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Rural Health Information Hub

Rural Health
Resources by Topic: Access

The Health of US Primary Care: A Baseline Scorecard Tracking Support for High-Quality Primary Care
Examines the support for implementing high-quality primary care in the United States across measures in five categories: financing, workforce, access, training, and research. Presents data on primary care financing trends from 2010 to 2020, the number of primary care physicians per capita in medically-underserved areas (MUAs) and non-MUAs by state, trends in financing primary care research, and more. Figure 7 shows the percentage of physician residents trained in an MUA or rural county by state in 2020. Appendix B includes data on the number and percentage of physician residents trained in an MUA, rural county, or both between the 2012-2013 academic year and the 2020-2021 academic year.
Additional links: Appendix B, Full Report
Date: 02/2023
Sponsoring organizations: Milbank Memorial Fund, Robert Graham Center, The Physicians Foundation
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Rural Hospitals: Community Cornerstones Facing Perilous Threats to Care
Infographic presenting data regarding the importance of rural hospitals to their communities. Includes information on workforce and financial challenges experienced by rural hospitals, as well as the impact of hospital closures on access to care. Provides recommendations on actions to support rural hospitals and communities.
Date: 02/2023
Sponsoring organization: American Hospital Association
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State-Based Recommendations to Support Rural Ambulance Agencies
Discusses challenges faced by rural ambulance agencies and emergency medical services (EMS) agencies. Identifies state-based policy opportunities to support rural ambulance agencies. Covers EMS as an essential service, professional management, EMS zones, and standby costs.
Author(s): A. Clinton MacKinney, Keith J. Mueller, Alva O. Ferdinand, et al.
Date: 02/2023
Sponsoring organization: Rural Policy Research Institute Rural Health Panel
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Identifying Bottlenecks and Roadblocks in the Rural Mental Health Career Pipeline
Examines behavioral health workforce shortages in rural Minnesota, issues of access, acceptability and stigma around utilizing mental health professionals, recruiting and retaining behavioral workforce, struggles around education and internship opportunities, and more. Includes data related to the Minnesota behavioral workforce and associated issues such as poverty, suicide rates, rural versus urban provider comparisons, and more.
Additional links: Summary, Webinar
Date: 02/2023
Sponsoring organizations: Center for Rural Behavioral Health, Minnesota State University - Mankato, Center for Rural Policy and Development
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Factors Contributing to Reductions in Patient Wait Times at Indian Health Service Emergency Department Facilities: A Mixed-Methods Assessment
Presents findings of a mixed-methods assessment of the change in emergency department wait times at Indian Health Service (IHS) facilities before and after the announcement of wait time standards in 2019. Describes challenges to providing timely access to emergency and primary care, strategies to overcome these challenges, and the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on wait times.
Date: 02/2023
Sponsoring organization: HHS Office of the Assistant Secretary for Planning and Evaluation
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Chartis Center for Rural Health Research & Resources for the 2023 National Rural Health Association's Rural Health Policy Institute Conference
Offers research and analysis of the stability of the rural healthcare safety net. Includes Rural Health Safety Net Under Renewed Pressure as Pandemic Fades and presentation slides on this report from the 2023 National Rural Health Association Policy Institute. Provides links to national and state data tables showing the financial impact of federal policies on rural hospitals.
Date: 02/2023
Sponsoring organization: Chartis Center for Rural Health
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Rural Health Safety Net Under Renewed Pressure as Pandemic Fades
Examines financial and operational metrics for rural hospitals, comparing hospitals in states that did and did not expand Medicaid, as well as the discontinuation of obstetrics and chemotherapy services. Discusses how the Rural Emergency Hospital (REH) designation can provide a path forward for some rural facilities and explores seven characteristics that may have the greatest impact on a facility's consideration to convert to an REH.
Date: 02/2023
Sponsoring organization: Chartis Center for Rural Health
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Tooth Loss and Dental Visits by Indigenous American Indian/Alaska Native Adults in the USA
Presents a study comparing rates of dental visits and missing teeth among rural and urban American Indian and Alaska Native populations. Breaks down data by demographic factors, such as age, income, and health insurance, among other factors.
Author(s): R Constance Wiener
Citation: Rural and Remote Health, 23, 7679
Date: 02/2023
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Feeding the Residents of Hardeman County Tennessee
Profiles Healthy Hardeman Outreach for Healthy Weight (H2O), a partnership between the Healthcare Bolivar General Hospital (BGH), the Hardeman County Health Department, and Hardeman County Community Health Center to improve access to healthy foods and reduce obesity in the Tennessee county.
Date: 02/2023
Sponsoring organization: American Hospital Association
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2023-2027 Ohio State Oral Health Plan
Provides an overview of Ohio's state plan to improve and integrate oral health into citizens' overall healthcare plans. Focuses on community conditions, health behaviors, access to quality care, dental care outcomes, and oral health outcomes. Includes strategies specific to rural, Appalachian Ohio and data on dentists who billed at least 100 services to Medicaid in 2021 by county.
Author(s): Becky Sustersic Carroll, Hailey Akah, Lexi Chirakos
Date: 02/2023
Sponsoring organizations: Health Policy Institute of Ohio, Oral Health Ohio
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