Rural Health
Resources by Topic: Pharmacy and prescription drugs
MedPAC Report to the Congress: Medicare and the Health Care Delivery System, June 2023
Evaluates Medicare payment issues and provides recommendations to the U.S. Congress. Chapter 7 presents a report on the use, payment, and quality of telehealth services that Medicare pays for separately under the physician fee schedule (PFS). Also includes chapters on the cost of drugs covered under Medicare Part B, postsale rebates for prescription drugs in Medicare Part D, standardized benefits in Medicare Advantage plans, future directions for Medicare Advantage payment policy, disparities in outcomes for beneficiaries with different social risks, Medicare behavioral health services, the alignment of fee-for-service payment rates across ambulatory settings, and the evaluation of a post-acute care prospective payment system prototype.
Date: 06/2023
Sponsoring organization: Medicare Payment Advisory Commission
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Evaluates Medicare payment issues and provides recommendations to the U.S. Congress. Chapter 7 presents a report on the use, payment, and quality of telehealth services that Medicare pays for separately under the physician fee schedule (PFS). Also includes chapters on the cost of drugs covered under Medicare Part B, postsale rebates for prescription drugs in Medicare Part D, standardized benefits in Medicare Advantage plans, future directions for Medicare Advantage payment policy, disparities in outcomes for beneficiaries with different social risks, Medicare behavioral health services, the alignment of fee-for-service payment rates across ambulatory settings, and the evaluation of a post-acute care prospective payment system prototype.
Date: 06/2023
Sponsoring organization: Medicare Payment Advisory Commission
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Mental Health Treatment Among Children Aged 5–17 Years: United States, 2021
Reports on U.S. children between the ages of 5 and 17 who had counseling or therapy from a mental health professional or took prescription medication for mental health in the past 12 months. Includes data for children living in nonmetropolitan areas, small or medium metro areas, and large metro areas.
Author(s): Benjamin Zablotsky, Amanda E. Ng
Date: 06/2023
Sponsoring organization: National Center for Health Statistics
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Reports on U.S. children between the ages of 5 and 17 who had counseling or therapy from a mental health professional or took prescription medication for mental health in the past 12 months. Includes data for children living in nonmetropolitan areas, small or medium metro areas, and large metro areas.
Author(s): Benjamin Zablotsky, Amanda E. Ng
Date: 06/2023
Sponsoring organization: National Center for Health Statistics
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Indiana's Contraceptive Care Workforce: Current State and Opportunities
Provides an overview of contraceptive care workers in Indiana, such as primary care, maternity care, and pharmacist providers. Includes a county-level map showing location of pharmacists as well as counties that are Primary Care Health Professional Shortage Areas (PC HPSAs) and that do or do not have sufficient Maternity Care Practitioner (MCP) Capacity.
Author(s): Becky Boustani, Courtney Medlock, Hannah Maxey
Date: 06/2023
Sponsoring organization: Bowen Center for Health Workforce Research and Policy
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Provides an overview of contraceptive care workers in Indiana, such as primary care, maternity care, and pharmacist providers. Includes a county-level map showing location of pharmacists as well as counties that are Primary Care Health Professional Shortage Areas (PC HPSAs) and that do or do not have sufficient Maternity Care Practitioner (MCP) Capacity.
Author(s): Becky Boustani, Courtney Medlock, Hannah Maxey
Date: 06/2023
Sponsoring organization: Bowen Center for Health Workforce Research and Policy
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340B Drug Discount Program: Information about Hospitals That Received an Eligibility Exception as a Result of COVID-19
Provides an overview of a provision of the Consolidated Appropriations Act, 2022, that allowed hospitals to request an exception to the disproportionate share hospital (DSH) percentage eligibility requirement if they were unable to meet it due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Explores the exception process and provides information on hospitals that received the exception. Discusses the amount of 340B drug purchases and discounts that excepted hospitals indicated they had in 2020 and 2021; the extent to which excepted hospitals indicated providing discounts on 340B drugs to low-income, uninsured patients; and results of the Health Resources and Services Administration's audits and oversight activities to assess program compliance.
Additional links: Full Report
Date: 05/2023
Sponsoring organization: Government Accountability Office
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Provides an overview of a provision of the Consolidated Appropriations Act, 2022, that allowed hospitals to request an exception to the disproportionate share hospital (DSH) percentage eligibility requirement if they were unable to meet it due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Explores the exception process and provides information on hospitals that received the exception. Discusses the amount of 340B drug purchases and discounts that excepted hospitals indicated they had in 2020 and 2021; the extent to which excepted hospitals indicated providing discounts on 340B drugs to low-income, uninsured patients; and results of the Health Resources and Services Administration's audits and oversight activities to assess program compliance.
Additional links: Full Report
Date: 05/2023
Sponsoring organization: Government Accountability Office
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Medication for Opioid Use Disorder During Pregnancy — Maternal and Infant Network to Understand Outcomes Associated with Use of Medication for Opioid Use Disorder During Pregnancy (MAT-LINK), 2014–2021
Describes a surveillance network of 7 clinical sites focused on the use of medication for opioid use disorder (MOUD) during pregnancy. Initial report is limited to selected demographic characteristics of pregnant persons overall and by MOUD treatment status, including data for urban and rural areas.
Author(s): Kathryn Miele, Shin Y. Kim, Rachelle Jones, et al.
Citation: MMWR Surveillance Summaries, 72(3), 1-14
Date: 05/2023
Sponsoring organization: Centers for Disease Control and Prevention
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Describes a surveillance network of 7 clinical sites focused on the use of medication for opioid use disorder (MOUD) during pregnancy. Initial report is limited to selected demographic characteristics of pregnant persons overall and by MOUD treatment status, including data for urban and rural areas.
Author(s): Kathryn Miele, Shin Y. Kim, Rachelle Jones, et al.
Citation: MMWR Surveillance Summaries, 72(3), 1-14
Date: 05/2023
Sponsoring organization: Centers for Disease Control and Prevention
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Promoting Disposal of Left-Over Opioids After Surgery in Rural Communities: A Qualitative Description Study
Evaluates factors influencing opioid disposal after surgery among 30 patients in rural communities in Arizona, Idaho, Montana, Nevada, Oregon, Utah, and Wyoming. Identifies barriers and facilitators of opioid disposal, including awareness and engagement, perceived risks of keeping left-over opioids, convenience of disposal, and motivators of intentional nondisposal.
Author(s): Lyen C. Huang, Jordan E. Johnson, Josh Bleicher, et al.
Citation: Health Education & Behavior, 50(2), 281-289
Date: 04/2023
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Evaluates factors influencing opioid disposal after surgery among 30 patients in rural communities in Arizona, Idaho, Montana, Nevada, Oregon, Utah, and Wyoming. Identifies barriers and facilitators of opioid disposal, including awareness and engagement, perceived risks of keeping left-over opioids, convenience of disposal, and motivators of intentional nondisposal.
Author(s): Lyen C. Huang, Jordan E. Johnson, Josh Bleicher, et al.
Citation: Health Education & Behavior, 50(2), 281-289
Date: 04/2023
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April 2023 MedPAC Meeting Transcript
Transcript from the Medicare Payment Advisory Commission's (MedPAC) April 2023 meeting. Covers high prices of drugs covered under Medicare Part B, draft recommendations for reforming Medicare's wage index systems, aligning fee-for-service payment rates across ambulatory settings, leveraging Medicare policies to address social determinants of health, assessing post-sale rebates for prescription drugs in Medicare Part D, and assessing the need for Medicare safety net payments for skilled nursing facilities and home health agencies. Features discussions on draft reports regarding a prototype design for a post-acute care prospective payment system, telehealth in Medicare, and behavioral health in Medicare. Includes rural references throughout.
Date: 04/2023
Sponsoring organization: Medicare Payment Advisory Commission
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Transcript from the Medicare Payment Advisory Commission's (MedPAC) April 2023 meeting. Covers high prices of drugs covered under Medicare Part B, draft recommendations for reforming Medicare's wage index systems, aligning fee-for-service payment rates across ambulatory settings, leveraging Medicare policies to address social determinants of health, assessing post-sale rebates for prescription drugs in Medicare Part D, and assessing the need for Medicare safety net payments for skilled nursing facilities and home health agencies. Features discussions on draft reports regarding a prototype design for a post-acute care prospective payment system, telehealth in Medicare, and behavioral health in Medicare. Includes rural references throughout.
Date: 04/2023
Sponsoring organization: Medicare Payment Advisory Commission
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The End of the COVID-19 Public Health Emergency - Impact for RHCs
Recording of an April 5, 2023, webinar regarding how the end of the COVID-19 public health emergency (PHE) impacts regulatory waivers and flexibilities related to Rural Health Clinics (RHCs). Part of the Rural Health Clinic Technical Assistance Series.
Additional links: Presentation Slides, Q&A Follow-Up, Transcript
Date: 04/2023
Sponsoring organization: National Association of Rural Health Clinics
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Recording of an April 5, 2023, webinar regarding how the end of the COVID-19 public health emergency (PHE) impacts regulatory waivers and flexibilities related to Rural Health Clinics (RHCs). Part of the Rural Health Clinic Technical Assistance Series.
Additional links: Presentation Slides, Q&A Follow-Up, Transcript
Date: 04/2023
Sponsoring organization: National Association of Rural Health Clinics
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Drug Overdoses in Rural and Urban Pennsylvania: A Progress Report
Assesses the change in the number of reported overdoses in rural and urban Pennsylvania from 2018 to 2022, using data from the Pennsylvania State Police's Overdose Information Network. Features a county-level map showing reported overdoses per 100,000 residents in 2022, and includes statistics on ages of rural overdose victims and overdose survival rates, percentages of overdose victims receiving naloxone, and post-naloxone actions, with breakdowns by urban or rural area.
Date: 03/2023
Sponsoring organization: Center for Rural Pennsylvania
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Assesses the change in the number of reported overdoses in rural and urban Pennsylvania from 2018 to 2022, using data from the Pennsylvania State Police's Overdose Information Network. Features a county-level map showing reported overdoses per 100,000 residents in 2022, and includes statistics on ages of rural overdose victims and overdose survival rates, percentages of overdose victims receiving naloxone, and post-naloxone actions, with breakdowns by urban or rural area.
Date: 03/2023
Sponsoring organization: Center for Rural Pennsylvania
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Rural Working-Age Adults Report More Cost Barriers to Health Care
Policy brief examining rural-urban differences in affordability of care and cost-saving strategies among adults ages 18-64. Features demographics and statistics on prescription drug cost-saving measures and difficulty affording medical care in the past year, with breakdowns by rural and urban location.
Author(s): Erika C. Ziller, Carly Milkowski, Amanda Burgess
Date: 03/2023
Sponsoring organization: Maine Rural Health Research Center
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Policy brief examining rural-urban differences in affordability of care and cost-saving strategies among adults ages 18-64. Features demographics and statistics on prescription drug cost-saving measures and difficulty affording medical care in the past year, with breakdowns by rural and urban location.
Author(s): Erika C. Ziller, Carly Milkowski, Amanda Burgess
Date: 03/2023
Sponsoring organization: Maine Rural Health Research Center
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