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Rural Health
Resources by Topic: Healthcare needs and services

Separate Payment for Essential Medicines – New Biweekly Interim Payments for the Inpatient Prospective Payment System
Provides an overview of payment adjustments to small, independent hospitals for establishing and maintaining access to buffer stocks of essential medicines for cost report periods beginning on or after October 1, 2024.
Date: 10/2024
Sponsoring organization: Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services
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Changing Dynamics in the Opioid Crisis Since the COVID-19 Pandemic
Examines trends in the opioid crisis during the 2019-2022 COVID-19 pandemic period. Includes data on drug types and overdose deaths by age, state, and urbanization that includes nonmetro locations.
Author(s): Colin Planalp, Andrea Stewart
Date: 10/2024
Sponsoring organization: State Health Access Data Assistance Center
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Consumer Survey: Barriers to Accessing Oral Health Services in New York State
Examines major access barriers to oral health services for adults in New York. Provides evidence-based insights for policymakers and stakeholders to develop strategies to reduce oral health disparities and improve access to care, especially for underserved populations. Features statistics with breakdowns by urban or rural locations.
Author(s): Simona Surdu, Nozomi Sasaki, Jinman Pang, Jean Moore
Date: 10/2024
Sponsoring organization: Center for Health Workforce Studies
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Influenza and COVID-19 Vaccination Coverage Among Health Care Personnel — National Healthcare Safety Network, United States, 2023–24 Respiratory Virus Season
Reports on influenza and COVID-19 vaccination coverage among healthcare personnel working in acute care hospitals and nursing homes during the 2023-2024 respiratory virus season. Includes data by workplace location for rural and urban areas.
Author(s): Jeneita Bell, Lu Meng, Kira Barbre, et al.
Citation: MMWR (Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report), 73(43), 966-972
Date: 10/2024
Sponsoring organization: Centers for Disease Control and Prevention
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Trends in the Health Workforce Supply in the Rural U.S.
Describes trends in the supply and distribution of clinicians in primary care, behavioral health, and obstetrical care, as well as dentists, surgeons, community health workers, and home health aides. Examines the availability of workforce data for professions important for rural communities, and discusses the advantages and disadvantages of using various health workforce data sources for rural health research. Features statistics with breakdowns by 5 levels of population density.
Author(s): C. Holly A. Andrilla, Sara C. Woolcock, Lisa A. Garberson, et al.
Date: 10/2024
Sponsoring organization: WWAMI Rural Health Research Center
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Recovery From COVID-19–Related Disruptions in Cancer Detection
Examines changes in cancer screening and diagnosis during the COVID-19 pandemic, utilizing 2000-2021 SEER Program data. Identifies trends in overall cancer incidence and diagnosis, and provides data on clinical and demographic disparities in diagnosis, including breakdowns by level of rurality. Discusses the significance of pandemic-influenced missed cancer diagnoses for underserved patients.
Author(s): Uriel Kim, Johnie Rose, Bryan T. Carroll, et al.
Citation: JAMA Network Open, 7(10), e2439263
Date: 10/2024
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Daily Screen Time Among Teenagers: United States, July 2021–December 2023
Discusses the prevalence of screen time among teenagers and the correlation to health issues such as poor sleep, fatigue, anxiety, and depression. Utilizes data from the July 2021-December 2023 National Health Interview Survey–Teen (NHIS–Teen) to examine daily screen time among teenagers aged 12-17 according to screen time amounts, demographics, household poverty, parental education, mental health, and metro versus nonmetro location.
Author(s): Benjamin Zablotsky, Basilica Arockiaraj, Gelila Haile, Amanda E. Ng
Date: 10/2024
Sponsoring organization: National Center for Health Statistics
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Strengthening Rural Health: The Role of HPV Vaccination
Recording of an October 1, 2024, webinar regarding trends in HPV-related cancers in rural areas and the importance of HPV vaccination to cancer prevention. Features Heather Brandt, Director of the St. Jude Children's Research Hospital's HPV Cancer Prevention Program. Discusses the hospital's efforts to increase HPV vaccinations in rural communities. Part of the Rural Health Clinic Technical Assistance Series.
Additional links: Presentation Slides
Date: 10/2024
Sponsoring organization: National Association of Rural Health Clinics
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Firearm Experiences, Behaviors, and Norms Among Rural Adolescents
Examines handgun carrying experiences and social norms among 93 rural adolescents in Washington state. Utilizes survey, interview, and focus group data to provide data on having carried a handgun, age at first carry, and views on acceptable and unacceptable ways to engage with firearms, reasons for carrying, and places to carry.
Author(s): Elizabeth H. Weybright, Heather F. Terral, Ashley Hall, et al.
Citation: JAMA Network Open, 7(10), e2441203
Date: 10/2024
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Beneficiary and Clinician Perspectives on Medicare and Other Issues: Findings from 2024 Focus Groups in Select States
Summarizes findings from 24 focus groups of Medicare beneficiaries, Medicare and Medicaid (dual eligible) beneficiaries, and clinicians conducted between May and June 2024, including three virtual focus groups of rural Medicare beneficiaries. Highlights themes that emerged across the focus groups covering Medicare coverage options, access to care, telehealth, organization of care, and prescription drugs.
Date: 10/2024
Sponsoring organizations: Medicare Payment Advisory Commission, NORC at the University of Chicago
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