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Rural Health Information Hub

Rural Health
Resources by Topic: Healthcare needs and services

Changes in Influenza Vaccination Requirements for Health Care Personnel in US Hospitals
Results of a study comparing proportions of 1,062 hospitals that did or did not require personnel to be vaccinated for influenza between 2013-2017. Features statistics with breakdowns by urban or rural location and Veterans Affairs (VA) or non-VA hospital type.
Author(s): M. Todd Greene, Karen E. Fowler, David Ratz, et al.
Citation: JAMA Network Open 1(2)
Date: 06/2018
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Palliative Care in California: Narrowing the Gap
Reports on a survey of palliative care programs in California. Includes interactive maps with county-level data on the need for and capacity of palliative care services.
Author(s): Kathleen Kerr
Date: 06/2018
Sponsoring organization: California Health Care Foundation
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Strategies for Expanding Primary Care Capacity in California
Addresses the need to improve the diversity, geographic distribution, and supply of primary care providers in California. Focuses on the education pipeline, recruitment and retention, nurse practitioners and physician assistants, and using data to inform workforce strategies.
Author(s): Janet Coffman, Kris Himmerick
Date: 06/2018
Sponsoring organization: Healthforce Center at UCSF
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Dental Therapy in Minnesota
Reports on the dental therapist workforce in Minnesota offering information on education, certification, licensure, and practice. Discusses the financial viability of dental practices employing dental therapists and how dental therapists can increase access to oral care in rural areas.
Date: 06/2018
Sponsoring organization: Minnesota Department of Health
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Rural and Nonrural Primary Care Physician Practices Increasingly Rely on Nurse Practitioners
Details a study comparing rural and urban reliance on nurse practitioners as providers of primary care. Discusses the role of Medicaid expansion and scope of practice in findings.
Author(s): Hilary Barnes, Michael R. Richards, Matthew D. McHugh, Grant Martsolf
Citation: Health Affairs, 37(6)
Date: 06/2018
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Engaging People with Disabilities: Strategies for Rural Health Departments
Discusses various methods for rural health departments to engage with people with disabilities. Highlights differences for rural disabled people. Presents county-level map of rural disabled populations.
Date: 06/2018
Sponsoring organization: National Association of County and City Health Officials
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Vermont Care Network and the State of Vermont: A Shared Data Repository for Community-Based Behavioral Health Providers
Features a case study of the collaboration between HRSA, the Vermont Care Network, and the state of Vermont to create a state-wide data repository for behavioral health and developmental disability services. Details the types of data collected and the process by which it is aggregated and analyzed.
Date: 06/2018
Sponsoring organization: Center for Health Care Strategies
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It's an Addiction Crisis: Across Minnesota, the "Opioid Crisis" Is So Much More Than Just Opioids
Details the opioid crisis in the state of Minnesota. Includes statistics on overdose deaths and treatment admissions for alcohol, heroin, methamphetamine, and other opiates. Covers hospital addition costs and workforce issues posing a barrier to access in rural areas. Reviews 3 rural community models working to address substance abuse.
Author(s): Marnie Werner
Date: 06/2018
Sponsoring organization: Center for Rural Policy and Development
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Drug Discount Program: Federal Oversight of Compliance at 340B Contract Pharmacies Needs Improvement
Focuses on the 340B Drug Pricing Program, which allows certain facilities such as Disproportionate Share Hospitals (DSHs), Federally Qualified Health Centers (FQHCs), and Critical Access Hospitals (CAHs) to purchase prescription and non-prescription medications at reduced cost. Describes financial arrangements participating facilities have with contract pharmacies, the extent to which they provide discounts on 340B drugs dispensed by contract pharmacies to low-income, uninsured patients, and examines the Health Resources and Services Administration's efforts to ensure compliance with 340B Program requirements at contract pharmacies.
Additional links: Full Report
Date: 06/2018
Sponsoring organization: Government Accountability Office
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Availability of Respiratory Care Services in Critical Access and Rural Hospitals
Policy brief describing availability of respiratory therapy and therapists in Critical Access Hospitals and in urban and rural Prospective Payment System hospitals in 2016. Includes statistics with breakdowns by hospital type and rural or urban location.
Author(s): Michelle Casey, Alex Evenson, Ira Moscovice, Zhengtian Wu
Date: 06/2018
Sponsoring organization: University of Minnesota Rural Health Research Center
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