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Rural Health
Resources by Topic: Healthcare needs and services

Air Ambulance Use and Surprise Billing
Provides an overview of air ambulance services, including the types and number of air ambulance providers and suppliers, utilization rates by patients, average costs, and the potential for balance billing for air ambulance transport. Summarizes key policies and legislation related to air ambulances, including the No Surprises Act. Presents data on air ambulance utilization by rurality between 2014-2018.
Author(s): Gina Turrini, Joel Ruhter, Andre R. Chappel, Nancy De Lew
Date: 09/2021
Sponsoring organization: HHS Office of the Assistant Secretary for Planning and Evaluation
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Urban-Rural Differences in Suicide Rates and Leading Means in Kansas
Examines suicide rates and the means of suicide in Kansas between 2000-2019. Compares data by frontier, rural, densely-settled rural, semi-urban, and urban counties.
Date: 09/2021
Sponsoring organization: Kansas Health Institute
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Changes in Hospitalizations and In-Hospital Deaths for Adults Aged 18-64 Years in the Initial Period of the COVID-19 Pandemic (April-September 2020), 13 States
Presents data from 13 states on the number of all-cause hospitalizations and in-hospital deaths among adults aged 18-64 years old between April–September 2020 and compares this data to statistics from the same quarter in 2016-2019. Presents data by patient characteristics, including urban or rural status. Includes data on the percent of hospitalizations and deaths related to COVID-19 in 2020.
Author(s): Lawrence D. Reid, Marc Roemer
Date: 09/2021
Sponsoring organization: Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality
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Changes in Hospitalizations and In-Hospital Deaths in the Initial Period of the COVID-19 Pandemic (April-September 2020), 13 States
Presents data from 13 states on the number of all-cause hospitalizations and in-hospital deaths between April–September 2020 and compares this data to statistics from the same quarter in 2016-2019. Presents data by patient characteristics, including urban or rural status. Includes data on the percent of hospitalizations and deaths related to COVID-19 in 2020.
Author(s): Lawrence D. Reid, Zhengyi Fang
Date: 09/2021
Sponsoring organization: Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality
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Changes in Pediatric Hospitalizations and In-Hospital Deaths in the Initial Period of the COVID-19 Pandemic (April-September 2020), 13 States
Presents data from 13 states on the number of pediatric hospitalizations and in-hospital deaths between April–September 2020 and compares this data to statistics from the same quarter in 2016-2019. Presents data by patient characteristics, including urban or rural status. Includes data on the percent of pediatric hospitalizations related to COVID-19 in 2020.
Author(s): Lawrence D. Reid, Zhengyi Fang
Date: 09/2021
Sponsoring organization: Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality
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Changes in Hospitalizations and In-Hospital Deaths for Adults Aged 65 Years and Older in the Initial Period of the COVID-19 Pandemic (April-September 2020), 13 States
Presents data from 13 states on the number of all-cause hospitalizations and in-hospital deaths among adults aged 65 years old and over between April–September 2020 and compares this data to statistics from the same quarter in 2016-2019. Presents data by patient characteristics, including urban or rural status. Includes data on the percent of hospitalizations and deaths related to COVID-19 in 2020.
Author(s): Zhengyi Fang, Pamela L. Owens
Date: 09/2021
Sponsoring organization: Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality
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Challenges to Public Health Reporting Experienced by Non-Federal Acute Care Hospitals, 2019
Data brief examining public health reporting among acute care hospitals, including rural hospitals and Critical Access Hospitals (CAHs). Outlines challenges with the exchange of electronic health information, such as lack of capacity to exchange electronically, interface issues, and differing vocabulary standards. Compares challenges faced by hospitals by size, CAH status, rural/urban, and independent/system affiliated and offers state-level maps of percent of hospitals reporting specific challenges.
Author(s): Chelsea Richwine, Carmelita Marshall, Christian Johnson, Vaishali Patel
Date: 09/2021
Sponsoring organization: Office of the National Coordinator for Health Information Technology
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Use of Electronic Health Records to Manage Tobacco Screening and Treatment in Rural Primary Care
Study examining the benefits of using electronic health records (EHR) in addressing tobacco dependence by primary care providers, comparing rural and urban data from the 2012-2015 National Ambulatory Medical Care Survey. Discusses the utility of EHR and barriers to EHR adoption in rural practices, and offers data tables covering patient characteristics and statistics related to primary care visits and smoking cessation.
Author(s): Jean A. Talbot, Erika C. Ziller, Carly M. Milkowski
Citation: Journal of Rural Health
Date: 09/2021
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Medicare Covers a Lower Percentage of Outpatient Costs in Hospitals Located in Rural Areas
Policy brief describing differences in Medicare Outpatient Prospective Payment System (OPPS) payments between urban and rural hospitals. Features statistics on OPPS payments as a percent of total net patient revenue, as a percent of Medicare outpatient cost by hospital payment classification, and as a percent of Medicare outpatient cost by number of acute beds, with breakdowns by urban and rural location.
Author(s): Pranathi Sana, George H. Pink
Date: 09/2021
Sponsoring organization: North Carolina Rural Health Research Program
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National, Regional, State, and Selected Local Area Vaccination Coverage Among Adolescents Aged 13–17 Years — United States, 2020
Reports on vaccination coverage among U.S. adolescents ages 13 through 17. Includes data on vaccination coverage by metropolitan and nonmetropolitan residence and poverty status. Includes nonmetro data related to the following vaccines: Tdap (tetanus toxoid, reduced diphtheria toxoid, and acellular pertussis), MenACWY (quadrivalent meningococcal conjugate), HPV (human papillomavirus), MMR (measles, mumps, and rubella), hepatitis A, hepatitis B, and varicella.
Author(s): Cassandra Pingali, David Yankey, Laurie D. Elam-Evans, et al.
Citation: MMWR (Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report), 70(35), 1183-1190
Date: 09/2021
Sponsoring organization: Centers for Disease Control and Prevention
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