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Rural Health
Resources by Topic: Health workforce supply and demand

Assessing Rural-Urban Nurse Practitioner Supply and Distribution in 12 States Using Available Data Sources
A policy brief comparing the distribution of nurse practitioners (NPs) in rural and urban areas through the analysis of license records and the National Provider Identifier (NPI) data from 12 states.
Author(s): Susan M. Skillman,Gina Keppel, Mark P. Doescher, et al.
Date: 08/2015
Type: Document
Sponsoring organization: WWAMI Rural Health Research Center
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RHAC Brief: Nurse Practitioners in Rural Minnesota - Results of an Employer Survey
Summarizes the results of a survey conducted by the Minnesota Rural Health Advisory Committee (RHAC) of the state's Rural Health Clinics and Critical Access Hospitals to learn more about the rural nurse practitioner (NP) workforce. Describes NP use by department and discusses recruitment and retention challenges.
Date: 08/2015
Type: Document
Sponsoring organization: Minnesota Department of Health - Office of Rural Health and Primary Care
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Rural Health Care Disparities Created by Medicare Regulations
Recording of a July 28, 2015, U.S. House of Representatives Ways and Means Committee, Subcommittee on Health hearing concerning rural healthcare disparities created by Medicare regulations. Features testimony from the Arizona Center for Rural Health and leaders from two Critical Access Hospitals and one rural hospital. Covers physician shortages; graduate medical education; the impact of regulatory changes such as the 96-hour rule, the two-midnight rule, and physician supervision requirements; and more.
Additional links: Carrie Saia, Holton Community Hospital - Testimony, Daniel Derksen, Arizona Center for Rural Health - Testimony, Shannon Sorensen, Brown County Hospital - Testimony, Tim Joslin, Community Regional Medical Centers - Testimony
Date: 07/2015
Type: Video/Multimedia
Sponsoring organization: House Ways and Means Committee, Subcommittee on Health
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Provider Workforce Assessment in a Rural Hepatitis C Epidemic: Implications for Scale-Up of Antiviral Therapy
Analyzes the quantity and distribution of healthcare providers who actively prescribed direct acting antiviral drugs for hepatitis C virus (HCV) in Wisconsin. Discusses strategies to increase the number of healthcare providers in rural areas, as well as the education, training, and support provided to rural physicians. Figure 1 illustrates the prevalence of HCV and the distribution of HCV treatment prescribers.
Author(s): Ryan P. Westergaard, Lauren J. Stockman, Heather A. Hyland, et al.
Citation: Journal of Primary Care and Community Health, 6(3), 215-217
Date: 07/2015
Type: Document
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Changes in Urbanicity of Iowa Dentists' Practice Locations, 1997-2013: Second Brief in a Series
Analyzes the trends in Iowa's dental practice locations by reviewing demographic data collected using the USDA 2013 Rural-Urban Continuum Code (RUCC) system to classify rural and urban counties. Examines characteristics associated with rural practice location.
Author(s): Julie C. Reynolds, Susan C. McKernan, Raymond A. Kuthy
Date: 07/2015
Type: Document
Sponsoring organization: University of Iowa Public Policy Center
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The Use of Telemedicine to Address Access and Physician Workforce Shortages
Policy statement discussing opportunities to use telemedicine technologies to address pediatric workforce shortages in rural and urban settings. Offers information on improving access to care, physician capacity, quality of care, and costs of care.
Author(s): James P. Marcin, Mary E. Rimsza, William B. Moskowitz
Citation: Pediatrics, 136(1), 202-209
Date: 07/2015
Type: Document
Sponsoring organization: American Academy of Pediatrics
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Wisconsin Psychiatrists: Distribution, Demographics, Hours of Work, Projected Retirement
Provides data on the Wisconsin psychiatrist workforce. Includes information by rural and urban service area for all psychiatrists, child psychiatrists, population-to-provider ratios, and projected retirements.
Date: 06/2015
Type: Document
Sponsoring organization: Wisconsin Area Health Education Center System
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Wisconsin Primary Care Physician Retirement
Provides data on Wisconsin's primary care physicians related to future retirement, including information on physicians by age. Offers retirement projections by rural and urban service area.
Date: 06/2015
Type: Document
Sponsoring organization: Wisconsin Area Health Education Center System
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Wisconsin Primary Care Physicians: Distribution, Demographics, Hours of Work, Population to Provider Ratios
Provides detailed information on the Wisconsin primary care physician workforce. Includes information for urban and rural service areas. Covers details on hours worked in different settings, population to primary care physician ratios, and medical school attended.
Date: 06/2015
Type: Document
Sponsoring organization: Wisconsin Area Health Education Center System
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Teaching Hospitals: Preparing Tomorrow's Physicians Today
An overview of the value teaching hospitals bring in rural and urban areas, serving as training centers to prepare physicians in clinical settings, provide specialty training and specialty services, engage in research and innovation, and prepare healthcare professionals to adapt to changes in the healthcare environment. Discusses the federal (Medicare and Medicaid) financial support mechanisms teaching hospitals receive and the impact this support has on the increased cost of clinical training of new physicians.
Date: 06/2015
Type: Document
Sponsoring organization: American Hospital Association
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