Rural Health
Resources by Topic: Access

Changes in Insurance Coverage in Rural Areas under the ACA: A Focus on Medicaid Expansion States
Analyzes the change in uninsured rates in rural areas of states that participated in the Affordable Care Act (ACA) Medicaid expansion. Includes a graph showing percentage change by state from 2013 to 2015 identifying which political party held the governorship, and a table that converts each states' percentage to number of people.
Date: 05/2017
Type: Document
Sponsoring organization: KFF
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MORE Care: Narrowing the Rural Interprofessional Oral Health Care Gap
Presents an integrated healthcare model that connects oral health to primary care Rural Health Clinics (RHCs). Discusses challenges and strategies in implementing oral health interprofessional practice (IPP), such as developing dental referral networks and ensuring access to health information technology, among others. Details the collaboration between the State Offices of Rural Health in South Carolina, Pennsylvania, and Colorado with the DentaQuest Institute and the Medical University of South Carolina.
Additional links: Executive Summary
Author(s): Sean G. Boynes, Lisa Davis, Graham Adams, Michelle Mills, Mark Deutchman
Date: 05/2017
Type: Document
Sponsoring organization: DentaQuest Institute
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Medical Barriers to Nursing Home Care for Rural Residents
Explores challenges faced by rural people seeking placement in nursing homes, especially those with behavioral or psychiatric conditions, complex care needs, dementia, or obesity, and identifies possible solutions through policy changes. Uses data from telephone interviews with 23 discharge planners from rural hospitals in Georgia, Idaho, Minnesota, Pennsylvania, and Wisconsin.
Author(s): Carrie Henning-Smith, Michelle Casey, Shailendra Prasad, Katy Kozhimannil
Date: 05/2017
Type: Document
Sponsoring organization: University of Minnesota Rural Health Research Center
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The Role of Public Versus Private Health Insurance in Ensuring Health Care Access & Affordability for Low-Income Rural Children
Reports on the rural-urban differences in healthcare access for children with public health insurance versus private insurance, and how families perceive affordability of healthcare when enrolled in Medicaid, the Children's Health Insurance Program (CHIP), and private insurance plans.
Author(s): Erika C. Ziller, Jennifer D. Lenardson, Amanda R. Burgess
Date: 05/2017
Type: Document
Sponsoring organization: Maine Rural Health Research Center
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Changing Rural and Urban Enrollment in State Medicaid Programs
Examines changes in Medicaid enrollment from 2012 to 2015 in both expansion and non-expansion states, and compares findings by state based on metropolitan, micropolitan, and rural (noncore) location.
Author(s): Abigail R. Barker, Kelsey Huntzberry, Timothy D. McBride, Keith J. Mueller
Date: 05/2017
Type: Document
Sponsoring organization: RUPRI Center for Rural Health Policy Analysis
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Using Community Health Workers and Volunteers to Reach Complex Needs Populations
A recorded webinar that discusses how to integrate community health workers (CHWs) and volunteers into the healthcare system to care for complex patients in hard-to-reach areas. Includes a case study from rural Montana about collaborating with volunteers to help socially isolated patients access community resources and social services.
Date: 04/2017
Type: Video/Multimedia
Sponsoring organization: Center for Health Care Strategies
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LTSS Research: Hospice in Indian Country
Presents a literature review on the barriers to end-of-life care for American Indians and Alaska Natives (AI/AN), and provides recommendations to minimize these barriers. Discusses the cultural considerations of hospice and palliative care for AI/AN patients.
Date: 04/2017
Type: Document
Sponsoring organization: Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services
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Improvements in Colorectal Cancer Incidence Not Experienced by Nonmetropolitan Women: A Population-Based Study From Utah
Study of colorectal cancer (CRC) incidence and mortality in Utah, comparing rural and metropolitan populations using data from the Surveillance, Epidemiology, and End Results (SEER) program. Examines periodic CRC disparities from 1991-2010 by location and gender. Discusses cultural factors impacting CRC screening and strategies for increasing access to screening.
Author(s): Brynn Fowler, N. Jewel Samadder, Deanna Kepka, et al.
Citation: Journal of Rural Health, 34(2), 155-161
Date: 04/2017
Type: Document
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Assessing Local Capacity to Expand Rural Breast Cancer Screening and Patient Navigation: An Iterative Mixed-Method Tool
Report on the development of a mixed-method tool for assessing county capacity as part of a needs assessment process, describing outcomes in rural North Texas counties. Discusses the expansion of the Breast Screening and Patient Navigation (BSPAN) program into a hub-and-spoke delivery model to strengthen networks of community clinics, community groups, and nonprofit organizations. Offers qualitative and quantitative data on changes over the development period.
Author(s): Stephen J. Inrig, Robin T. Higashi, Jasmin A. Tiro, Keith E. Argenbright, Simon J. Craddock Lee
Citation: Evaluation and Program Planning, 61, 113-124
Date: 04/2017
Type: Document
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Rural-Urban Differences in Awareness and Use of Family Planning Services Among Adolescent Women in California
Examines awareness and use of family planning services for rural and urban adolescent women in California. Discusses differences and offers recommendations for reducing teenage pregnancies in rural areas.
Author(s): Jennifer Yarger, Martha J. Decker, Mary I. Campa, Claire D. Brindis
Citation: Journal of Adolescent Health, 60(4), 395-401
Date: 04/2017
Type: Document
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