Skip to main content
Rural Health Information Hub

Rural Health
Resources by Topic: Healthcare needs and services

Integrating Infectious Disease Considerations with Response to the Opioid Epidemic: A Workshop
Presentation recordings discusses the link between the opioid crisis and infectious diseases, such as HIV and HCV. Features state-by-state, county-level, and rural information, particularly in southern states.
Additional links: Jody Rich: Correctional Health, Nickolas Zaller: Challenges and Opportunities in Rural America
Date: 03/2018
Sponsoring organization: Health and Medicine Division (HMD), National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine
view details
A Healthy Smile Never Gets Old: A California Report on the Oral Health of Older Adults
Highlights oral health status and key issues among older adults living in California. Compares rates of untreated tooth decay and complete tooth loss in urban and rural areas of the state.
Author(s): Sahiti Bhaskara, Conrado E. Barzaga
Date: 03/2018
Sponsoring organization: Center for Oral Health
view details
Drug Overdose Rates Are Highest in Places With the Most Economic and Family Distress
Examines county-level drug-related mortality as it relates to economic distress and family dissolution. Includes discussion of differences in mortality seen in farm-dependent and mining-dependent rural counties.
Author(s): Shannon M. Monnat
Date: 03/2018
Sponsoring organization: Carsey School of Public Policy
view details
Bipartisan Budget Act of 2018 (P.L. 115-123): Brief Summary of Division E--The Advancing Chronic Care, Extenders, and Social Services (ACCESS) Act
Brief summary of ACCESS Act provisions, and names of experts knowledgeable about each point. Topics include Medicare, Medicaid, the Children's Health Insurance Program (CHIP), public health, child and family services, foster care, social impact partnerships, child support enforcement, and prison data reporting. Features provisions specific to institutions and services in rural areas, including hospitals, home health, and ambulance services.
Date: 03/2018
Sponsoring organization: Congressional Research Service
view details
National Hospital Ambulatory Medical Care Survey: 2015 Emergency Department Summary Tables
Provides data on ambulatory care emergency department (ED) hospital visits. Table 1 provides metropolitan/nonmetropolitan ED visit data based on hospital location, Table 2 includes metro/nonmetro ED visit data by location of patient residence, and Table 15 has metro/nonmetro injury visit data based on hospital location.
Date: 03/2018
Sponsoring organization: National Center for Health Statistics
view details
What's MAT Got to Do with It? Medication-Assisted Treatment for Opioid Use Disorder in Rural America
Provides an overview of medication-assisted treatment (MAT), an evidence-based treatment for opioid use disorder, with information on the science behind the disorder and how three MAT medications work. Highlights rural health organizations providing MAT treatment.
Author(s): Kay Miller Temple
Date: 03/2018
Sponsoring organization: Rural Health Information Hub
view details
Oversight Hearing on Opioids in Indian Country: Beyond the Crisis to Healing the Community
Presents the U.S. Senate Committee on Indian Affairs hearing on the opioid crisis in Indian Country. Features testimony from representatives of the U.S. Department of Justice, the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Administration, the Indian Health Service, the Port Gamble S'Klallam Tribe, and the National Indian Health Board.
Date: 03/2018
Sponsoring organization: Senate Committee on Indian Affairs
view details
MedPAC Report to the Congress: Medicare Payment Policy, 2018
Annual review of Medicare payment policies, with recommendations to Congress. Includes discussion on Medicare payment policies directly affecting rural providers and beneficiaries. Addresses Medicare Part D, Medicare Advantage, telehealth, payment incentive programs, and payment adequacy for healthcare facilities and services.
Additional links: Chapter 14 Online-Only Appendixes: The Medicare Prescription Drug Program (Part D): Status Report (March 2018 Report, Revised June 25, 2018), Chapter 16 Online-Only Appendixes: Mandated Report: Telehealth Services and the Medicare Program (March 2018 report), Errata Sheet: Table 9-7, Page 255 (March 2018 Report, Revised May 30, 2018)
Date: 03/2018
Sponsoring organization: Medicare Payment Advisory Commission
view details
Opioid Overdoses Treated in Emergency Departments
Describes trends in opioid overdose emergency department (ED) visits and discusses what the federal government, health departments, EDs, and healthcare providers can do. Includes links to related CDC resources.
Date: 03/2018
Sponsoring organization: Centers for Disease Control and Prevention
view details
The Opioid Crisis: Leadership and Innovation in the States
Presents the U.S. Senate Committee on Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions (HELP) hearing on state policy approaches to combating the opioid crisis. Features testimony from the governors of Maryland and Oregon detailing the opioid interventions implemented in their states.
Date: 03/2018
Sponsoring organization: Senate Committee on Health, Education, Labor & Pensions
view details