Rural Health
Resources by Topic: Healthcare needs and services
MedPAC Report to the Congress: Medicare Payment Policy: Hospice Services: Chapter 9
Discusses payment adequacy for hospice and palliative support services. Includes data on average costs by day and aggregate margins by urban and rural status, as well as demographics on Medicare decedents who used hospice during 2010 and between 2019-2023. Compares the actual hospice utilization rates in micropolitan, rural adjacent, rural nonadjacent, and frontier areas to urban hospice utilization rates.
Date: 03/2025
Sponsoring organization: Medicare Payment Advisory Commission
view details
Discusses payment adequacy for hospice and palliative support services. Includes data on average costs by day and aggregate margins by urban and rural status, as well as demographics on Medicare decedents who used hospice during 2010 and between 2019-2023. Compares the actual hospice utilization rates in micropolitan, rural adjacent, rural nonadjacent, and frontier areas to urban hospice utilization rates.
Date: 03/2025
Sponsoring organization: Medicare Payment Advisory Commission
view details
Human Cases of Highly Pathogenic Avian Influenza A(H5N1) — California, September–December 2024
Reports on increased risk for infection from highly pathogenic avian influenza (HPAI) A(H5N1) among people who work closely with dairy cows, poultry, or other animals with suspected or confirmed infection. Includes data on investigations that led to identification of 38 people who tested positive for HPAI A(H5N1) viruses in California, including 37 dairy farm workers with exposure to sick cows, and one child with an undetermined exposure.
Author(s): Sophie Zhu, Kathleen Harriman, Caterina Liu, et al.
Citation: MMWR (Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report), 74(8), 127–133
Date: 03/2025
Sponsoring organization: Centers for Disease Control and Prevention
view details
Reports on increased risk for infection from highly pathogenic avian influenza (HPAI) A(H5N1) among people who work closely with dairy cows, poultry, or other animals with suspected or confirmed infection. Includes data on investigations that led to identification of 38 people who tested positive for HPAI A(H5N1) viruses in California, including 37 dairy farm workers with exposure to sick cows, and one child with an undetermined exposure.
Author(s): Sophie Zhu, Kathleen Harriman, Caterina Liu, et al.
Citation: MMWR (Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report), 74(8), 127–133
Date: 03/2025
Sponsoring organization: Centers for Disease Control and Prevention
view details
MedPAC Report to the Congress: Medicare Payment Policy, 2025
Annual review of Medicare payment policies, with recommendations to Congress. Includes discussion on Medicare payment policies directly affecting rural providers and beneficiaries. Addresses payment adequacy for Medicare fee-for-service payment systems, Medicare Advantage (MA), and Medicare Part D.
Date: 03/2025
Sponsoring organization: Medicare Payment Advisory Commission
view details
Annual review of Medicare payment policies, with recommendations to Congress. Includes discussion on Medicare payment policies directly affecting rural providers and beneficiaries. Addresses payment adequacy for Medicare fee-for-service payment systems, Medicare Advantage (MA), and Medicare Part D.
Date: 03/2025
Sponsoring organization: Medicare Payment Advisory Commission
view details
Report to Congress on Medicaid and CHIP, March 2025
Reports on three aspects of Medicaid of interest to Congress: 1) improving the usability and transparency of the managed care external quality review process, 2) improvements on timely access to home- and community-based services (HCBS), and 3) ways to streamline Medicaid Section 1915 authorities for home-and community-based services and reduce the administrative burden.
Date: 03/2025
Sponsoring organization: Medicaid and CHIP Payment and Access Commission
view details
Reports on three aspects of Medicaid of interest to Congress: 1) improving the usability and transparency of the managed care external quality review process, 2) improvements on timely access to home- and community-based services (HCBS), and 3) ways to streamline Medicaid Section 1915 authorities for home-and community-based services and reduce the administrative burden.
Date: 03/2025
Sponsoring organization: Medicaid and CHIP Payment and Access Commission
view details
Media Advocacy for Farm Safety and Health: Current Landscape and Future Directions
Evaluates 89 news articles to examine how media depicts agricultural health and safety. Identifies strategies for improving the use of media in agricultural safety advocacy for public health practitioners.
Author(s): Pamela J. Milkovich, Sarah Perez-Sanz, Kim Garcia, et al.
Citation: BMC Public Health, 25, 970
Date: 03/2025
view details
Evaluates 89 news articles to examine how media depicts agricultural health and safety. Identifies strategies for improving the use of media in agricultural safety advocacy for public health practitioners.
Author(s): Pamela J. Milkovich, Sarah Perez-Sanz, Kim Garcia, et al.
Citation: BMC Public Health, 25, 970
Date: 03/2025
view details
March 2025 MedPAC Meeting Transcript
Transcript from the Medicare Payment Advisory Commission's (MedPAC) March 2025 meeting. Covers research and proposals related to reforming physician fee schedule updates and improving the accuracy of relative payment rates, reducing beneficiary cost-sharing for outpatient services at Critical Access Hospitals, Medicare insurance agents, Medigap, payment for ground ambulance services, home healthcare use among Medicare Advantage enrollees, and institutional special needs plans. Includes rural references and considerations throughout.
Additional links: Mandated Report: Payment for Ground Ambulance Services, Reducing Beneficiary Cost-Sharing for Outpatient Services at Critical Access Hospitals
Date: 03/2025
Sponsoring organization: Medicare Payment Advisory Commission
view details
Transcript from the Medicare Payment Advisory Commission's (MedPAC) March 2025 meeting. Covers research and proposals related to reforming physician fee schedule updates and improving the accuracy of relative payment rates, reducing beneficiary cost-sharing for outpatient services at Critical Access Hospitals, Medicare insurance agents, Medigap, payment for ground ambulance services, home healthcare use among Medicare Advantage enrollees, and institutional special needs plans. Includes rural references and considerations throughout.
Additional links: Mandated Report: Payment for Ground Ambulance Services, Reducing Beneficiary Cost-Sharing for Outpatient Services at Critical Access Hospitals
Date: 03/2025
Sponsoring organization: Medicare Payment Advisory Commission
view details
Rural Maternal Health Interventions: A Scoping Review and Implications for Best Practices
Presents a scoping review of maternal health interventions in rural communities. Explores the efficacy of different interventions at improving maternal care and details the barriers and facilitators to implementation.
Author(s): Rachel D'Amico Gordon, Alyson Kishi, Jordyn A. Brown, et al.
Citation: Journal of Rural Health, 41(1), e70007
Date: 03/2025
view details
Presents a scoping review of maternal health interventions in rural communities. Explores the efficacy of different interventions at improving maternal care and details the barriers and facilitators to implementation.
Author(s): Rachel D'Amico Gordon, Alyson Kishi, Jordyn A. Brown, et al.
Citation: Journal of Rural Health, 41(1), e70007
Date: 03/2025
view details
Beliefs of US Chiefs of Police about Substance Use Disorder, Fentanyl Exposure, Overdose Response, and Use of Discretion: Results from a National Survey
Examines police chief perceptions regarding substance use. Focuses on issues such as discretion when making arrests, overdose response, risks of fentanyl exposure, de-escalation practices, harmful drugs in their communities, and buprenorphine obtained via illicit means. Analyzes survey data from 276 police chiefs regarding their knowledge and attitudes on addiction and policing, with breakdowns according to their region, urbanicity, and experience.
Author(s): Amelia Bailey, Barbara Andraka-Christou, Saba Rouhani, et al.
Citation: Health & Justice, 13, 13
Date: 03/2025
view details
Examines police chief perceptions regarding substance use. Focuses on issues such as discretion when making arrests, overdose response, risks of fentanyl exposure, de-escalation practices, harmful drugs in their communities, and buprenorphine obtained via illicit means. Analyzes survey data from 276 police chiefs regarding their knowledge and attitudes on addiction and policing, with breakdowns according to their region, urbanicity, and experience.
Author(s): Amelia Bailey, Barbara Andraka-Christou, Saba Rouhani, et al.
Citation: Health & Justice, 13, 13
Date: 03/2025
view details
Lung Cancer Disparities in Rural, Persistent Poverty Counties: A Secondary Data Analysis
Examines lung cancer incidence and mortality according to county-level smoking rates, rurality, and poverty. Analyzes county types, such as urban and non-persistent poverty, urban and persistent poverty, rural and non-persistent poverty, and rural and persistent poverty as correlated with lung cancer disparities.
Author(s): Veronica Bernacchi, Kelly Hirko, Eric Adjei Boakye, et al.
Citation: BMC Public Health, 25, 878
Date: 03/2025
view details
Examines lung cancer incidence and mortality according to county-level smoking rates, rurality, and poverty. Analyzes county types, such as urban and non-persistent poverty, urban and persistent poverty, rural and non-persistent poverty, and rural and persistent poverty as correlated with lung cancer disparities.
Author(s): Veronica Bernacchi, Kelly Hirko, Eric Adjei Boakye, et al.
Citation: BMC Public Health, 25, 878
Date: 03/2025
view details
Legal-Involved Veterans Are Less Likely to Receive Guideline-Concordant Colorectal Cancer Screening
Examines rates of screening for colorectal cancer (CRC) for veterans who are legal-involved. Provides Veterans Health Administration (VHA) electronic health record data on CRC for veterans who are and who are not legal-involved, with further breakdowns by demographic variables, such as rurality.
Author(s): Kenneth J. Nieser, Alex H. S. Harris, Ingrid A. Binswanger, Sean C. Clark, Andrea K. Finlay
Citation: BMC Health Services Research, 25, 333
Date: 03/2025
view details
Examines rates of screening for colorectal cancer (CRC) for veterans who are legal-involved. Provides Veterans Health Administration (VHA) electronic health record data on CRC for veterans who are and who are not legal-involved, with further breakdowns by demographic variables, such as rurality.
Author(s): Kenneth J. Nieser, Alex H. S. Harris, Ingrid A. Binswanger, Sean C. Clark, Andrea K. Finlay
Citation: BMC Health Services Research, 25, 333
Date: 03/2025
view details