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Rural Health Information Hub

Rural Health
Resources by Topic: Healthcare needs and services

Expanding the Opioid Use Disorder Medication Treatment Workforce in Rural Communities Through the RCORP Initiative
Examines the impact of the Rural Communities Opioid Response Program (RCORP) on the workforce supply of Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA)-waivered clinicians in rural areas, who are able to prescribe buprenorphine. Analyzes 2017–2022 DEA lists of waivered clinicians to report on counties with a waivered clinician, clinician-to-population ratios, and treatment slot-to-population ratios. Discusses the impact of RCORP funding on Opioid Use Disorder (OUD) recovery services in rural communities.
Author(s): C. Holly A. Andrilla, Sara C. Woolcock, Kathleen Meyers, Davis G. Patterson
Citation: Journal of Rural Health, 41(1), e12867
Date: 2025
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Associations Between COVID-19 Therapies and Outcomes in Rural and Urban America: A Multisite, Temporal Analysis from the Alpha to Omicron SARS-CoV-2 Variants
Examines COVID-19 treatment, health outcomes, and mortality disparities in rural and urban areas of the United States. Analyzes 2021-2023 National COVID Cohort Collaborative (N3C) data from 3,018,646 patients to break down COVID-19 disparities according to patient demographics, vaccine status, comorbidities, U.S. Census region, and adverse inpatient events, as well as urban, urban-adjacent, or nonurban-adjacent location.
Author(s): A. Jerrod Anzalone, William H. Beasley, Kimberly Murray, et al.
Citation: Journal of Rural Health, 41(1), e12857
Date: 2025
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Trends in and Factors Associated with Family Physician-Performed Screening Colonoscopies in the United States: 2016-2021
Examines factors and trends related to family physician (FP)-performed colonoscopy screenings. Analyzes 2016-2021 insurance claims data from 2,943,900 qualified colonoscopies, with data breakdowns according to patient demographics, accrued charges, region, and urban-rural classification, including large central metro, large fringe metro, medium metro, small metro, micropolitan, and noncore. Discusses the impact of FP-performed colonoscopy screenings for certain populations, including rural.
Author(s): Nicholas Edwardson, David van der Goes, V. Shane Pankratz, et al.
Citation: Journal of Rural Health, 41(1)
Date: 2025
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Provider-to-Provider Telemedicine for Sepsis Is Used Less Frequently in Communities with High Social Vulnerability
Examines the relationship between provider-to-provider emergency department-based telehealth consultation (tele-ED) and the prevalence of sepsis in counties with elevated social vulnerability index (SVI) scores. Analyzes 2016-2019 data from 1191 patients treated in rural, Midwestern EDs, with breakdowns according to patient, provider, hospital, and county characteristics. Discusses the relationship between SVI scores and tele-ED use.
Author(s): Kevin J. Tu, J. Priyanka Vakkalanka, Uche E. Okoro, et al.
Citation: Journal of Rural Health, 41(1), e12861
Date: 2025
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Substance Use Prevalence Among Indiana Youth
Provides 2024 information on substance use among youth in Indiana, with data on 30-day use rates, highest use substances, monthly use of electronic vapor products and other substances, and prevalence rates of rural student substance use.
Date: 12/2024
Sponsoring organization: Indiana Youth Institute
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Texas Statewide Behavioral Health Strategic Plan: Progress Report, Fiscal Year 2024
Reports on the implementation of evidence-based and promising behavioral health practices in Texas. Includes discussion of practices focused on rural and Border populations.
Date: 12/2024
Sponsoring organization: Texas Statewide Behavioral Health Coordinating Council
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Arizona State Health Assessment, 2024
Reports on the health of people in Arizona, including population subgroups, social determinants of health, and priority health issues. Discusses health and access disparities in rural, tribal, and border areas. Includes county-level data.
Date: 12/2024
Sponsoring organization: Arizona Department of Health Services
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CMS Office of Minority Health: Health Equity Data Book
Provides data on disparities in participation in Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) programs, including data on demographics of covered individuals, chronic conditions, behavioral health conditions, and social determinants of health. Contains rural data for select programs.
Date: 12/2024
Sponsoring organization: Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services
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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.
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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Behavioral Health Service Use among Individuals Enrolled in Medicaid and CHIP Before and During The COVID-19 Public Health Emergency
Examines behavioral health (BH) service usage changes among Medicaid and Children's Health Insurance Program (CHIP) enrollees during the COVID-19 public health emergency (PHE). Compares BH service initiation and treatment before the PHE (2018-2019) and during the PHE (2019-2020), with further data breakdowns by enrollee BH condition and demographic variables, including rural versus urban location.
Date: 12/2024
Sponsoring organization: HHS Office of the Assistant Secretary for Planning and Evaluation
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