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Rural Veterans and Access to Healthcare – Resources

Selected recent or important resources focusing on Rural Veterans and Access to Healthcare.

Health Information Exchange: A Strategy for Improving Access for Rural Veterans in the Maine Flex Rural Veterans Health Access Program
Describes the design and implementation of a project to expand access to healthcare for rural veterans through a bi-directional link between a statewide Health Information Exchange (HIE) in Maine and Veterans Administration facilities. Discusses challenges and successes encountered in developing a health information system that is interoperable between a variety of complex agencies.
Author(s): Karen B. Pearson, Amanda Burgess, John A. Gale, Andrew F. Coburn, Anush Yousefian Hansen
Date: 05/2016
Type: Document
Sponsoring organization: Maine Rural Health Research Center
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Geographic Scope and Accessibility of a Centralized, Electronic Consult Program for Patients with Recent Fracture
Examines a e-consult program that is used in various Veterans Affairs (VA) medical centers to provide osteoporotic treatment to older men with fractures. Focuses on geographic distribution, accessibility to rural patients, and the impact and evaluation of treatment.
Author(s): Richard Lee, Megan Pearson, Kenneth W. Lyles, Patricia W. Jenkins, Cathleen Colon-Emeric
Citation: Rural and Remote Health, 16(1), 3440
Date: 01/2016
Type: Document
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Improved Veteran Access to Care Through the Veteran Health Information Exchange (VHIE) Retail Immunization Coordination Project
Presents a study on a coordination between the VA and Walgreens in an attempt to increase access to immunizations for rural veterans. Discusses the number of veterans who benefited from the program, as well as the distance traveled to both the VA and their nearest Walgreens to be vaccinated.
Author(s): Nathan Botts, Eric Pan, Lois Olinger, Margaret Donahue, Nelson Hsing
Citation: AMIA Annual Symposium Proceedings Archive, 2016, 326-331
Date: 2016
Type: Document
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Disability and Poverty Rates among Rural Veterans Have Increased from 2008 to 2014
Bar chart showing the rates of disability and poverty for rural veterans compared to rural non-veterans, highlighting changes from 2008 to 2014.
Date: 11/2015
Type: Chart/Graph
Sponsoring organization: USDA Economic Research Service
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Travel Time and Attrition From VHA Care Among Women Veterans: How Far is Too Far?
Examines whether travel time impacts women veterans decisions to drop Veterans Health Administration care, with a comparison of the impact of travel time on rural and urban women veterans (see Figure 2).
Author(s): Sarah A. Friedman, Susan M. Frayne, Eric Berg, et al.
Citation: Medical Care, 53(4 Suppl 1), S15-S22
Date: 04/2015
Type: Document
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Authorities and Mechanisms for Purchased Care at the Department of Veterans Affairs
Presents an independent assessment of the Purchased Care component from the Veterans Access, Choice, and Accountability Act of 2014. Discusses the system used to fill in gaps in care for veterans that live in rural areas or far from a VA Medical Center (VAMC). Compares the VA's system to other payer models in the federal government.
Author(s): Michael D. Greenberg, Caroline Batka, Christine Buttorff, et al.
Date: 2015
Type: Document
Sponsoring organization: RAND Corporation
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Resources and Capabilities of the Department of Veterans Affairs to Provide Timely and Accessible Care to Veterans
Provides an analysis of current and future Veterans Affairs (VA) healthcare resources and capabilities in rural and urban areas. Focuses on fiscal resources, workforce, physical infrastructure, health information technology, access to VA healthcare, challenges and enablers to access, healthcare quality, and policies to improve access to healthcare for veterans.
Date: 2015
Type: Document
Sponsoring organization: RAND Corporation
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Access to Behavioral Health Care for Geographically Remote Service Members and Dependents in the U.S.
Offers a geospatial analysis using TRICARE and other data to determine access to and utilization of mental and behavioral healthcare services for veterans who reside in remote locations. Recommends two pathways for improving access to care: telehealth service and collaborative care between primary care and specialty behavioral care.
Author(s): Ryan Andrew Brown, Grant N. Marshall, Joshua Breslau, et al.
Date: 2015
Type: Document
Sponsoring organization: RAND Corporation
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Rural Veterans: A Special Concern for Rural Health Advocates
Policy brief describing the special healthcare needs of rural veterans. Offers policy recommendations to address these issues. Covers access to primary care, specialty care, physical therapy, women's health services, and mental health services focusing on traumatic brain injury (TBI) and post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD).
Author(s): J. Alison Alfers, Hilda R. Heady
Date: 02/2014
Type: Document
Sponsoring organization: National Rural Health Association
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Addressing the Health Care Needs of Rural Veterans: A Guide for State Offices of Rural Health
Acts as a manual to assist the State Offices of Rural Health (SORHs) in addressing the healthcare needs of rural veterans. Includes information from the Veterans Health Administration (VHA) and the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) rural health programs. Covers statistics on the healthcare needs of rural veterans and recommends actions for SORHs to support the healthcare needs of rural veterans.
Date: 01/2014
Type: Document
Sponsoring organization: National Organization of State Offices of Rural Health
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Last Updated: 11/14/2024