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Rural Health Information Hub

Rural Health
Resources by Topic: Healthcare needs and services

Wait Time Standards for Behavioral Health Network Adequacy
Presents findings from an environmental scan, key informant interviews, and case studies exploring efforts to measure and monitor provider networks through wait time standards. Describes how wait time standards can vary by provider type, service type, patient characteristics, and geographic region. Discusses challenges faced by state regulators in setting such standards. Includes rural references throughout.
Author(s): Anna Sommers, Elysha Theis, Kenneth Fassel, Brent Gibbons, Miku Fujita
Date: 11/2024
Sponsoring organizations: HHS Office of the Assistant Secretary for Planning and Evaluation, RTI International
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Understanding the Optimal Balance of Using Telehealth and In-person Services to Support Adults with Serious Mental Illness and Children with Serious Emotional Disturbance
Explores the balance between telehealth and in-person care for serious mental illness (SMI) and children with serious emotional disturbance (SED). Summarizes findings from an environmental scan and focus groups with mental health providers, adults with SMI, and parents of children with SED. Discusses how focus group participants made decisions about using telehealth versus in-person mental healthcare and how telehealth impacted access to care and engagement in treatment relative to in-person services.
Author(s): Jasmine Little, Megan Dormond, Sarah Croake, et al.
Date: 11/2024
Sponsoring organization: HHS Office of the Assistant Secretary for Planning and Evaluation
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Differences in Hepatitis C Virus (HCV) Testing and Treatment by Opioid, Stimulant, and Polysubstance Use among People Who Use Drugs in Rural U.S. Communities
Examines hepatitis C virus (HCV) testing in rural people who use drugs (PWUD) when drug combinations are used. Analyzes 2,705 PWUD across 10 rural communities in the U.S. from 2018-2020 for drug use combinations, testing, treatment, and more.
Author(s): Angela T. Estadt, David Kline, William C. Miller, et al.
Citation: Harm Reduction Journal, 21, 214
Date: 11/2024
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Building a Rural Cancer Care Network: Federal Funding Supports Collaboration of Urban, Regional, and Local Organizations
Features a rural cancer care network in Georgia funded by a federal care coordination grant that brings together an urban nonprofit organization, a regional healthcare system with rural locations, and a local rural physician's office. Highlights the network's work related to patient navigation and clinical cancer trial enrollment.
Author(s): Kay Miller Temple
Citation: Rural Monitor
Date: 11/2024
Sponsoring organization: Rural Health Information Hub
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Expansion of an Academic Molecular Tumor Board to Enhance Access to Biomarker-Driven Trials and Therapies in the Rural Southeastern United States
Examines access to and availability of molecular tumor boards (MTBs) and comprehensive genomic profiling (CGP) to improve cancer outcomes in rural patients. Examines data from 151 patients from rural North Carolina enrolled in a clinical cancer trial and examines cancer types, actionable biomarkers, and provider feedback on barriers to enrollment in patient trial clinicals in rural areas.
Author(s): Anivarya Kumar, Jennifer R. Owen, Nicholette T. Sloat, et al.
Citation: Current Oncology, 1(11), 7244-7257
Date: 11/2024
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Implementation and Sustainability of Systems Change for Mental Health Promotion and Substance Misuse Prevention: A Qualitative Study
Examines the implementation and sustainability of the Indiana Regional Prevention System (RPS), a community-focused systems change program focused on mental health promotion and substance use prevention, from interviews with 9 active regional coordinators. Discusses the impact of RPS in rural communities.
Author(s): Ashlyn Burns, Haleigh Kampman, Lauren Magee, et al.
Citation: BMC Health Services Research, 24, 1477
Date: 11/2024
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The Obstetrics Comorbidity Index as a Predictive Tool for Risk-Appropriate Maternal Care
Assesses the use of obstetric comorbidity index (OBCMI) to predict severe maternal morbidity (SMM) for antepartum obstetrics transfers, utilizing 2016-2020 data of 561 transfers to a level IV facility in a rural health system. Provides data on the associations between OBCMI score and SMM, and discusses the use of OBCMI for triage and comprehensive risk assessment.
Author(s): Allison R. McCarter, Regan N. Theiler, Megan E. Branda, et al.
Citation: BMC Pregnancy and Childbirth, 24, 797
Date: 11/2024
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Addressing Rural Mental Health in the North Central Region
A recorded webinar that discusses a 4-H sponsored adult volunteer training mental health program from Wisconsin as well as a South Dakota needs assessment on farm stress and mental health. Transcript available below description.
Author(s): Shannon Sparks, Danette Hopke, Sheila Michels, Megan Suehring, Andrea Bjornestad
Date: 11/2024
Sponsoring organization: North Central Regional Center for Rural Development
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National Hospital Ambulatory Medical Care Survey: 2022 Emergency Department Summary Tables
Provides data on ambulatory care emergency department (ED) hospital visits in 2022. Table 1 provides metropolitan/nonmetropolitan ED visit data based on hospital location.
Date: 11/2024
Sponsoring organization: National Center for Health Statistics
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Meeker Memorial Hospital: Bringing Sustainable Coordination of Care to its Patients and Community
Provides a profile of Meeker Memorial Hospital (MMH), a healthcare facility located in Minnesota and part of the 2022-2023 Rural Healthcare Provider Transition Project (RHPTP). Discusses MMH's process to improve finances and operations, implement electronic medical record (EMR) training, partner with pharmacy schools, and more.
Date: 11/2024
Sponsoring organization: National Rural Health Resource Center
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