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Rural Health
Resources by Topic: Healthcare needs and services

Patterns of Health Care Use among Rural-Urban Medicare Beneficiaries Age 85 and Older, 2010-2017
Policy brief examining how rural and urban Medicare beneficiaries age 85+ differ in terms of their socioeconomic and health characteristics that may inform healthcare use. Features statistics on trends in healthcare use, including inpatient and emergency department care, outpatient and prescription services, specialists and dentists, and home health and durable medical equipment, with breakdowns by urban and rural location.
Author(s): Yvonne Jonk, Heidi O'Connor, Amanda Burgess, Carly Milkowski
Date: 11/2022
Sponsoring organization: Maine Rural Health Research Center
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The Path to Coordinated Federal Leadership to Strengthen Primary Health Care
Discusses the potential of a Secretary's Council on Primary Care within the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. Describes primary care's role in addressing policy challenges related to health equity, payment, workforce training, pandemic recovery and resilience, the opioid crisis, and mental health. Offers recommendations to include and strengthen high-quality primary care as part of a long-term vision of a high-value healthcare system. Includes rural references throughout.
Author(s): Robert L. Phillips Jr., Christopher Koller, Alice Hm Chen
Date: 11/2022
Sponsoring organization: Milbank Memorial Fund
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QuickStats: Age-Adjusted Rates of Alcohol-Induced Deaths, by Urban-Rural Status — United States, 2000–2020
Line chart showing rural and urban alcohol-induced death rates.
Citation: MMWR (Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report), 71(44), 1425
Date: 11/2022
Sponsoring organization: Centers for Disease Control and Prevention
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Medicare Program: Hospital Outpatient Prospective Payment and Ambulatory Surgical Center Payment Systems and Quality Reporting Programs; Organ Acquisition; Rural Emergency Hospitals: Payment Policies, Conditions of Participation, Provider Enrollment, Physician Self-Referral; New Service Category for Hospital Outpatient Department Prior Authorization Process; Overall Hospital Quality Star Rating; COVID-19
Establishes the Rural Emergency Hospital (REH) provider type. Outlines REH payment policy, Conditions of Participation (CoPs), quality measures, and enrollment policy. Outlines changes to the Critical Access Hospitals (CAH) CoPs regarding location and distance requirements, patient's rights requirements, and flexibilities for CAHs that are part of a larger health system. Among other things, this rule also revises the Medicare Hospital Outpatient Prospective Payment System (OPPS) and Medicare Ambulatory Surgical Center (ACS) payment system for calendar year 2023 and finalizes provisions included in the COVID-19 interim final rules.
Additional links: Fact Sheet
Date: 11/2022
Sponsoring organization: Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services
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Inequities in Access and Delivery of Acute Stroke Care: A Brain Attack Coalition Symposium Report
Presents findings from the Brain Attack Coalition's Inequities in Access and Delivery of Acute Stroke Care symposium. Identifies barriers to access and disparities in healthcare delivery, and discusses underserved populations, including people in rural areas, throughout. Provides recommendations on policy, research, and service delivery approaches to address inequities and improve stroke care delivery in EMS, acute and hyperacute, and inpatient settings.
Date: 10/2022
Sponsoring organizations: Brain Attack Coalition (BAC), National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke
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EMS Listening Sessions: Report to the Governor's Healthcare Task Force
A summary of 6 listening sessions on emergency medical services in Wyoming. Discusses issues and potential solutions related to essential service designation, EMS districts, regionalization, education and licensing, reimbursement, the use of 911, and defining critical care. Discusses rural and frontier issues throughout.
Date: 10/2022
Sponsoring organization: Wyoming Department of Health
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Social Media and Use of Electronic Nicotine Delivery Systems among School-Going Adolescents in a Rural Distressed Appalachian Community
Evaluates the influence of social media engagement on electronic nicotine delivery system (ENDS) use among 399 8th and 9th grade students in a rural Appalachian county in Tennessee. Provides data on current and ever ENDS use, social media use by type of platform, use of social media to discuss ENDS, attitudes toward ease of ENDS access and danger to health, parental advice against tobacco use, and participant demographics.
Author(s): H.M. Mamudu, C.A. Nwabueze, J.S. Yang, et al.
Citation: Preventive Medicine Reports, 29, 101953
Date: 10/2022
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Ohio 2023-2026 State Plan on Aging
Highlights the state's health, equity, and justice goals for aging Ohioans. Notes priorities in the areas of community conditions, healthy living, access to care, social connectedness, population health, and preserving independence including those of particular importance to rural or Appalachian residents.
Date: 10/2022
Sponsoring organization: Ohio Department of Aging
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Breast Cancer Screening Disparities in Medicare Beneficiaries
Discusses breast cancer prevalence and screening mammography use among female Medicare fee-for-service beneficiaries between 2012 and 2021. Presents data on breast cancer prevalence and screening mammography in 2021 by county and race and ethnicity. Includes data on breast cancer screening among Medicaid Advantage enrollees in 2019 by urban/rural status and race and ethnicity.
Date: 10/2022
Sponsoring organization: Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services
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Rural and Urban Differences in Care Provided by Home Health Agencies in the United States: A Review of the Literature
Explores the differences in care outcomes for rural and urban home health agencies (HHAs). Discusses some of the barriers faced by rural HHAs, such as overcoming long distances, increased costs, and workforce limitations, among others.
Author(s): Denise D. Quigley, Ashley M. Chastain, Jung A. Kang, et al.
Citation: The Journal of Post-Acute and Long-Term Care Medicine, 23(10), 1653.e1-1653.e13
Date: 10/2022
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