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Rural Health Information Hub

Rural Health
Resources by Topic: Pharmacy and prescription drugs

Faith in Recovery Coalition Offers Hope for Opioid Use Disorder in Fayette County, Ohio
Highlights the Pathways to Recovery program, which works to address opioid use disorder in rural Ohio. Efforts include educating providers and law enforcement, overdose prevention, harm reduction, and recovery support from Peer Support Specialists.
Author(s): Kathryn Rutz
Citation: Rural Monitor
Date: 06/2021
Type: Document
Sponsoring organization: Rural Health Information Hub
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Quality Time: Sharing PIE - Using "Small Data" to Drive Big Improvements
Podcast episode exploring how two Critical Access Hospital (CAH) leaders utilize data for quality improvement. Discusses how different kinds of data have informed quality improvement initiatives and considerations for analyzing data in low-volume contexts.
Date: 06/2021
Type: Audio
Sponsoring organization: Stratis Health
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Medicare-Paid Naloxone: Trends in Non-Metropolitan and Metropolitan Areas Metropolitan Areas
Policy brief examining Medicare-paid naloxone dispensing, comparing rates in non-metro and metro areas nationwide. Provides year-by-year data by payer type for 2013-2018, including insurance, Medicaid, and Medicare Part D. Compares numbers of Medicare-paid naloxone prescriptions year-to-year for retail pharmacies, comparing rate changes for rural and metro areas.
Author(s): Chris Delcher, Yue Cheng, Minji Sohn, Jeffery C. Talbert, Patricia R. Freeman
Date: 05/2021
Type: Document
Sponsoring organization: Rural and Underserved Health Research Center
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Correlates of Personal Health Record Registration and Utilization among Veterans with HIV
Examines the relationship of registration and utilization of the Veteran Health Administration's (VHA) personal health record - My HealtheVet (MHV) - by a national cohort of veterans registered in MHV and who, prior to their registration, were diagnosed with HIV. Comparisons were made with veterans living with HIV who were not registered. Differences in registration and utilization were analyzed by age, sex, race/ethnicity, rurality, housing status, and behavior health.
Author(s): Tigran Avoundjian, Lara Troszak, Shayna Cave, et al.
Citation: JAIMA Open, 4(2)
Date: 04/2021
Type: Document
Sponsoring organization: American Medical Informatics Association
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April 2021 MACPAC Meeting Transcript
Transcript from the Medicaid and CHIP Payment and Access Commission's (MACPAC) April 2021 meeting. Covers the review of draft chapters and recommendations regarding high-cost specialty drugs, improving integration through dual-eligible special needs plans (D-SNPs), access to mental health services for adults, access to behavioral health services for children and adolescents, electronic health records as a tool for behavioral health services integration, and the non-emergency medical transportation benefit. Also details lessons from states on rebalancing, ensuring quality in Medicaid and CHIP, and what states are learning from the expanded use of telehealth.
Date: 04/2021
Type: Document
Sponsoring organization: Medicaid and CHIP Payment and Access Commission
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An Examination of Telehealth Policy Impacts on Initial Rural Opioid Use Disorder Treatment Patterns During the COVID‐19 Pandemic
Explores changes in the patterns of medication for opioid use disorder (MOUD) in western North Carolina during the COVID-19 pandemic. Examines the impact of telehealth policy changes during the pandemic on the patient population seen for MOUD, access to MOUD services for rural patients, overall MOUD clinic volume, and changes to the provision of MOUD.
Author(s): Phillip M. Hughes, Genevieve Verrastro, Carriedelle Wilson Fusco, Courtenay Gilmore Wilson, Bayla Ostrach
Citation: Journal of Rural Health, 37(3), 467-472
Date: 03/2021
Type: Document
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MedPAC Report to the Congress: Medicare Payment Policy, 2021
Annual review of Medicare payment policies, with recommendations to Congress. Includes discussion on Medicare payment policies directly affecting rural providers and beneficiaries. Addresses payment adequacy for healthcare facilities and services, improving Medicare payment for post-acute care, Medicare Advantage, Medicare Part D, and the impact of healthcare provider consolidation. Contains information on the effects of the COVID-19 pandemic on Medicare beneficiary healthcare access, mortality, and service use. Presents an option for Medicare's coverage of telehealth beyond the public health emergency.
Date: 03/2021
Type: Document
Sponsoring organization: Medicare Payment Advisory Commission
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Increasing Rural Patient Access Using Clinical Pharmacy Specialist Providers: Successful Practice Integration Within the Department of Veterans Affairs
Highlights a study on the efficacy of the Veterans Affairs' clinical pharmacy specialist program in improving rural access to care. Evaluates outcomes in primary care, mental health, and pain management.
Author(s): Julie A Groppi, Heather Ourth, Michael Tran, et al.
Citation: American Journal of Health-System Pharmacy, 78(8), 712-719
Date: 02/2021
Type: Document
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Opioid and Substance Use Strategies for Critical Access Hospitals
Recording of a February 26, 2021, webinar discussing the role of Critical Access Hospitals (CAHs) in addressing opioid and substance use disorders (O/SUDs) in local systems of care. Provides a framework to support CAH opioid and substance use initiatives. Highlights examples of O/SUD activities taken by CAHs and offers lessons learned.
Additional links: Presentation Slides
Date: 02/2021
Type: Video/Multimedia
Sponsoring organization: Flex Monitoring Team
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Rural, Suburban, and Urban Differences in Chronic Pain and Coping Among Adults in North Carolina: 2018 Behavioral Risk Factor Surveillance System
Uses data from the Behavioral Risk Factor Surveillance System to assess rural, suburban, and urban differences in chronic pain severity, causes, and coping mechanisms used by adults in North Carolina. Provides data and statistics on chronic pain by rurality, age, sex, race/ethnicity, and other characteristics.
Author(s): Ann P. Rafferty, Huabin Luo, Kathleen L. Egan, et al.
Citation: Preventing Chronic Disease, 18
Date: 02/2021
Type: Document
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