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Rural Health Information Hub

Rural Health
Resources by State: California

Impact of Rural and Urban Hospital Closures on Inpatient Mortality
Examines the impact of California's hospital closures from 1995-2011 on adjusted inpatient mortality for sepsis, stroke, asthma/chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, and acute myocardial infarction. Features statistics including the number of closures by year, patient demographics with breakdowns by urban or rural location, and differential impacts of rural and urban closures with breakdowns by condition.
Author(s): Kritee Gujral, Anirban Basu
Citation: NBER Working Paper Series, Working Paper 26182
Date: 08/2019
Type: Document
Sponsoring organization: National Bureau of Economic Research
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Hospital Utilization Among Rural Children Served by Pediatric Neurology Telemedicine Clinics
Compares rates of emergency department visits and hospital admissions at a California academic children's hospital with similar groups of patients who received outpatient pediatric neurology care at remote telemedicine clinics or in-person clinics. Features statistics including baseline characteristics among telemedicine and in-person cohorts, and hospital encounter frequencies and rates.
Author(s): Parul Dayal, Celia H. Chang, William S. Benko
Citation: JAMA Network Open, 2(8)
Date: 08/2019
Type: Document
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Accelerating Value-Based Payment in California's Federally Qualified Health Centers: Options for Medicaid Health Plans
Highlights examples of value-based payment (VBP) models for Federally Qualified Health Centers (FQHCs), including a rural Hawaii model and a Colorado model that incorporates rural FQHCs. Covers Accountable Care Organization (ACO) models, state-led Capitated Alternative Payment Models (APMs), state-led quality payment adjustments, and Medicaid shared savings ACO models. Addresses how FQHCs and health plans can overcome challenges when launching new VBP models and offers recommendations for California's health plans.
Author(s): Greg Howe, Tricia McGinnis, Rob Houston
Date: 08/2019
Type: Document
Sponsoring organization: Center for Health Care Strategies
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Department of Health Care Services: It Has Not Ensured That Medi-Cal Beneficiaries in Some Rural Counties Have Reasonable Access to Care
Findings from a study to determine whether rural beneficiaries of the Medi-Cal Regional Model health plan were given acceptable access to care and adequate quality of care after the state transitioned into managed care plans in 2013. Includes county-level map showing Medi-Cal Managed Care Models and statistics showing maximum distance required to access care, with breakdowns by provider type.
Author(s): Elaine M. Howle
Citation: California State Auditor Report 2018-122
Date: 08/2019
Type: Document
Sponsoring organization: Auditor of the State of California
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Mental Health Status, Need, and Unmet Need for Mental Health Services Among U.S. Pacific Islanders
Study examining mental health needs for Native Hawaiian and other Pacific Islanders (NHPI) of Marshallese and Samoan descent residing in Los Angeles County and rural Northwest Arkansas. Presents survey data for anxiety, depression, and alcohol use as well as need for, avoidance of, and delay in seeking mental healthcare. Discusses prevalence of these issues among the 223 survey respondents, comparing rural and urban-residing populations and noting disparities by gender.
Author(s): Andrew M. Subica, Nia Aitaoto, Bruce G. Link, et al.
Citation: Psychiatric Services, 70(7), 578-585
Date: 07/2019
Type: Document
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California American Indian/Alaska Native Maternal and Infant Health Status Report
Report details the maternal and infant vital statistics for American Indians and Alaska Natives in California. Highlights data pertaining to AI/AN infant and maternal health on the county-level and by demographic, such as age, marital status, and education.
Date: 06/2019
Type: Document
Sponsoring organization: California Department of Public Health
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Older Americans Act: HHS Could Help Rural Service Providers by Centralizing Information on Promising Practices
Focuses on services and resources authorized by the Older Americans Act to help older adults age in place in rural communities. Addresses challenges accessing home and community-based services in rural areas and information on strategies for addressing those challenges. Covers home-delivered meals, congregate meals, transportation, family caregiver services, case management, and homemaker services. Research included interviews with ACL officials, rural area agencies on aging (AAA) in 8 states, rural health experts, and stakeholder groups; a literature review; and site visits.
Additional links: Full Report
Date: 05/2019
Type: Document
Sponsoring organization: Government Accountability Office
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Supporting Rural Health: Practical Solutions for State Policymakers
Reports on 3 regional meetings of state health policy leaders and national experts regarding top rural health concerns and successful models for addressing them. Highlights lessons for policymakers from rural health initiatives focused on community health, strategies for expanding rural health workforce capacity, and examples of states working with research centers to develop evidence-based policies. Includes models from several states for each area discussed.
Author(s): Emily Whelan Parento
Date: 05/2019
Type: Document
Sponsoring organization: Milbank Memorial Fund
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Briefing - Expanding the Role of Nurse Practitioners
Webinar recording and slides on expanding the role of nurse practitioners, focusing on models from Nevada, Colorado, and New Mexico, and what California can learn from them. Includes information on nurse practitioners providing care in rural and frontier areas, as well as what they are doing to help combat the opioid epidemic.
Date: 05/2019
Type: Video/Multimedia
Sponsoring organization: California Health Care Foundation
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Isolated, Small, and Large Hospitals Have Fewer Nursing Resources than Urban Hospitals: Implications for Rural Health Policy
Describes the nurse work environment, nurse education, nursing skill mix, and patient-to-registered nurse (RN) ratios across hospitals in California, Florida, and Pennsylvania. Examines how the findings differ by urban, large, small, and isolated hospitals, and discusses the potential impact on patient outcomes.
Author(s): Jessica G. Smith, Colin M. Plover, Moira C. McChesney, Eileen T. Lake
Citation: Public Health Nursing, 36(4), 469-477
Date: 04/2019
Type: Document
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