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Rural Health
Resources by Topic: Pharmacy and prescription drugs

Hearing on Examining Chronic Drug Shortages in the United States
Congressional hearing in the U.S. House of Representatives Ways & Means Committee discussing pharmaceutical drug shortages. Discusses cancer care, healthcare quality, the 340B program, supply and demand, reimbursement, and other policy measures. Witnesses include Dr. Stephen Schleicher discussing rural concerns. Captions available in video player.
Additional links: Dr. Stephen Schleicher Testimony
Date: 02/2024
Type: Video/Multimedia
Sponsoring organization: House Ways and Means Committee
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Testing the Feasibility of the QuitAid Smoking Cessation Intervention in a Randomized Factorial Design in an Independent, Rural Community Pharmacy
Examines a pharmacist-delivered smoking cessation intervention in rural Appalachia. Analyzes an ask-advise-connect model conducted with 24 adult smokers between September and November 2021, observing recruitment, retention, treatment adherence, and fidelity. Includes data on participant demographics, participant satisfaction, and pharmacist perceptions.
Author(s): Melissa A. Little, Taylor Reid, Matthew Moncrief, et al.
Citation: Pilot and Feasibility Studies, 10(41)
Date: 02/2024
Type: Document
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Beneficiary and Clinician Perspectives on Medicare and Other Issues: Findings from 2023 Focus Groups in Select States
Summarizes findings from 24 focus groups of Medicare beneficiaries, Medicare and Medicaid (dual eligible) beneficiaries, and clinicians conducted between May and July 2023, including three virtual focus groups of rural Medicare beneficiaries. Highlights themes that emerged across the focus groups covering Medicare coverage options, access to care, telehealth, organization of care, and prescription drugs.
Date: 02/2024
Type: Document
Sponsoring organizations: Medicare Payment Advisory Commission, NORC at the University of Chicago
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2024 Rural Advocacy Agenda
Outlines the American Hospital Association's federal policy priorities for rural hospitals in 2024. Offers recommendations in the areas of commercial insurer accountability, flexible payment options, reimbursement, workforce, and the 340B program.
Date: 02/2024
Type: Document
Sponsoring organization: American Hospital Association
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Medicare Enrollees and the Part D Drug Benefit: Improving Financial Protection through the Low- Income Subsidy
Provides an overview of the Medicare Part D Low-Income Subsidy (LIS) program, which covers some or all Part D drug costs. Presents estimates of number of Medicare Part D enrollees who received LIS in 2020 and their characteristics, as well as Medicare beneficiaries who did and did not have prescription drug coverage but who appear to be eligible for LIS based on income and resources. Compares Medicare enrollees demographic, financial, health status, and healthcare utilization characteristics, including rurality.
Author(s): Yevgeniy Feyman, Joel Ruhter, Kenneth Finegold, et al.
Date: 02/2024
Type: Document
Sponsoring organization: HHS Office of the Assistant Secretary for Planning and Evaluation
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Geographic Variation and Racial Disparities in Adoption of Newer Glucose-Lowering Drugs with Cardiovascular Benefits among US Medicare Beneficiaries with Type 2 Diabetes
Analyzes the use of glucose-lowering drugs (GLDs) among people with type 2 diabetes, utilizing 2017-2018 Medicare Part D beneficiary claims data. Identifies rural-urban and racial disparities in GLD initiation rates, and discusses factors influencing equitable access to cardiovascular treatment.
Author(s): Wei-Han Chen, Yujia Li, Lanting Yang, et al.
Citation: Plos ONE, 19(1), e0297208
Date: 01/2024
Type: Document
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A Federally Qualified Health Center and Certified Community Behavioral Health Clinic Partnership in Rural Missouri
Case study describing a medication for opioid use disorder (MOUD) program partnership between a Federally Qualified Health Center and a certified community behavioral health clinic in rural southwest Missouri. Covers the infrastructure of the MOUD program, staffing and services, financing, and more. Highlights challenges and successes, as well as recommendations for other health centers interested in a similar partnership.
Author(s): Ashley Jasko, Meryl Schulman
Date: 01/2024
Type: Document
Sponsoring organization: Center for Health Care Strategies
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El Dorado Community Health Centers: Addressing the Opioid Epidemic in Rural California through Community Partnerships
Case study describing how El Dorado Community Health Centers, a Federally Qualified Health Center (FQHC) in California, works with a community coalition to address the opioid epidemic and implement a medication for opioid use disorder (MOUD) program. Covers the infrastructure of the MOUD program, staffing and services, financing, and more. Highlights challenges and successes, as well as recommendations for other health centers.
Author(s): Ashley Jasko, Meryl Schulman
Date: 01/2024
Type: Document
Sponsoring organization: Center for Health Care Strategies
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January 2024 MedPAC Meeting Transcript
Transcript from the Medicare Payment Advisory Commission's (MedPAC) January 2024 meeting. Covers payment adequacy and updates for physician and other health professional services, hospital inpatient and outpatient services, outpatient dialysis services, hospice services, skilled nursing facility services, home health agency services, and inpatient rehabilitation facility services. Discusses status reports on ambulatory surgical centers, Medicare Part D, and the Medicare Advantage program, as well as policy options for standardized benefits in Medicare Advantage plans. Includes rural references and considerations throughout.
Date: 01/2024
Type: Document
Sponsoring organization: Medicare Payment Advisory Commission
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Defining and Evaluating In-Home Drug Disposal Systems for Opioid Analgesics: Proceedings of a Workshop
Offers summary of a June 2023 workshop to analyze in-home drug disposal systems with focus on unused opioid analgesics. Discusses the life cycle of prescribed opioids, characteristics of in-home disposal systems, implementation and equity concerns, legal concerns, environmental impacts, and real-world settings. Includes discussions of tribal and rural-specific challenges and benefits.
Additional links: Read Online
Author(s): Board on Health Sciences Policy
Date: 2024
Type: Document
Sponsoring organization: Health and Medicine Division (HMD), National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine
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