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Rural Health
Resources by Topic: Healthcare needs and services

The Experience of Sole Community Rural Independent Pharmacies with Medicare Part D: Reports from the Field
Examines unintended impacts of the Medicare Part D program on independent pharmacies in rural areas. Discusses options to address the challenges faced by rural independent pharmacies that are the sole providers in their communities.
Author(s): Andrea Radford, Rebecca Slifkin, Roslyn Fraser, Michelle Mason, Keith Mueller
Date: 11/2006
Sponsoring organizations: North Carolina Rural Health Research Program, RUPRI Center for Rural Health Policy Analysis
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Access, Health, and Wealth: The Impact of the National Health Service Corps in Rural America, 1970-2000
Examines 30 years of the National Health Service Corps' (NHSC) operation and its impact on rural America. Provides a detailed breakdown of healthcare professional providers who participated in the program, and includes information on mortality rates and self-reported health status for people living in rural Health Professional Shortage Area counties that were staffed with NHSC physicians. Also provides data on the economic impact for communities with NHSC personnel for selected states.
Author(s): George Fryer, Jessica McCann, Martey Dodoo, et al.
Date: 09/2006
Sponsoring organization: Robert Graham Center
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Attention from the Top: Roles of State Offices of Rural Health Policy in Preparing for Bioterrorism and Other Health System Emergencies
Presents results from a survey of directors of State Offices of Rural Health (SORHs) on emergency preparedness in rural communities. Discusses emergency preparedness activities of SORHs and SORH directors' impression of preparedness in rural areas of their states.
Author(s): Curt D. Mueller
Date: 07/2006
Sponsoring organization: NORC Walsh Center for Rural Health Analysis
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MedPAC Report to the Congress: Increasing the Value of Medicare
Examines issues affecting the Medicare program and makes recommendations to the Congress. Topics covered include care coordination, pricing accuracy in the hospice and physician payment systems, quality measures in home health, gathering data on outpatient therapy, Medicare Advantage, the Part D prescription drug program, and cost-effectiveness analysis.
Date: 06/2006
Sponsoring organization: Medicare Payment Advisory Commission
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Information Gaps on the Deaf and Hard of Hearing Population: A Background Paper
Presents the relevant issues regarding the mental health information needs of deaf and hard of hearing populations, particularly in rural America.
Date: 05/2006
Sponsoring organization: Western Interstate Commission for Higher Education
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Performance of Rural and Urban Home Health Agencies in Improving Patient Outcomes: Final Report
Describes the results of a study to determine whether rural and urban home care agencies differ in terms of patient care outcomes, and to ascertain whether there are agency characteristics that are associated with better or worse outcomes.
Author(s): Janet P. Sutton
Date: 05/2006
Sponsoring organization: NORC Walsh Center for Rural Health Analysis
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Medicare Hospital Pharmaceuticals: Survey Shows Price Variations and Highlights Data Collection Lessons and Outpatient Rate-Setting Challenges for CMS
Analyzes Medicare specified covered outpatient drugs (SCOD) price variation across hospitals. Includes information on prices paid by rural hospitals compared to urban hospitals.
Additional links: Full Report
Date: 04/2006
Sponsoring organization: Government Accountability Office
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Rural Dental Practice: A Tale of Four States
Reports the findings of a study investigating rural dentist issues, such as: demography, training, practice characteristics, staff, and job satisfaction in Alabama, California, Maine, and Missouri.
Additional links: Project Summary
Author(s): C. Holly A. Andrilla, Denise M. Lishner, L. Gary Hart
Date: 03/2006
Sponsoring organization: WWAMI Rural Health Research Center
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A Review of State Flex Program Plans, 2004-2005
Examines the objectives and project activities proposed by states in their Medicare Rural Hospital Flexibility Program (Flex Program) grant applications for Fiscal Year 2004 to strengthen the rural healthcare infrastructure in their states.
Author(s): Stephenie Loux, John Gale, Anush Yousefian, Andrew Coburn, Walter Gregg
Date: 03/2006
Sponsoring organization: Flex Monitoring Team
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How Adults' Access to Outpatient Physician Services Relates to the Local Supply of Primary Care Physicians in the Rural Southeast
Examined how access to outpatient medical care varies with local primary care physician densities across primary care service areas in the rural Southeast, for adults, the elderly, and the poor.
Author(s): Donald E. Pathman, Thomas C. Ricketts III, Thomas R. Konrad
Citation: Health Services Research, 41(1), 79-102
Date: 02/2006
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