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Rural Health
Resources by Topic: Pharmacy and prescription drugs

Evaluation of the Shared Decision Making (SDM) & Medication Management (MM) Health Care Innovation Awardees: Second Annual Report
Evaluations of 9 Health Care Innovation Awards Round One projects focused on implementing shared decision making or medication management programs. Provides findings across projects as well as profiles of each project. Includes medication management projects focused on rural areas.
Date: 03/2016
Type: Document
Sponsoring organizations: Acumen, Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services
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MedPAC Report to the Congress: Medicare Payment Policy, 2016
Annual review of Medicare payment policies, with recommendations to Congress. Discussions of rural aspects of Medicare payment policies are included throughout the report. Focuses on payment adequacy, Medicare Advantage, and Medicare Part D.
Date: 03/2016
Type: Document
Sponsoring organization: Medicare Payment Advisory Commission
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Benefiting Hospitals, Not Patients: An Analysis of Charity Care Provided by Hospitals Enrolled in the 340B Discount Program
Examines charity care levels at 340B Disproportionate Share Hospitals (DSHs) to determine if eligibility criteria for DSH hospitals appropriately align with the 340B programs goal of supporting access to prescription drugs for uninsured and vulnerable populations. Appendix provides additional information and operating statistics specific to Critical Access Hospitals (CAHs).
Date: 2016
Type: Document
Sponsoring organization: Alliance for Integrity and Reform of 340B
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Rural and Urban Differences in Choice of and Satisfaction with Medicare Part D Plans
Examines how drug plan selection experiences and satisfaction levels differ for rural and urban Medicare beneficiaries. Includes breakdowns by three locations types, considerations in choosing plans, and percentage of people who felt satisfied and confident in their coverage.
Author(s): Carrie Henning-Smith, Heidi O'Connor, Michelle Casey, Ira Moscovice
Date: 07/2015
Type: Document
Sponsoring organization: University of Minnesota Rural Health Research Center
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Differences in Part D Plans Offered to Rural and Urban Medicare Beneficiaries
Analyzes how Medicare Part D plan options differ for rural and urban residents in terms of premiums, deductibles, and copayments, as well as differences in plan options within more-densely and less-densely populated rural areas. Includes statistical breakdowns by three location types, number of available plans, average premiums, deductible amounts, and average co-pays.
Author(s): Heidi O'Connor, Carrie Henning-Smith, Michelle Casey, Ira Moscovice
Date: 07/2015
Type: Document
Sponsoring organization: University of Minnesota Rural Health Research Center
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MedPAC Report to the Congress: Medicare and the Health Care Delivery System, June 2015
Includes chapters on coordinating Medicare policy across payment models, Part B drug payment policy, value-based incentives for managing Part B drug use, multiple drug use including opioids among Medicare Part D enrollees, hospital short-stays, and new methods of measuring quality of care. Rural hospitals, rural referral centers, and rural patient populations are discussed throughout this report.
Date: 06/2015
Type: Document
Sponsoring organization: Medicare Payment Advisory Commission
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Report to Congress: Overview of the 340B Drug Pricing Program
Provides a general overview of the 340B Drug Pricing Program, including eligibility criteria for hospitals and providers, analysis of the program's financial impact, and a summary of the debate over the program's importance, especially to rural and underserved communities.
Date: 05/2015
Type: Document
Sponsoring organization: Medicare Payment Advisory Commission
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Characteristics of Rural Communities with a Sole, Independently Owned Pharmacy
Characterizes the population of rural areas being served by a sole, independently owned pharmacy to better understand the role of rural pharmacies in providing broader healthcare services to underserved communities.
Author(s): Matthew Nattinger, Fred Ullrich, Keith Mueller
Date: 04/2015
Type: Document
Sponsoring organization: RUPRI Center for Rural Health Policy Analysis
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Screening Community Pharmacy Patients for Risk of Prescription Opioid Misuse
Examines the feasibility of screening patients for risks of opioid prescription misuse when filling prescriptions at rural and urban community pharmacies. Evaluates patients' behavioral, mental, and physical health to determine risk level. Includes rural versus urban data on gender, age, education, employment, and behavioral, mental, physical, and general health.
Author(s): Gerald Cochran, Jessica Rubinstein, Jennifer L. Bacci, Thomas Ylioja, Ralph Tarter
Citation: Journal of Addiction Medicine, 9(5), 411-416
Date: 2015
Type: Document
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Evaluation of Urban-Rural Differences in Pharmacy Practice Needs in Maine with the MaPPNA
Results of a survey conducted in Maine regarding needs in pharmacy practice, with a particular focus on urban versus rural areas. Topics covered include opioid abuse, access to healthcare, polypharmacy, and workforce.
Author(s): Sarah L. Martin, Robert P. Baker, Brian J. Piper
Citation: Pharmacy Practice, 13(4), 1-8
Date: 2015
Type: Document
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