Access in Brief: Rural and Urban Health Care
Compares healthcare access and use of services for children and adults with Medicaid to those with private insurance or no insurance for both rural and urban areas and for adults with disabilities. Includes access data by age group, income, and race/ethnicity and utilization data for office and emergency room visits. Addresses access to prescription drugs and eyeglasses, and barriers to healthcare access.
Date: 10/2018
Type: Document
Sponsoring organization: Medicaid and CHIP Payment and Access Commission
view details

Northern Maine Medical Center – Fort Kent, Maine: Purchase of Retail Pharmacy Enhances Services to the Community
Profiles a hospital in rural Maine that purchased a community pharmacy to offer prevention and wellness services, reduce readmissions, and improve medication adherence.
Date: 10/2018
Type: Document
Sponsoring organization: American Hospital Association
view details

Medicare Payment Basics: Part D Payment System
Presents an overview of the Medicare Part D prescription drug benefit.
Date: 10/2018
Type: Document
Sponsoring organization: Medicare Payment Advisory Commission
view details

Any Use and Frequent Use of Opioids among Non-elderly Adults in 2015-2016, by Socioeconomic Characteristics
Details a study on the rate of opioid prescribing for adults under the age of 65 from 2015-2016. Presents data regarding poverty status, race, and whether prescription was filled in a Metropolitan Statistical Area (MSA) or not, among other factors.
Author(s): G. Edward Miller, Asako S. Moriya
Date: 09/2018
Type: Document
Sponsoring organization: Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality
view details

Update: Independently Owned Pharmacy Closures in Rural America, 2003-2018
Provides updated information on independently owned rural pharmacy closures from 2003 to 2018. Includes state-level data on rural pharmacy closures. Builds on past publications from RUPRI regarding rural pharmacy closures.
Author(s): Abiodun Salako, Fred Ullrich, Keith J. Mueller
Date: 07/2018
Type: Document
Sponsoring organization: RUPRI Center for Rural Health Policy Analysis
view details

Drug Discount Program: Characteristics of Hospitals Participating and Not Participating in the 340B Program
Analyzes 2016 cost report data to describe and compare characteristics of 340B participating and non-participating hospitals, specifically examining three hospital types: Critical Access Hospitals (CAHs), Sole Community Hospitals (SCHs), and general acute care hospitals. Discusses trends related to decreased charity care and an increase in Medicaid expansion on 340B hospital participation.
Additional links: Full Report
Date: 07/2018
Type: Document
Sponsoring organization: Government Accountability Office
view details

Drug Discount Program: Improvements Needed in Federal Oversight of Compliance at 340B Contract Pharmacies
Details an evaluation of HRSA's oversight of contract pharmacies participating in the 340B Drug Pricing Program. Discusses rates of compliance by contract pharmacies and HRSA's enforcement efforts.
Additional links: Full Report
Date: 07/2018
Type: Document
Sponsoring organization: Government Accountability Office
view details

Evaluating 340B Hospital Savings and Their Use in Serving Low-income and Rural Patients: Results from 340B Health’s 2017 Annual Survey
Reports on an annual survey of 340B Health member hospitals, including small rural hospitals. Summarizes survey results and examines how the hospitals are using 340B drug discount program savings to avoid rural hospital closures and serve rural and low-income patients.
Additional links: Infographic
Date: 06/2018
Type: Document
Sponsoring organization: 340B Health
view details

Mapping Pharmacy Deserts and Determining Accessibility to Community Pharmacy Services for Elderly Enrolled in a State Pharmaceutical Assistance Program
Identifies pharmacy deserts, and examines the availability and accessibility of community pharmacies, and their services provided to the elderly receiving assistance from the State Pharmaceutical Assistance Program (SPAP) in rural and urban Pennsylvania.
Author(s): Priti Pednekar, Andrew Peterson
Citation: PLoS One, 13(6)
Date: 06/2018
Type: Document
view details

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
Type: Document
Sponsoring organization: Government Accountability Office
view details