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Rural Health
Resources by Topic: Healthcare needs and services

Strengthening the Entry-Level Health Care Workforce: Finding a Path
Examines gaps in the existing healthcare workforce, challenges facing entry-level healthcare workers (EHCW), current EHCW training programs and contexts where training programs are used effectively, and strategies and policy opportunities to strengthen the EHCW. Includes rural references throughout and case studies for programs in rural Alaska and Washington. Provides an interactive inventory of existing policies and programs that support EHCW training, recruitment, and retention.
Additional links: Entry-Level Health Care Workforce: Information and Programs Visualization Tool
Author(s): Shira H. Fischer, Ryan K. McBain, Laura J. Faherty, et al.
Date: 12/2020
Sponsoring organizations: HHS Office of the Assistant Secretary for Planning and Evaluation, RAND Corporation
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Association of CMS-HCC Risk Scores with Health Care Utilization among Rural and Urban Medicare Beneficiaries
Research brief exploring healthcare utilization by rural and urban Medicare beneficiaries in order to better understand CMS Hierarchical Condition Categories (HCCs) and accurately apply the CMS-HCC risk score model. Analyzes 2014 CMS-HCC risk score data for different healthcare outcomes, including inpatient and outpatient ER visits, acute inpatient stays, and hospital readmissions, comparing rural and urban populations.
Author(s): Tyler Malone, Denise Kirk, Randy Randolph, Kristin Reiter
Date: 12/2020
Sponsoring organization: North Carolina Rural Health Research Program
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Characteristics of Residential Care Communities by Percentage of Resident Population Diagnosed With Dementia: United States, 2016
Examines characteristics of residential care communities and their residents by the prevalence of Alzheimer's disease and other dementias. Includes dementia prevalence data for metropolitan and nonmetro areas.
Author(s): Manisha Sengupta, Christine Caffrey
Date: 12/2020
Sponsoring organization: National Center for Health Statistics
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Case Study: Exploring Options to Deploy Capitated Payments to Enhance Primary Care in Rural Settings
Discusses the need for primary care services in rural areas. Provides an overview of healthcare delivery models that utilize capitated payments. Presents examples of capitated payment agreements aimed at increasing the use and quality of primary care services in rural communities, and offers lessons learned.
Date: 12/2020
Sponsoring organization: American Hospital Association
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Healthy Women, Healthy Pregnancies, Healthy Futures: Action Plan to Improve Maternal Health in America
Action plan outlining steps the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services is taking to reduce maternal mortality and address disparities that endanger women before, during, and following pregnancy. Four main goals include: improving prevention and treatment services to promote positive health outcomes for every woman of reproductive age; prioritizing quality improvement efforts to support healthy pregnancies and births; improving postpartum health; and enhancing data and research to inform future interventions. Includes data and statistics on maternal health and morbidity, and addresses rural considerations throughout.
Author(s): Dawn Alley, Andre Chappel, Nancy De Lew, et al.
Date: 12/2020
Sponsoring organization: U.S. Department of Health and Human Services
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The Surgeon General's Call to Action to Improve Maternal Health
Describes the state of maternal health in the United States, including data and statistics on mortality and morbidity. Discusses risks to maternal health, such as high blood pressure, diabetes, infectious diseases, mental health conditions, intimate partner violence, and more. Recommends strategies and actions that individuals, organizations, and communities can implement to improve maternal health and reduce maternal morbidity and mortality. Includes rural references throughout.
Date: 12/2020
Sponsoring organization: U.S. Department of Health and Human Services
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Costs of Emergency Department Visits in the United States, 2017
Examines the cost of emergency department (ED) visits in the United States. Includes data by location of patient's residence for large metropolitan, small metro, micropolitan, and rural areas. Topics covered include aggregate costs, average costs, number of ED visits, aggregate costs by age, aggregate costs by community-level income, and aggregate costs by primary expected payer.
Author(s): Brian J. Moore, Lan Liang
Date: 12/2020
Sponsoring organization: Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality
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Addressing Opioid Overdose Deaths: The Vision for the HEALing Communities Study
Highlights a study on the effect of the COVID-19 pandemic on the HEALing Communities Study (HCS), which began in 2019 with the goal of reducing opioid overdose deaths by 40% over 3 years. Discusses the intersection of the two crises across the country and discusses the variations in rural and urban locations.
Author(s): Redonna K. Chandlera, Jennifer Villani, Thomas Clarke, et al.
Citation: Drug and Alcohol Dependence, 217, 108329
Date: 12/2020
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Buprenorphine Dispensing in an Epicenter of the U.S. Opioid Epidemic: A Case Study of the Rural Risk Environment in Appalachian Kentucky
Explores buprenorphine dispensing practices among pharmacists in rural, Appalachian Kentucky, highlighting issues related to buprenorphine dispensing hesitancy. Identifies themes from interviews with 14 pharmacists operating in 12 rural, Appalachian Kentucky counties and discusses dispensing risk environment. Reviews factors influencing hesitancy, including national and state-level drug policy, stigma, and continuing impacts of the opioid epidemic.
Author(s): Hannah L.F. Cooper, David H. Cloud, Patricia R. Freeman, et al.
Citation: International Journal of Drug Policy, 85, 102701
Date: 11/2020
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HIV Update - Alaska, 2019
Report on HIV and AIDS throughout the state of Alaska in 2019. Discusses the impact of HIV on rural Alaska communities.
Citation: State of Alaska Epidemiology Bulletin,14
Date: 11/2020
Sponsoring organization: Alaska Division of Public Health
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