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Rural Health Information Hub

Rural Health
Resources by Topic: Access

American Indian and Alaska Natives in Tribal Areas Have Among Lowest Rates of High-Speed Internet Access
Highlights the gaps in access to high-speed internet in American Indian and Alaska Native (AI/AN) communities. Details rates of broadband access by AI/AN households and on tribal lands in general, by state, and by year.
Author(s): Daniela Mejía
Date: 06/2024
Sponsoring organization: U.S. Census Bureau
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Quantifying Arizona's Dental Health Workforce Shortage Using Health Professional Shortage Area (HPSA) Data
Reports on dental workforce shortages in Arizona. Includes data on safety net providers and workforce supply in Arizona counties and tribal nations.
Author(s): B. Koch, C. Drake, A. Garn, D. Derksen
Date: 06/2024
Sponsoring organization: Arizona Center for Rural Health
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Racial and Ethnic and Rural Variations in Access to Primary Care for Veterans Following the MISSION Act
Examines the impact of the 2018 Veterans Affairs Maintaining Internal Systems and Strengthening Integrated Outside Networks (VA MISSION) Act to provide veterans with access to primary care. Analyzes VA and community care (CC) outpatient data to observe primary care utilization and wait times across different veteran populations, as well as by rural versus urban location. Discusses how policy can address healthcare access disparities experienced by U.S. veterans.
Author(s): Amy K. Rosen, Erin Beilstein-Wedel, Michael Shwartz, Heather Davila, Deborah Gurewich
Citation: JAMA Health Forum, 5(6)
Date: 06/2024
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Community Health Needs and Opportunities in Rural Central New York
Reports on community health in central New York's Cayuga, Cortland, Madison, and Oswego counties. Discusses issues related to rural access to care, funding, and health workforce supply. Highlights health disparities affecting rural Black, Hispanic, multiracial, LGB, and disabled people. Includes sections dedicated to perinatal health, oral health, mental health and substance use, and medical and nonmedical home care.
Date: 06/2024
Sponsoring organization: Health Foundation for Western & Central New York
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New Mexico Medicaid: Physical Health and Behavioral Health Workforce
Reports on New Mexico healthcare workforce trends. Discusses healthcare workforce graduation data, Medicaid enrollment compared to provider access, and specialty care provider trends. Includes county-level data of workforce distribution by provider type. Offers recommendations to increase the healthcare workforce, recruitment and retention, and increasing access to healthcare.
Date: 06/2024
Sponsoring organization: New Mexico Legislative Finance Committee
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Computer and Internet Use in the United States: 2021
Analyzes both 2021 American Community Survey 1-year data and 2017-2021 5-year data to report on computer use by device type and broadband subscriptions. Includes rural and urban comparisons within 4 regions and by state.
Author(s): Daniela Mejía
Date: 06/2024
Sponsoring organization: U.S. Census Bureau
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Updated Analysis: Using Population-Based Outcome Measures to Assess the Impact of Telehealth Expansion on Medicare Beneficiaries' Access to Care and Quality of Care
Explores the association between telehealth use, quality of care, and access to care when both telehealth and in-person visits are available to fee-for-service (FFS) Medicare beneficiaries. Compares data from the second half of 2018 and 2019 to the second half of 2022 by the level of telehealth utilization in Hospital Service Areas (HSAs). Describes the effects of telehealth for urban and rural beneficiaries and differentiates between telehealth utilization for behavioral and non-behavioral health services. Updates a June 2023 report that analyzed data from 2021.
Author(s): Tanvi Rao, Angshuman Gooptu, Karin Johnson, Guido Cataife, Steven Susana-Castillo
Date: 06/2024
Sponsoring organizations: American Institutes for Research, Medicare Payment Advisory Commission
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MedPAC Report to the Congress: Medicare and the Health Care Delivery System, June 2024
Evaluates Medicare payment issues and provides recommendations to the U.S. Congress. Covers approaches for updating fee-for-service (FFS) Medicare's physician fee schedule (PFS) payments and incentivizing participation in alternative payment models; provider networks and prior authorization in Medicare Advantage (MA) plans; an assessment of the relative completeness of MA encounter data and other data sources; Medicare coverage and payments for medical software; alternate approaches to lower Medicare payment rates for select conditions in inpatient rehabilitation facilities; and Medicare's Acute Hospital Care at Home program. Includes rural references throughout.
Additional links: Executive Summary
Date: 06/2024
Sponsoring organization: Medicare Payment Advisory Commission
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Racial and Ethnic Disparities in Cancer Occurrence and Outcomes in Rural United States: A Scoping Review
Literature review on racial and ethnic disparities in cancer burden, including discussion of cancer incidence, mortality, screening, access, and knowledge among underrepresented racial and ethnic groups in rural areas. Analyzes 30 studies from 2004-2023.
Author(s): Anuli Njoku, Wendemi Sawadogo, Princess Frimpong
Citation: Cancer Control, 31
Date: 06/2024
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Health Insurance Coverage and Access to Care among American Indians and Alaska Natives: Recent Trends and Key Challenges
Issue brief presenting data on rates of insurance coverage, Medicaid coverage, and access to healthcare for American Indians and Alaska Natives (AI/AN) using American Community Survey data. Discusses the impacts of health disparities, coverage expansions under the Affordable Care Act, and state Medicaid expansions on AI/AN populations.
Date: 06/2024
Sponsoring organization: HHS Office of the Assistant Secretary for Planning and Evaluation
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