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Rural Health Information Hub

Rural Health
Resources by Topic: Healthcare needs and services

Evaluation of Hospital-Setting HCIA Awards: First Annual Report, Final
Evaluations of 10 Health Care Innovation Awards Round One projects undertaken in a hospital inpatient or emergency department. Covers projects that involved Critical Access Hospitals and other rural hospitals. Includes projects focused on improved care for sepsis and projects using remote electronic intensive care unit (eICU) services.
Date: 03/2015
Sponsoring organizations: Abt Associates, Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services
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A Guidebook of Professional Practices for Behavioral Health and Primary Care Integration: Observations from Exemplary Sites
Assists primary care and behavioral health practices in identifying professional practices that have developed a successful workforce model of integrated care. Several primary care organizations with effective integrated behavioral health and primary care participated in the study including 3 in rural areas.
Author(s): Deborah J. Cohen, Melinda M. Davis, Jennifer D. Hall, Emma C. Gilchrist, Benjamin F. Miller
Date: 03/2015
Sponsoring organization: Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality
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A Critique of the Office of the Inspector General's Report on Swing Beds in Critical Access Hospitals
Evaluates the methods and data of a March 2015 report from the Office of the Inspector General (OIG), U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, commenting on Medicare reimbursement policy for swing bed services in Critical Access Hospitals (CAHs).
Author(s): Kristin L. Reiter, G. Mark Holmes
Date: 03/2015
Sponsoring organization: North Carolina Rural Health Research Program
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Emergency Department Visits and Proximity to Patients' Residences, 2009-2010
Provides data on how often patients go to the emergency department (ED) closest to their home. Includes comparisons for patients living inside metropolitan statistical areas (MSAs) and outside MSAs, with data on whether patients visited the closest ED by patient age, hospital visit volume, and ED wait times.
Author(s): Amy M. Brown, Sandra L. Decker, Frederic W. Selck
Date: 03/2015
Sponsoring organization: National Center for Health Statistics
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Perspectives of Rural Hospice Directors
Presents findings from interviews of rural hospice directors in 47 states. Identifies six primary issues including workforce, finance and reimbursement, regulations, technology, general rural issues, and relationships with other providers.
Author(s): Brad Gibbens, Shawnda Schroeder, Alana Knudson, Gary Hart
Date: 03/2015
Sponsoring organization: Rural Health Reform Policy Research Center
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Estimating the Residency Expansion Required to Avoid Projected Primary Care Physician Shortages by 2035
Discusses the projected shortage of primary care physicians by 2035. Briefly mentions expanding graduate medical education training through the use of teaching health centers and rural training tracks to increase those who choose primary care.
Author(s): Stephen M. Petterson, Winston R. Liaw, Carol Tran, Andrew W. Bazemore
Citation: Annals of Family Medicine, 13(2), 107-114
Date: 03/2015
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Knowledge and Perceptions of Tobacco-Related Media in Rural Appalachia
Examines the perceptions of tobacco-related media among rural, Appalachian residents to determine its impact on smoking rates.
Author(s): Steven Branstetter, Eugene Lengerich, Mark Dignan, Joshua Muscat
Citation: Rural and Remote Health, 15(1), 3136
Date: 03/2015
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Medicare Could Have Saved Billions at Critical Access Hospitals If Swing-Bed Services Were Reimbursed Using the Skilled Nursing Facility Prospective Payment System Rates
Reports the Inspector General's findings from a study of swing bed services and reimbursement at Critical Access Hospitals (CAHs). Addresses changes in swing bed usage over time and examines the potential impact to Medicare of reimbursing swing bed services at skilled nursing facility (SNF) prospective payment system (PPS) rates.
Date: 03/2015
Sponsoring organization: Office of Inspector General (HHS)
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The Role of Health Literacy and Communication Habits on Previous Colorectal Cancer Screening among Low-Income and Uninsured Patients
Presents an analysis of a survey of low-income uninsured patients in rural and urban areas who received financial help for a colonoscopy in a primary care clinic to identify any significant relationships between limited health literacy, communication skills, and adherence to colorectal cancer screening guidelines.
Author(s): Chinedum O. Ojinnaka, Jane N. Bolin, David A. McClellan, et al.
Citation: Preventive Medicine Reports, 2, 158-163
Date: 02/2015
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Reducing Cancer Screening Disparities in Medicare Beneficiaries Through Cancer Patient Navigation
Features a study of an intervention to counter the cancer screening disparities of Native Hawaiian, Asian, and Pacific Islander Medicare beneficiaries in rural Hawaii. Breaks down data by race, age, and comorbidity, among other factors.
Author(s): Kathryn L. Braun, William L. Thomas Jr, Jermy‐Leigh B. Domingo, et al.
Citation: Journal of the American Geriatrics Society, 63(2), 365-370
Date: 02/2015
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