This website is being reviewed for updates. Some information is offline. We apologize for any inconvenience.
Skip to main content
Rural Health Information Hub

Rural Health
Resources by Topic: Access

Telemedicine and Primary Care Obesity Management in Rural Areas – Innovative Approach for Older Adults?
Explores telemedicine as a potential delivery tool for the Medicare Obesity Benefit in primary care settings. Describes challenges in implementing the benefit in rural areas, including increasing older adult populations, shortages in primary care and specialized healthcare providers, reimbursement issues, and transportation barriers. Presents the potential utility of telemedicine in rural obesity care and non-physician staff delivery options, which require regulatory changes.
Author(s): John Batsis, Sarah Pletcher, James Stahl
Citation: BMC Geriatrics, 17, 6
Date: 01/2017
view details
Understanding Treatment Gaps for Mental Health, Alcohol, and Drug Use in South Dakota: A Qualitative Study of Rural Perspectives
Details a study on gaps in access to behavioral health treatment in rural South Dakota. Discusses data collected from interviews with people in rural and tribal areas of the state with co-occurring mental health and substance use disorders.
Author(s): Lauren Broffman, Margaret Spurlock, Kristen Dulacki, et al.
Citation: Journal of Rural Health, 22(1), 71-81
Date: 01/2017
view details
Health Inequities by Sexual Orientation among New Mexican Adults, 2011-2014
Examines health outcomes and behaviors by sexual orientation for adults in New Mexico. Covers demographics, access to healthcare, chronic health conditions, behavioral risk factors including binge drinking and smoking, protective factors such as HIV and cervical cancer screening, and quality of life differences such as mental health. Includes rural/urban breakdowns for demographics and addresses disparities by race/ethnicity, including American Indian/Alaska Native lesbian, gay, and bisexual adults.
Date: 01/2017
Sponsoring organization: New Mexico Department of Health
view details
Changes in Individual and Small Group Behavioral Health Coverage Following the Enactment of Parity Requirements: Final Report
Examines the impact of extending parity protections for behavioral health coverage in 2014 to individual and small group plans, requiring them to cover behavioral health treatments at the same level as medical/surgical services. Addresses additional barriers for rural areas, such as network adequacy and shortages of psychiatrists.
Author(s): Alexander J. Cowell, Shivaani Prakash, Alan Barnosky, Brendan Wedehase, Allison Briggs
Date: 01/2017
Sponsoring organization: HHS Office of the Assistant Secretary for Planning and Evaluation
view details
Remote Eye Care Screening for Rural Veterans with Technology-Based Eye Care Services: A Quality Improvement Project
Highlights the improvement in access to eye care and screening services for veterans as a result of the Technology-based Eye Care Services (TECS), a quality improvement project developed by the Atlanta Veterans Affairs (VA). Provides data on patient demographics, eye care service, and diagnoses broken down by Rural Urban Commuting Area.
Author(s): April Maa, Barbara Wojciechowski, Kelly Hunt, et al.
Citation: Rural and Remote Health, 17(1), 4045
Date: 01/2017
view details
Community Health Centers: Recent Growth and the Role of the ACA
Uses 2015 federal data on health centers and survey results from the 2016 Survey of Health Centers' Experiences and Activities to provide an overview of health centers and their patients. Compares health centers in Medicaid expansion and non-expansion states, covering topics such as revenue sources, service capacity, patient demographics, patient health coverage, and more. Also discusses the distribution and impact of health centers in rural and medically underserved communities.
Author(s): Sara Rosenbaum, Julia Paradise, Anne Markus, et al.
Date: 01/2017
Sponsoring organization: KFF
view details
Georgia State Health Improvement Plan 2016-2021
Describes a plan for the improvement of public health in Georgia. Discusses trends in state demographics and health outcomes, and establishes health improvement priorities, strategies, and targets. Major topics include access, chronic disease prevention, and maternal and child health. Highlights health disparities and health workforce shortages in rural areas.
Date: 2017
Sponsoring organization: Georgia Department of Public Health
view details
Vermont Hub-and-Spoke Model of Care For Opioid Use Disorder: Development, Implementation, and Impact
Discusses the development, application, and effectiveness of a hub-and-spoke system of care developed by addiction medicine physicians and public health officials to expand opioid use disorder (OUD) treatment due the continuous shortage of office-based opioid treatment (OBOT) providers in the rural state of Vermont.
Author(s): John R. Brooklyn, Stacey C. Sigmon
Citation: Journal of Addiction Medicine, 11(4), 286-292
Date: 2017
view details
Oregon Guide to Health Care Partnerships for Community-Based Organizations and Advocates Supporting Survivors of Domestic Violence in Health Care Settings
Offers guidance, recommendations, program experiences, and other resources for non-clinical domestic and sexual violence (D/SV) intervention advocates in developing a practice and partnership model, the Safer Futures model, that benefits survivors of intimate partner violence.
Author(s): Sarah Keefe, Christine Heyen, Anna Rockhill, Ericka Kimball
Date: 2017
Sponsoring organization: Oregon Department of Justice
view details
New Partner Recruitment to Rural Versus Urban Ob-Gyn Practices: A Survey of Practicing Ob-Gyns
Discusses the results of a survey of obstetrics and gynecology practices in rural and urban areas located in 5 Northwestern states to examine their recruitment efforts. Information and data about their background, practice setting, partner recruitment, and retention was collected and analyzed, with comparisons noted between rural, suburban, and urban providers.
Author(s): Michael F. Fialkow, Carrie M. Snead, Jay Schulkin
Citation: Health Services Research and Managerial Epidemiology, 2017(4)
Date: 2017
view details