Rural Health
Resources by Topic: Access
Flying Hope: Lifeline Pilots Connects Hoosiers to Life-Saving Medical Care, One Flight at a Time
Discusses the LifeLine Pilots program that provides free air transportation for Indiana residents needing medical care. Outlines the purpose of the program and its commitment to providing medical transportation for rural and low-income residents.
Author(s): Danielle Muench
Date: 04/2025
Sponsoring organization: Indiana Rural Health Association
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Discusses the LifeLine Pilots program that provides free air transportation for Indiana residents needing medical care. Outlines the purpose of the program and its commitment to providing medical transportation for rural and low-income residents.
Author(s): Danielle Muench
Date: 04/2025
Sponsoring organization: Indiana Rural Health Association
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Mapping Disparities in Access to Lecanemab in Georgia
Analyzes access to Alzheimer's disease (AD) treatments in Georgia. Analyzes location of and drive times to lecanemab infusion sites and amyloid positron emission tomography (PET) scan facilities across the state. Discusses issues of access in rural counties.
Author(s): Niying Li, Samruddhi Nandkumar Borate, Kai Zhang, et al.
Citation: Alzheimer's & Dementia: The Journal of the Alzheimer's Association, 21(4)
Date: 04/2025
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Analyzes access to Alzheimer's disease (AD) treatments in Georgia. Analyzes location of and drive times to lecanemab infusion sites and amyloid positron emission tomography (PET) scan facilities across the state. Discusses issues of access in rural counties.
Author(s): Niying Li, Samruddhi Nandkumar Borate, Kai Zhang, et al.
Citation: Alzheimer's & Dementia: The Journal of the Alzheimer's Association, 21(4)
Date: 04/2025
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Addressing Toxic Stress and Health Care Access in California Farmworker Communities: ACCESS Pilot Project Evaluation
Analyzes feedback from the farmworker community in California on the impact of toxic stress in their lives. Utilizes 482 responses from the farmworker community health survey to investigate issues such as toxic stress, public health outreach and education, healthcare access in rural areas, barriers to insurance coverage, and ways to address toxic stress in farmworker communities.
Author(s): Ingrid Estrada-Darley, Alejandro Roa Contreras, Cristina Alvarez, et al.
Date: 04/2025
Sponsoring organization: RAND Corporation
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Analyzes feedback from the farmworker community in California on the impact of toxic stress in their lives. Utilizes 482 responses from the farmworker community health survey to investigate issues such as toxic stress, public health outreach and education, healthcare access in rural areas, barriers to insurance coverage, and ways to address toxic stress in farmworker communities.
Author(s): Ingrid Estrada-Darley, Alejandro Roa Contreras, Cristina Alvarez, et al.
Date: 04/2025
Sponsoring organization: RAND Corporation
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April 2025 MedPAC Meeting Transcript
Transcript from the Medicare Payment Advisory Commission's (MedPAC) April 2025 meeting. Covers physician fee schedule updates and improving the accuracy of relative payment rates; structural differences between the stand-alone prescription drug plan (PDP) and Medicare Advantage–Prescription Drug plan (MA–PD) markets; the utilization and delivery of Medicare Advantage supplemental benefits; the effect of Medicare Advantage on rural hospitals; paying for software technologies in Medicare; access to hospice and certain services under the hospice benefit for beneficiaries with end-stage renal disease and beneficiaries with cancer; and regulations, star ratings, and fee-for-service Medicare policies aimed at improving nursing home quality.
Additional links: Exploring the Effect of Medicare Advantage on Rural Hospitals
Date: 04/2025
Sponsoring organization: Medicare Payment Advisory Commission
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Transcript from the Medicare Payment Advisory Commission's (MedPAC) April 2025 meeting. Covers physician fee schedule updates and improving the accuracy of relative payment rates; structural differences between the stand-alone prescription drug plan (PDP) and Medicare Advantage–Prescription Drug plan (MA–PD) markets; the utilization and delivery of Medicare Advantage supplemental benefits; the effect of Medicare Advantage on rural hospitals; paying for software technologies in Medicare; access to hospice and certain services under the hospice benefit for beneficiaries with end-stage renal disease and beneficiaries with cancer; and regulations, star ratings, and fee-for-service Medicare policies aimed at improving nursing home quality.
Additional links: Exploring the Effect of Medicare Advantage on Rural Hospitals
Date: 04/2025
Sponsoring organization: Medicare Payment Advisory Commission
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County Characteristics Associated With Receipt of Food Boxes Through the Farmers to Families Food Box Program
Reports on county-level food box distribution through the USDA Farmers to Families Food Box Program between May 2020 and May 2021. Provides data on program funding and characteristics of food distributed by program round. Examines associations between likelihood of receiving food boxes and county-level rurality, access to food, and other demographic factors.
Additional links: Report Summary
Author(s): Keenan Marchesi, Saied Toossi, Katy Georg
Date: 04/2025
Sponsoring organization: USDA Economic Research Service
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Reports on county-level food box distribution through the USDA Farmers to Families Food Box Program between May 2020 and May 2021. Provides data on program funding and characteristics of food distributed by program round. Examines associations between likelihood of receiving food boxes and county-level rurality, access to food, and other demographic factors.
Additional links: Report Summary
Author(s): Keenan Marchesi, Saied Toossi, Katy Georg
Date: 04/2025
Sponsoring organization: USDA Economic Research Service
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Better Health for Mothers and Babies Issue Brief: Reducing Maternal Mortality and Morbidity
Discusses maternal morbidity and mortality in the U.S. and the underlying causes. Focuses on access to care, medically at-risk patients, social factors, and maternal health challenges in rural areas. Includes suggestions to improve maternal health outcomes with examples from various healthcare facilities.
Date: 04/2025
Sponsoring organization: American Hospital Association
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Discusses maternal morbidity and mortality in the U.S. and the underlying causes. Focuses on access to care, medically at-risk patients, social factors, and maternal health challenges in rural areas. Includes suggestions to improve maternal health outcomes with examples from various healthcare facilities.
Date: 04/2025
Sponsoring organization: American Hospital Association
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Benefits to Living & Working in Rural Communities
Provides an overview of the benefits to working in a healthcare profession in a rural community.
Date: 04/2025
Sponsoring organization: 3RNET
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Provides an overview of the benefits to working in a healthcare profession in a rural community.
Date: 04/2025
Sponsoring organization: 3RNET
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The Rural and Urban Supply of Clinicians With a DEA Waiver to Prescribe Buprenorphine in 2022 Prior to the Elimination of the Waiver Requirement
Report explores the differences in rates of clinicians with DEA waivers to prescribe buprenorphine in 2022 in rural versus urban counties. Highlights the rural gaps in access to buprenorphine to treat opioid use disorder prior to the elimination of the DEA waiver requirement in 2023. Provides rural, urban, and regional comparisons.
Date: 04/2025
Sponsoring organization: WWAMI Rural Health Research Center
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Report explores the differences in rates of clinicians with DEA waivers to prescribe buprenorphine in 2022 in rural versus urban counties. Highlights the rural gaps in access to buprenorphine to treat opioid use disorder prior to the elimination of the DEA waiver requirement in 2023. Provides rural, urban, and regional comparisons.
Date: 04/2025
Sponsoring organization: WWAMI Rural Health Research Center
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Medicare Beneficiary Receipt of Methadone by Drive Time to Opioid Treatment Programs
Examines availability of methadone at opioid treatment programs for Medicare beneficiaries who have been diagnosed with an opioid use disorder. Utilizes data from 640,706 Medicare beneficiaries and analyzes their respective drive time to a treatment facility as well as receipt of methadone treatment. Includes U.S. map showing locations of opioid treatment programs and rural versus urban comparisons of patient drive times.
Author(s): Jonathan Cantor, Helin G. Hernandez, Aaron Kofner, et al.
Citation: JAMA Network Open, 8(4)
Date: 04/2025
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Examines availability of methadone at opioid treatment programs for Medicare beneficiaries who have been diagnosed with an opioid use disorder. Utilizes data from 640,706 Medicare beneficiaries and analyzes their respective drive time to a treatment facility as well as receipt of methadone treatment. Includes U.S. map showing locations of opioid treatment programs and rural versus urban comparisons of patient drive times.
Author(s): Jonathan Cantor, Helin G. Hernandez, Aaron Kofner, et al.
Citation: JAMA Network Open, 8(4)
Date: 04/2025
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Mapping Maternity Care Deserts: Driving Distance and Health Outcomes in North Carolina
Examines the relationship between maternity care deserts in North Carolina and maternal and infant health. Utilizes 2016-2021 hospitalization records to examine travel distance to care and health outcomes such as cesarean delivery rates, severe maternal morbidity, and hypertension. Discusses maternal health access issues across rural-urban commuting (RUCA) codes.
Author(s): Margaret Sugg, Shishir Shakya, Sarah Ulrich, et al.
Citation: Journal of Rural Health, 41(2)
Date: 04/2025
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Examines the relationship between maternity care deserts in North Carolina and maternal and infant health. Utilizes 2016-2021 hospitalization records to examine travel distance to care and health outcomes such as cesarean delivery rates, severe maternal morbidity, and hypertension. Discusses maternal health access issues across rural-urban commuting (RUCA) codes.
Author(s): Margaret Sugg, Shishir Shakya, Sarah Ulrich, et al.
Citation: Journal of Rural Health, 41(2)
Date: 04/2025
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