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Rural Health Information Hub

Rural Health
Resources by Topic: Healthcare needs and services

MedPAC Response to a Congressional Request for Information on Improving Access to Health Care in Rural and Underserved Areas
Letter to the House Committee on Ways and Means responding to a request for information on improving access to healthcare in rural and underserved areas. Covers MedPAC recommendations for policies to target payments to better support rural beneficiaries' access to care, including the Rural Emergency Hospital program and a proposed Medicare Safety-Net Index; changes to the hospital wage index to address geographic inequities; and the alignment of payment rates across ambulatory settings for certain services.
Date: 09/2023
Sponsoring organization: Medicare Payment Advisory Commission
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CDC's State of Vaccine Confidence Insights Report: Vaccination in Rural America Special Report
Examines vaccine confidence and uptake among rural populations in the United States between 2017-2023, with a focus on COVID-19 vaccination. Covers differences in vaccine uptake among rural, suburban, and rural populations. Discusses concerns about vaccination and identifies strategies for successful outreach to rural areas.
Date: 09/2023
Sponsoring organization: Centers for Disease Control and Prevention
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2022 Preparedness Profile Study
Provides an overview of local health department (LHD) readiness in addressing emergencies and threats. Includes data on percentage of LHDs that focus on issues related to workforce, partnerships, preparedness capacity, and preparedness response activity, with select data broken down by small, medium, and large LHDs.
Author(s): Kellie Hall, Krishna Patel, Deise Galan, et al.
Date: 09/2023
Sponsoring organization: National Association of County and City Health Officials
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Characteristics of 30-Day All-cause Hospital Readmissions, 2016–2020
Examines trends in 30-day all-cause hospital readmissions among patients 1 year old and older in the United States between 2016 and 2020. Explores changes in readmission rates from the pre-pandemic period (2016-2019) to 2020. Presents data by primary payer and patient characteristics.
Author(s): H. Joanna Jiang, Molly Hensche
Date: 09/2023
Sponsoring organization: Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality
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Influenza, Tdap, and COVID-19 Vaccination Coverage and Hesitancy Among Pregnant Women — United States, April 2023
Examines influenza, Tdap (tetanus toxoid, reduced diphtheria toxoid, and acellular pertussis), and COVID-19 vaccination coverage among women pregnant during the 2022-23 influenza season. Includes data on vaccination coverage for those living in rural and nonrural areas.
Author(s): Hilda Razzaghi, Katherine E. Kahn, Kayla Calhoun, et al.
Citation: MMWR (Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report), 72(39), 1065-1071
Date: 09/2023
Sponsoring organization: Centers for Disease Control and Prevention
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Oral Health Among Medicare Beneficiaries in Nursing Homes
Evaluated oral health among 2,355,366 Medicare beneficiaries living in nursing homes. Highlights characteristics associated with specific types of dental issues including age, sex, rurality, and more.
Author(s): Steffany Chamut, Carla Shoff, Kristiana Yao, Lee A. Fleisher, Natalia I. Chalmers
Citation: JAMA Network Open, 6(9)
Date: 09/2023
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Guideline-Discordant Inhaler Regimens after COPD Hospitalization: Associations with Rurality, Drive Time to Care, and Fragmented Care – a United States Cohort Study
Examines the factors related to guideline-discordant inhaler regimens following chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) hospitalization. Analyzes 33,785 patient inhaler prescriptions between 2017-2020 according to rurality, drive time to pulmonary specialty care, and fragmented care.
Author(s): Arianne K. Baldomero, Ken M. Kunisaki, Chris H. Wendt, et al.
Citation: The Lancet Regional Health - Americas, 26
Date: 09/2023
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Implementation of Substance Use Screening in Rural Federally-Qualified Health Center Clinics Identified High Rates of Unhealthy Alcohol and Cannabis Use among Adult Primary Care Patients
Examines the feasibility of integrating electronic health record (EHR) tools into the screening of primary care patients for substance use. Discusses the process of screening 3,749 patients at 3 rural Federally Qualified Health Centers (FQHCs) via EHR-integrated methods and the potential impacts of this screening method on reducing rural primary care provider burden.
Author(s): Jennifer McNeely, Bethany McLeman, Trip Gardner, et al.
Citation: Addiction Science & Clinical Practice, 18, 56
Date: 09/2023
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September 2023 MedPAC Meeting Transcript
Transcript from the Medicare Payment Advisory Commission's (MedPAC) September 2022 meeting. Covers Medicare Advantage benefits and coding, the Acute Care Hospital at Home program, and the shift of some surgical procedures from hospital outpatient departments to ambulatory surgical centers (ASCs). Includes rural references and considerations throughout.
Date: 09/2023
Sponsoring organization: Medicare Payment Advisory Commission
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Will Availability of Over-the-Counter Narcan Increase Access?
Highlights state policies and recent research related to over-the-counter naloxone access. Includes information on the impact of rurality on access. Also discusses insurance coverage and impact of cost.
Author(s): Heather Saunders, Robin Rudowitz
Date: 09/2023
Sponsoring organization: KFF
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