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Rural Health
Resources by Topic: Pharmacy and prescription drugs

Race-Specific Patterns of Treatment Intensification Among Hypertensive Patients Using Home Blood Pressure Monitoring: Analysis Using Defined Daily Doses in the Heart Healthy Lenoir Study
Presents the results of a cohort study to compare racial disparities in blood pressure control with a focus on identifying any racial differences in antihypertensive medication intensification (AMI). Participants in the study included 217 adult patients (57% Black and 66% women) from six rural primary care practices and who engage in home blood pressure monitoring (HBPM) and documentation.
Author(s): Doyle M. Cummings, Alyssa Adams, Jacquie Halladay, et al.
Citation: Annals of Pharmacotherapy, 53(4), 333-340
Date: 04/2019
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Community Pharmacies as Access Points for Addiction Treatment
Investigates the distribution of community pharmacies in rural and urban counties of Wisconsin and the connection it has on county-level opioid-related overdose death rates and the number of treatment facilities.
Author(s): Kevin A. Look, Mercedes Kile, Katie Morgan, Andrew Roberts
Citation: Research in Social & Administrative Pharmacy, 15(4), 404-409
Date: 04/2019
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Buprenorphine Prescribing by Nurse Practitioners, Physician Assistants and Physicians After CARA 2016
Investigates the differences in buprenorphine prescribing patterns among nurse practitioners (NPs), physician assistants (PAs) and physicians in Medicaid following implementation of the Comprehensive Addiction and Recovery Act (CARA) addressing opioid use disorder (OUD). Retail pharmacy claims from July 2017 to June 2018 were analyzed to identify prescriber type, number of patients, payer type, rural and urban differences, and Medicaid trends for FDA-approved buprenorphine drugs for the treatment of OUD.
Author(s): Rekha Varghese, Karin Johnson, Bo Feng, et al.
Date: 04/2019
Sponsoring organizations: IMPAQ International, LLC, Medicaid and CHIP Payment and Access Commission
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Relationship Between Adherence to Antihypertensive Medication Regimen and Out-of-Pocket Costs Among People Aged 35 to 64 With Employer-Sponsored Health Insurance
Assesses the proportion of people taking antihypertensive medicine, the rates of adherence to these regimens, and the costs. Features demographic statistics with breakdowns by urban or rural location.
Author(s): Madeleine M. Baker-Goering, Kakoli Roy, David H. Howard
Citation: Preventing Chronic Disease, 16
Date: 03/2019
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STOP Playbook: How Health Plans Are Tackling the Opioid Crisis
Offers strategies used by health plans to address opioid misuse through the Safe, Transparent Opioid Prescribing (STOP) Initiative, which focuses on improving prescribing patterns and practices. Includes strategies and examples for increasing substance abuse treatment access in rural areas. Summarizes the health insurance impacts of the Substance Use Disorder Prevention that Promotes Opioid Recovery and Treatment (SUPPORT) for Patients and Communities legislation.
Date: 03/2019
Sponsoring organization: AHIP
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MedPAC Report to the Congress: Medicare Payment Policy, 2019
Annual review of Medicare payment policies, with recommendations to Congress. Includes discussion on Medicare payment policies directly affecting rural providers and beneficiaries. Addresses opioids, Medicare Part D, Medicare Advantage, Medicare's quality incentive program for hospitals, and payment adequacy for healthcare facilities and services.
Date: 03/2019
Sponsoring organization: Medicare Payment Advisory Commission
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Rural Report: Challenges Facing Rural Communities and the Roadmap to Ensure Local Access to High-Quality, Affordable Care
Reports on continuing, current, and emerging challenges for rural hospitals working to provide access to healthcare services in rural communities. Includes discussion on policy recommendations to improve access and covers new models of care, reimbursement policies, regulatory requirements, telehealth, workforce issues, and prescription drug costs.
Additional links: Executive Summary, Infographic
Date: 02/2019
Sponsoring organization: American Hospital Association
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340B Hospitals on the Front Lines of Addressing the U.S. Opioid Epidemic: Case Examples from the Field
Highlights how six hospitals participating in the 340B drug pricing program are helping address the opioid epidemic. Includes case studies from rural Critical Access Hospitals in Minnesota.
Date: 01/2019
Sponsoring organization: 340B Health
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Opioid Prescribing Rates in Nonmetropolitan and Metropolitan Counties Among Primary Care Providers Using an Electronic Health Record System — United States, 2014–2017
Examines opioid prescribing rates among primary care providers for six urban-rural classification categories of counties, before and after the March 2016 release of CDC's Guideline for Prescribing Opioids for Chronic Pain.
Author(s): Macarena C. García, Charles M. Heilig, Scott H. Lee, et al.
Citation: MMWR (Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report), 68(2), 25-30
Date: 01/2019
Sponsoring organization: Centers for Disease Control and Prevention
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Telepharmacy Service Brings HIV Preventive to Rural Iowans
Discusses a telepharmacy service in Iowa that works to provide rural residents at risk for HIV infection with the daily preventive medication, pre-exposure prophylaxis (PrEP). Covers barriers overcome by the program and next steps to address ongoing challenges program participants face.
Author(s): Kate Traynor
Date: 01/2019
Sponsoring organization: American Society of Health-System Pharmacists
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