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Rural Health Information Hub

Rural Health
Resources by Topic: Emergency medical services

Where the Road Ends: Emergency Care Sensitive Conditions Drive Excess Mortality in Medevac-Dependent Rural Alaska
Research letter detailing how poor access to emergency care and sociodemographic conditions contribute to disparities in mortality outcomes in rural Alaska, utilizing CDC WONDER 1999-2020 mortality data. Compares age-adjusted mortality rates for injuries, emergency care-sensitive conditions, and non-emergency care sensitive conditions in off road and on road communities.
Author(s): Brian Rice, Carla Britton, Stacy Rasmus, Tina Hernandez-Boussard
Citation: Emergency Medicine Journal, 2024, 214444
Date: 12/2024
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South Dakota Department of Health 2024 Annual Report
Describes activities and accomplishments of the South Dakota Department of Health in 2024. Includes sections on public health preparedness and response, rural health, emergency medical services, health information technology, family and community health, and licensure and accreditation.
Date: 12/2024
Sponsoring organization: South Dakota Department of Health
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Medicare Ground Ambulance Data Collection System (GADCS) Report: Year 1 and Year 2 Cohort Analysis
Provides data from the first two cohorts of ground ambulance organizations selected to participate in the Ground Ambulance Data Collection System. Includes response rates, information on data cleaning and validation, statistics summarizing responses, and analyses exploring relationships between costs per service and organizational characteristics. Features statistics with breakdowns by urban, rural, and super rural areas.
Additional links: Codebook
Author(s): Andrew W. Mulcahy, Sara E. Heins, Petra W. Rasmussen, et al.
Date: 12/2024
Sponsoring organizations: Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services, RAND Corporation
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Identifying Best Practices for Improving the Evaluation and Management of Stroke in Rural Lower-Resourced Settings: A Scientific Statement From the American Heart Association
Discusses the value of quality improvement and expanded stroke service availability in underserved rural and remote settings. Identifies disparities in stroke care access and patient outcomes, and provides strategies related to policy, investment, training, and inter-organizational cooperation which address challenges in prehospital, inpatient, and postacute care, thrombolysis and ED care, patient transfers, and thrombectomy.
Author(s): Kori S. Zachrison, Kaiz S. Asif, Sherita Chapman, et al.
Citation: Stroke
Date: 12/2024
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National Rural Health Day: Highlighting Challenges Facing Rural Communities
A blog post that provides an overview of rural health challenges in Indiana and nationwide, such as workforce challenges, hospital closures, lack of access to emergency services, and more. Includes rural versus urban and county-level data points as well as references to additional resources.
Author(s): Zachary Ammerman
Date: 11/2024
Sponsoring organization: Bowen Center for Health Workforce Research and Policy
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USDA Rural Development Rural Health: What We Do
Presents an overview of USDA Rural Development funding for rural health in fiscal year 2024. Covers telehealth and broadband, rural facilities, economic development, housing, infrastructure, mental health and substance use, and emergency medical services.
Date: 11/2024
Sponsoring organization: USDA Rural Development
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Indiana EMS 2025 Report
Reports on emergency medical services (EMS) in Indiana based on meetings throughout 2023 and 2024 with EMS stakeholders. Focuses on funding and sustainability, operations, education, training, and workforce. Includes discussion on EMS access in rural areas.
Date: 11/2024
Sponsoring organization: Indiana Department of Homeland Security
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Calendar Year (CY) 2025 Medicare Physician Fee Schedule Final Rule
Fact sheet providing an overview of the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) final rule regarding updates and changes to the Medicare payments under the Physician Fee Schedule (PFS) and other Medicare Part B issues for calendar year 2025. Summarizes provisions related to telehealth services; advanced primary care management services; behavioral health services; opioid treatment programs; dental and oral health services; Rural Health Clinic (RHC) and Federally Qualified Health Center (FQHC) care coordination services, telecommunication services, intensive outpatient program (IOP) services, and payment for vaccine costs; and more.
Date: 11/2024
Sponsoring organization: Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services
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Community Responses and Adaptations Following the Closure of a Rural Pharmacy and Primary Care Facility
Uses interviews with 26 community members to identify the impact of a pharmacy and primary healthcare facility closure in a rural Pennsylvania community. Discusses challenges for vulnerable populations, distance to care, social networks, delayed treatment, emergency medical services, alternative medicine, and more.
Author(s): Hazel Velasco Palacios, Kristina Brant, Danielle Rhubart, Jorden Jackson
Citation: Journal of Rural Health 41(2), e12896
Date: 11/2024
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Emergency Medical Services (EMS): A Look at Disparities in Funding and Outcomes
Details disparities related to rurality, income, sex, and race in emergency medical services (EMS) funding, staffing, and patient outcomes. Provides a case study of local EMS agencies in 11 California counties, highlighting challenges rural agencies face related to funding and quality of care.
Date: 10/2024
Sponsoring organization: Centers for Disease Control and Prevention
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