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Resources by Topic: Health workforce shortage designations

Designation of Frontier Health Professional Shortage Areas
Discusses the frontier-specific health professional shortage area designation and the unique characteristics attributed to frontier areas that may contribute to a more fragile healthcare delivery system and a greater need for healthcare professionals. Includes policy recommendations supporting an appropriate designation, improved healthcare access, and assistance in recruiting healthcare providers.
Author(s): Susan Wilger, Charlie Alfero
Date: 04/2015
Sponsoring organization: National Rural Health Association
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The Future of Rural Behavioral Health
Policy paper discussing the unique challenges of providing behavioral healthcare services in rural areas. Includes policy recommendations and interventions related to workforce development, reimbursement and financing, integration of care, and the use of technology in delivering behavioral healthcare.
Author(s): Will Wilson, Angela Bangs, Tammy Hatting
Date: 02/2015
Sponsoring organization: National Rural Health Association
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The Utility of Rural and Underserved Designations in Geospatial Assessments of Distance Traveled to Healthcare Services: Implications for Public Health Research and Practice
Reviews different definitions and designations of rurality in relation to resident characteristics in a sample of 8 central Texas counties. Discusses the impact that rural definitions can have on research findings and health policy.
Author(s): Matthew Lee Smith, Justin B. Dickerson, Monica L. Wendel, et al.
Citation: Journal of Environmental and Public Health, 2013, 960157
Date: 06/2013
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Iowa Rural and Agricultural Health and Safety Resource Plan, 2011
Presents the Iowa Department of Public Health strategic plan, including a rural health care resource plan. Discusses rural facts, access to health services, agricultural health and safety, and rural health workforce and information technology implications.
Date: 2011
Sponsoring organization: Iowa Department of Health and Human Services
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Designating Health Professional Shortage Areas and Medically Underserved Populations/Medically Underserved Areas: A Primer on Basic Issues to Resolve
Includes discussion for interested parties considering issues related to the designation of Medically Underserved Areas (MUAs), Medically Underserved Populations (MUPs), and Health Professional Shortage Areas (HPSAs). Describes key issues on how the designations establish eligibility for programs important to rural healthcare delivery.
Author(s): Andrew F. Coburn, Jennifer P. Lundblad, A. Clinton MacKinney, Timothy D. McBride, Keith J. Mueller
Date: 08/2010
Sponsoring organization: Rural Policy Research Institute Rural Health Panel
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Persistent Primary Care Health Professional Shortage Areas (HPSAs) and Health Care Access in Rural America
Examines the persistence of primary care Health Professional Shortage Area (HPSA) designation among rural counties, and the role of low population, low socioeconomic status, and limited access to healthcare services in perpetuating shortages.
Author(s): Mark P. Doescher, Meredith A. Fordyce, Susan M. Skillman, J. Elizabeth Jackson, Roger A. Rosenblatt
Date: 09/2009
Sponsoring organization: WWAMI Rural Health Research Center
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The 2008 Report to the Secretary: Rural Health and Human Services Issues
Report to the Secretary of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. Includes a 20 year retrospective on rural health and human services.
Date: 04/2008
Sponsoring organization: National Advisory Committee on Rural Health and Human Services
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Health Professional Shortage Areas: Problems Remain With Primary Care Shortage Area Designation System
Reviews the number and location of Health Professional Shortage Areas (HPSAs) and federal programs that use HPSA designations to allocate resources or provide benefits. Discusses available research on HPSA designation criteria and methodology. Addresses the impact of a 2002 provision that automatically designates Federally Qualified Health Centers (FQHCs) and certain Rural Health Clinics (RHCs) as facility HPSAs.
Additional links: Full Report
Date: 10/2006
Sponsoring organization: Government Accountability Office
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Evaluation of Alternative Health Professional Shortage Area (HPSA) Definitions in Washington State
Technical brief describing the differences in Health Professional Shortage Area (HPSA) designation status of the 124 Health Service Areas (HSAs) in Washington State that result when the current designation system is used and provider counts versus provider full-time equivalencies (FTEs) are used.
Author(s): C. Holly A. Andrilla, L. Gary Hart
Date: 08/2006
Sponsoring organization: WWAMI Rural Health Research Center
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Who is Caring for the Underserved? A Comparison of Primary Care Physicians and Nonphysician Clinicians in California and Washington
Compares the geographic distribution and patient populations of physician and nonphysician primary care clinicians. Includes the proportion of clinicians within each discipline practicing in rural areas, Health Professional Shortage Areas (HPSAs), and areas with vulnerable populations.
Author(s): Kevin Grumbach, L. Gary Hart, Elizabeth Mertz, Janet Coffman, Lorella Palazzo
Citation: Annals of Family Medicine, 1(2), 97-104
Date: 07/2003
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