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Rural Health
Resources by Topic: Access

Prevent or Treat: Availability of Diabetes Self-Management Education and Dialysis in High Need Rural Counties
Discusses availability of diabetes self-management education (DSME) and dialysis to treat end stage kidney disease in rural areas. Features county-level maps showing estimated proportion of the adult population with diabetes, counties with at least one DSME program, and DSME availability and county diabetes prevalence. Includes statistics on relationship between DSME availability within a county and estimated percent of adults with diabetes by rurality, as of 2022.
Author(s): Janice C. Probst, Nicholas Yell, Gabriel Benavidez, et al.
Date: 03/2024
Type: Document
Sponsoring organization: Rural and Minority Health Research Center (formerly the South Carolina Rural Health Research Center)
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March 2024 MedPAC Meeting Transcript
Transcript from the Medicare Payment Advisory Commission's (MedPAC) March 2024 meeting. Covers proposed approaches and research topics related to evaluating rural hospital and clinician payment policies, an assessment of the completeness of Medicare Advantage (MA) encounter data and other sources of information about MA enrollees' healthcare utilization, a preliminary analysis of MA quality, the Acute Hospital Care at Home program, and Medicare inpatient psychiatric service trends and issues.
Additional links: Rural Hospital and Clinician Payment Policy: A Workplan for 2024–2025 - Presentation Slides
Date: 03/2024
Type: Document
Sponsoring organization: Medicare Payment Advisory Commission
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Evidence-Based, Whole-Person Care for Pregnant People Who Have Opioid Use Disorder
Report presents care recommendations for treatment of opioid use disorder during pregnancy. Discusses the risks of opioid use during and after pregnancy and explores factors to consider when treating pregnant people. Highlights barriers for rural patients.
Date: 03/2024
Type: Document
Sponsoring organization: Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration
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2024 County Health Rankings National Findings Report
Analyzes county-level health and wellness data, focusing on issues such as public investment and health equity. Includes information on access to broadband, information, civic infrastructure and services, and more. Provides U.S. map of county-level life expectancy (LE) and discusses the relationship of LE to civic health.
Date: 03/2024
Type: Document
Sponsoring organization: County Health Rankings & Roadmaps
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HealthTran: Provider Sustainability and Patient Empowerment
Video featuring Community Asset Builders' HealthTran, a volunteer driver program that helps mobility-challenged clients in over 40 rural Missouri counties get to and from medical appointments.
Date: 03/2024
Type: Video/Multimedia
Sponsoring organization: Rural Health Information Hub
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Evaluation of the USDA Summer EBT Demonstrations: Lessons Learned From More Than a Decade of Research
Reports results of the Summer EBT (Electronic Benefits Transfer) demonstration project, 2015-2018 and 2019-2022. Describes Summer EBT use patterns, nutritional value, and effect on childhood food insecurity. Identifies strategies for better program planning, implementation, and administration. Discusses program operation and challenges in tribal organizations and rural communities.
Additional links: 2015-2018 Evaluation, 2019-2022 Evaluation, Summary
Author(s): René Nutter, Ayesha Enver, Maria Boyle, et al.
Date: 03/2024
Type: Document
Sponsoring organization: USDA Food and Nutrition Service
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Examining the Burden of Public Stigma Associated With Mental Illness in the Rural U.S.
Webinar recording from March 12, 2024, in which speakers discuss a study examining stigma associated with mental illness in rural and nonrural communities, using a nationally representative panel-based survey. Includes discussion of their study examining rural suicide mortality rates.
Additional links: Slide Deck, Transcript
Date: 03/2024
Type: Video/Multimedia
Sponsoring organizations: East Tennessee State University Center for Rural Health Research, NORC Walsh Center for Rural Health Analysis, Rural Health Equity Research Center, Rural Health Research Gateway
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MedPAC Report to the Congress: Medicare Payment Policy: Mandated Report: Rural Emergency Hospitals: Chapter 15
Provides an overview of the Rural Emergency Hospital (REH) designation. Discusses the evolution of Medicare's support for rural hospitals through payment policies and the impact of declining inpatient volumes on rural hospitals' financial sustainability. Describes the characteristics of hospitals that converted to REH status in 2023, the first year of the designation.
Date: 03/2024
Type: Document
Sponsoring organization: Medicare Payment Advisory Commission
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MedPAC Report to the Congress: Medicare Payment Policy: Skilled Nursing Facility Services: Chapter 6
Discusses payment adequacy for skilled nursing facility (SNF) services. Features statistics on SNF care provided by rural hospitals and Critical Access Hospitals (CAHs) via swing beds and Medicare margins for urban and rural freestanding SNFs in 2022.
Date: 03/2024
Type: Document
Sponsoring organization: Medicare Payment Advisory Commission
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Acceptability and Feasibility of a Mobile Behavioral Economic Health Intervention to Reduce Alcohol Use in Adults in Rural Areas
Presents results of a remotely-delivered alcohol use reduction pilot program focused on promoting use of behavioral economic strategies and participation in alternative activities among 75 rural people with at-risk alcohol use. Discusses the viability of service delivery via mobile phones and other internet-enabled devices to rural and remote areas.
Author(s): Natalie D. Bayrakdarian, Erin E. Bonar, Isabelle Duguid, et al.
Citation: Drug and Alcohol Dependence Reports, 100225
Date: 03/2024
Type: Document
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