/ethnicity, age, health insurance status, area deprivation index (ADI), U.S. region, and urban, large town, small town, or rural location. Provides maps that show travel time from population centroids of U.S. ZIP code tabulation areas as well as per capita pediatric oncologist supply by Census division and state.
Author(s): Xiaohui Liu, Mark N. Fluchel, Anne C. Kirchhoff, Haojie Zhu, Tracy Onega
Citation: JAMA Network Open, 6(1), e2251524
Date: 01/2023
Type: Document
view details
Examines estimated travel time for various populations to access pediatric cancer care in the United States. Analyzes data from more than 90 million children and adolescents and young adults (AYAs) extracted from 2015-2019 American Community Survey 5-year estimates. Includes demographic breakdowns of median travel time by race/ethnicity, age, health insurance status, area deprivation index (ADI), U.S. region, and urban, large town, small town, or rural location. Provides maps that show travel time from population centroids of U.S. ZIP code tabulation areas as well as per capita pediatric oncologist supply by Census division and state.
Author(s): Xiaohui Liu, Mark N. Fluchel, Anne C. Kirchhoff, Haojie Zhu, Tracy Onega
Citation: JAMA Network Open, 6(1), e2251524
Date: 01/2023
Type: Document
view details
Shorter Time to Treatment Is Associated With Improved Survival in Rural Patients With Breast Cancer Despite Other Adverse Socioeconomic Factors
Analyzes the relationship between time to treatment initiation (TTI) and overall survival (OS) of cancer patients. Examines 1,205,031 women with breast cancer from 2004 to 2012 by socioeconomic and demographic information, with data further broken down by rural versus urban location.
Author(s): Minh-Tri Nguyen, Wei Wei, Gregory Cooper, Alok A. Khorana, Suneel D. Kamath
Citation: Oncology, 37(1), 19-24
Date: 01/2023
Type: Document
view details
Analyzes the relationship between time to treatment initiation (TTI) and overall survival (OS) of cancer patients. Examines 1,205,031 women with breast cancer from 2004 to 2012 by socioeconomic and demographic information, with data further broken down by rural versus urban location.
Author(s): Minh-Tri Nguyen, Wei Wei, Gregory Cooper, Alok A. Khorana, Suneel D. Kamath
Citation: Oncology, 37(1), 19-24
Date: 01/2023
Type: Document
view details
Variations in Affordability of Health Care by Non-Metropolitan/Metropolitan and Race/Ethnicity Status across Eight Geographically Dispersed States
Examines affordability of healthcare in terms of healthcare coverage, forgone healthcare due to cost, forgone medications due to cost, and needing to pay back healthcare bills over time. Analyzes data from respondents aged 18-64 participating in the Behavioral Risk Factor Surveillance System (BRFSS) survey, with information broken down by race/ethnicity and metropolitan versus non-metropolitan.
Author(s): Whitney E. Zahnd, Radhika Ranganathan, Elizabeth L. Crouch, et al.
Date: 01/2023
Type: Document
Sponsoring organization: Rural and Minority Health Research Center (formerly the South Carolina Rural Health Research Center)
view details
Examines affordability of healthcare in terms of healthcare coverage, forgone healthcare due to cost, forgone medications due to cost, and needing to pay back healthcare bills over time. Analyzes data from respondents aged 18-64 participating in the Behavioral Risk Factor Surveillance System (BRFSS) survey, with information broken down by race/ethnicity and metropolitan versus non-metropolitan.
Author(s): Whitney E. Zahnd, Radhika Ranganathan, Elizabeth L. Crouch, et al.
Date: 01/2023
Type: Document
Sponsoring organization: Rural and Minority Health Research Center (formerly the South Carolina Rural Health Research Center)
view details
Additional resources are available related to this guide. See the full list of resources by topic for:
Last Updated: 5/18/2024