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

Urban Relatives Ameliorate Survival Disparities for Genitourinary Cancer in Rural Patients
Compares genitourinary cancer survival rates of 24,746 rural patients with and without urban relatives from 1968-2018 Utah Population Database data. Discusses how family supports may influence access to care in rural areas.
Author(s): Mouneeb Choudry, Kassandra Dindinger-Hill, Jacob Ambrose, et al.
Citation: Cancer Medicine, 13(5), e7058
Date: 03/2024
view details
Experiences with and Outcomes of Oral Health Care - Perspectives from Nationally Representative Data
Report discusses the outcomes and experiences with oral healthcare from patients across the United States surveyed in January - February 2023. Details patients experience with access to care, attitudes about co-location of oral healthcare and other types of care, value-based care, telehealth usage, and discrimination in healthcare, among other topics. Breaks down demographic data of survey participants by age, sex, and urbanicity, among other measures.
Author(s): Lisa J. Heaton, Morgan Santoro, Paige Martin, Eric P. Tranby
Date: 03/2024
Sponsoring organization: CareQuest Institute for Oral Health
view details
A Lack of Behavioral Health Providers in Medicare and Medicaid Impedes Enrollees' Access to Care
Examines the availability of behavioral health providers who actively serve Medicare or Medicaid enrollees in 20 counties, 10 urban and 10 rural, across 10 states in 2021. Explores the extent to which traditional Medicare, Medicare Advantage, and Medicaid enrollees received behavioral health services and whether they used telehealth or in-person services. Offers recommendations to encourage more behavioral health providers to serve these enrollees and expand coverage to additional behavioral health provider types. Includes rural and urban comparisons throughout.
Additional links: Report Highlights
Date: 03/2024
Sponsoring organization: Office of Inspector General (HHS)
view details
Health Care Contact Days Among Older Cancer Survivors
Analyzes factors associated with healthcare contact days among older adult cancer survivors using the 2019 Medicare Current Beneficiary Survey (MCBS) and linked Medicare claims data. Evaluates the effect of demographics, self-rated health, care-seeking behaviors, rural status, and more.
Author(s): Arjun Gupta, Emma D. Chant, Supriya Mohile, et al.
Citation: JCO Oncology Practice
Date: 03/2024
view details
National Aging and Disability Transportation Center 2023 Innovations Showcase
Offers descriptions, lessons learned, replication advice, and contact information for 14 transportation projects across the country. Projects cover accessibility, coordination, cross jurisdictional boundaries, healthcare access, and technology. Includes rural projects in Virginia and Massachusetts.
Date: 03/2024
Sponsoring organization: National Aging and Disability Transportation Center
view details
Satisfaction with Care among Cancer Survivors with Medicare Coverage: Are there Rural Versus Urban Inequities?
Analyzes rural and urban satisfaction with a variety of aspects of healthcare among cancer survivors, including convenience of getting to providers and ability to meet all healthcare needs at a single location. Utilizes 2020 Medicare Current Beneficiary Survey data adjusted for demographic factors, health insurance, and overall health.
Author(s): Tyrone F. Borders
Citation: Journal of Primary Care & Community Health, 15
Date: 03/2024
view details
Bridging the Rural-Urban Divide: An Implementation Plan for Leveraging Technology and Artificial Intelligence to Improve Health and Economic Outcomes in Rural America
Commentary providing an overview of rural health disparities and the healthcare needs of rural communities. Discusses ways technology and artificial intelligence may offer needed services. Presents models and infrastructure necessary to implement improvements.
Author(s): William B. Weeks, Justin Spelhaug, James N. Weinstein, Juan M. Lavista Ferres
Citation: Journal of Rural Health, 40(4), 762-765
Date: 03/2024
view details
Racial, Ethnic, and Rural Disparities in Distance to Physicians among Decedents with Alzheimer's Disease and Related Dementias in Washington State
Evaluates travel distance to the nearest neurologist and primary care physician among people whose cause of death was related to Alzheimer's disease and related dementias (AD/ADRD) in the state of Washington. Utilizes 2011-2021 mortality data. Includes breakdowns of distance to care by race, ethnicity, and level of rurality. Highlights geographic access disparities experienced by American Indian, Alaska Native, and Hispanic people.
Author(s): Solmaz Amiri, Jonae I. Keffeler, Dennis R. Crain, Justin T. Denney, Dedra Buchwald
Citation: Alzheimer's & Dementia, 20(5), 3671–3678
Date: 03/2024
view details
The State of Georgia's Healthcare System
Fact sheet on income-based gaps in healthcare coverage in Georgia. Provides county-level maps and data on areas with the most significant coverage gaps, economic impacts of uninsured population, rural hospital and provider shortages, and more.
Date: 03/2024
Sponsoring organization: Georgia Budget & Policy Institute (GBPI)
view details
American Clusters: Using Machine Learning to Understand Health and Health Care Disparities in the United States
Demonstrates the strengths and weaknesses of using machine learning (ML) to identify social determinants of health, healthcare access, healthcare infrastructure, and geography factors contributing to health inequalities. Discusses use of ML in policy, with different levels of geography, and in future research.
Author(s): Diane M. Bowser, Kaili Maurico, Brielle A. Ruscitti, William H. Crown
Citation: Health Affairs Scholar, 2(3)
Date: 03/2024
view details