Rural Health
Resources by Topic: Pharmacy and prescription drugs
Trends in Opioid Prescribing by Oncologists for Medicare Beneficiaries from 2014 to 2022
Examines trends in opioid prescribing among oncologists before and after the FDA's 2018 Risk Evaluation and Mitigation Strategy for opioids revision, utilizing 2014-2022 Medicare Part D Prescriber Public Use Files data. Breaks down data by opioid type, oncologist subspecialty, geographic region, and rurality.
Author(s): Shaimaa Elshafie, Lorenzo Villa Zapata
Citation: Journal of Managed Care & Specialty Pharmacy, 31(10), 991-996
Date: 10/2025
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Examines trends in opioid prescribing among oncologists before and after the FDA's 2018 Risk Evaluation and Mitigation Strategy for opioids revision, utilizing 2014-2022 Medicare Part D Prescriber Public Use Files data. Breaks down data by opioid type, oncologist subspecialty, geographic region, and rurality.
Author(s): Shaimaa Elshafie, Lorenzo Villa Zapata
Citation: Journal of Managed Care & Specialty Pharmacy, 31(10), 991-996
Date: 10/2025
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Drone-Based Medication Delivery for Rural, Flood-Prone Coastal Communities
Discusses access to essential medical services and healthcare for rural communities in Virginia's flood-prone Eastern Shore. Utilizes geospatial data to examine the impact of drone-based medication delivery to overcome transportation barriers in these communities.
Author(s): Yin-Hsuen Chen, Amro M. El-Adle, Kevin J. O'Brien, Taylor Wentworth, Heather G. Richter
Citation: PLoS One, 20(10), e0333696
Date: 10/2025
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Discusses access to essential medical services and healthcare for rural communities in Virginia's flood-prone Eastern Shore. Utilizes geospatial data to examine the impact of drone-based medication delivery to overcome transportation barriers in these communities.
Author(s): Yin-Hsuen Chen, Amro M. El-Adle, Kevin J. O'Brien, Taylor Wentworth, Heather G. Richter
Citation: PLoS One, 20(10), e0333696
Date: 10/2025
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Estimating Emergency Department Utilization of Select Drugs during Extreme Heat Events
Examines excess emergency department (ED) visits and drug utilization surges for heat-related illness. Utilizes medical claims data to analyze heatwave related illnesses and provides modeling that predicts associated ED visits and drug utilization surges. Includes a county-level U.S. map showing days of extreme heat each year and discusses the impact on rural areas.
Author(s): Daniel McGeeney, Shruti Rathnavel, Emily McAden, Clifton Dassuncao, Aylin Sertkaya
Date: 09/2025
Sponsoring organizations: Eastern Research Group, Inc., HHS Office of the Assistant Secretary for Planning and Evaluation
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Examines excess emergency department (ED) visits and drug utilization surges for heat-related illness. Utilizes medical claims data to analyze heatwave related illnesses and provides modeling that predicts associated ED visits and drug utilization surges. Includes a county-level U.S. map showing days of extreme heat each year and discusses the impact on rural areas.
Author(s): Daniel McGeeney, Shruti Rathnavel, Emily McAden, Clifton Dassuncao, Aylin Sertkaya
Date: 09/2025
Sponsoring organizations: Eastern Research Group, Inc., HHS Office of the Assistant Secretary for Planning and Evaluation
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Diabetes in Pennsylvania: Prevention and Maintenance Programs
Present data and describes government and non-government programs working to help people prevent and manage diabetes in Pennsylvania. Includes information about possible new treatments and summaries of other new research on diabetes including the effects of social determinants of health. Mentions special needs of rural and underserved populations.
Author(s): Allison Kobzowicz, Lydia K. Ring, Wendy L. Baker
Date: 09/2025
Sponsoring organization: Joint State Government Commission, General Assembly of the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania
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Present data and describes government and non-government programs working to help people prevent and manage diabetes in Pennsylvania. Includes information about possible new treatments and summaries of other new research on diabetes including the effects of social determinants of health. Mentions special needs of rural and underserved populations.
Author(s): Allison Kobzowicz, Lydia K. Ring, Wendy L. Baker
Date: 09/2025
Sponsoring organization: Joint State Government Commission, General Assembly of the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania
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Rural Providers' Attitudes Toward Integrating Harm Reduction Strategies and PrEP Prescribing into Rural Primary Care Settings in the US. Southeast and Midwest
Examines the perceptions of providers working in rural primary care settings toward buprenorphine, methadone, comprehensive harm reduction, and PrEP prescriptions. Analyzes 409 providers treating either a person with opioid use disorder or a person with HIV and provides data breakdowns on PrEP prescriptions, medications for opioid use disorder (MOUD), and perceptions toward harm reduction integration.
Author(s): Phillip L. Marotta, Miryam Biaid, Robert Heimer, et al.
Citation: Addiction Science & Clinical Practice, 20, 73
Date: 09/2025
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Examines the perceptions of providers working in rural primary care settings toward buprenorphine, methadone, comprehensive harm reduction, and PrEP prescriptions. Analyzes 409 providers treating either a person with opioid use disorder or a person with HIV and provides data breakdowns on PrEP prescriptions, medications for opioid use disorder (MOUD), and perceptions toward harm reduction integration.
Author(s): Phillip L. Marotta, Miryam Biaid, Robert Heimer, et al.
Citation: Addiction Science & Clinical Practice, 20, 73
Date: 09/2025
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Growth in the 340B Drug Pricing Program
Explores trends in drug purchases through the 340B program between 2010-2021. Discusses drugs purchased through the Prime Vendor Program, factors contributing to growth in the 340B program, and effects of the 340B program on the federal budget. Includes information on the growth of 340B Program participation by hospitals in Medicaid expansion and non-expansion states by Critical Access Hospital designation.
Additional links: Data Underlying Figures
Date: 09/2025
Sponsoring organization: Congressional Budget Office
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Explores trends in drug purchases through the 340B program between 2010-2021. Discusses drugs purchased through the Prime Vendor Program, factors contributing to growth in the 340B program, and effects of the 340B program on the federal budget. Includes information on the growth of 340B Program participation by hospitals in Medicaid expansion and non-expansion states by Critical Access Hospital designation.
Additional links: Data Underlying Figures
Date: 09/2025
Sponsoring organization: Congressional Budget Office
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Medications for Opioid Use Disorder among Adults Who Had an Opioid Use Disorder
Offers National Survey on Drug Use and Health (NSDUH) data on adults receiving medications for opioid use disorder (MOUD) between 2022 and 2024 by age, sex, region, and metropolitan county status.
Date: 09/2025
Sponsoring organization: Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration
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Offers National Survey on Drug Use and Health (NSDUH) data on adults receiving medications for opioid use disorder (MOUD) between 2022 and 2024 by age, sex, region, and metropolitan county status.
Date: 09/2025
Sponsoring organization: Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration
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The 340B Drug Discount Program: Litigation Topics and Trends
Provides an overview of the 340B Drug Discount Program. Discusses litigation surrounding the 340B program, including lawsuits against 340B-covered entities over their use of contract pharmacies to distribute 340B drugs to patients and lawsuits against states that have enacted laws to protect contract pharmacies and covered entities inside their state. Describes courts' interpretation of the 340B statute. Offers considerations for the 119th Congress in light of the litigation and describes several legislative changes that Congress could make to the program if it chose to do so.
Date: 09/2025
Sponsoring organization: Congressional Research Service
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Provides an overview of the 340B Drug Discount Program. Discusses litigation surrounding the 340B program, including lawsuits against 340B-covered entities over their use of contract pharmacies to distribute 340B drugs to patients and lawsuits against states that have enacted laws to protect contract pharmacies and covered entities inside their state. Describes courts' interpretation of the 340B statute. Offers considerations for the 119th Congress in light of the litigation and describes several legislative changes that Congress could make to the program if it chose to do so.
Date: 09/2025
Sponsoring organization: Congressional Research Service
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A Spatiotemporal Analysis of Opioid Prescriptions in Indiana from 2015 to 2019
Analyzes rural versus urban disparities in opioid prescriptions in Indiana. Utilizes 2015-2019 Medicaid claims data to examine 107,574 Medicaid enrollees who received opioid prescriptions, with data breakdowns according to patient demographics, ZIP code location, and rural or urban area.
Author(s): Paula A. Jaimes-Buitron, Nicole Adams, Nan Kong, Carolina Vivas-Valencia
Citation: Substance Abuse Treatment, Prevention, and Policy, 20, 30
Date: 08/2025
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Analyzes rural versus urban disparities in opioid prescriptions in Indiana. Utilizes 2015-2019 Medicaid claims data to examine 107,574 Medicaid enrollees who received opioid prescriptions, with data breakdowns according to patient demographics, ZIP code location, and rural or urban area.
Author(s): Paula A. Jaimes-Buitron, Nicole Adams, Nan Kong, Carolina Vivas-Valencia
Citation: Substance Abuse Treatment, Prevention, and Policy, 20, 30
Date: 08/2025
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Fill Patterns of Glucose-Lowering Drugs with Cardiovascular and Kidney Benefits in the Rural and Urban United States, 2012–2021
Analyzes fill rates for GLP1RA and SGLT2i glucose-lowering drugs among people with type 2 diabetes by level of rurality and other demographics, utilizing 2012-2021 OptumLabs Data Warehouse claims data. Discusses how geographic differences in prescribing may influence cardiovascular and kidney disease outcomes among people with type 2 diabetes.
Author(s): Kyle Steiger, Kavya Sindhu Swarna, Jeph Herrin, Rozalina G. McCoy
Citation: Journal of General Internal Medicine, 41, 126-133
Date: 08/2025
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Analyzes fill rates for GLP1RA and SGLT2i glucose-lowering drugs among people with type 2 diabetes by level of rurality and other demographics, utilizing 2012-2021 OptumLabs Data Warehouse claims data. Discusses how geographic differences in prescribing may influence cardiovascular and kidney disease outcomes among people with type 2 diabetes.
Author(s): Kyle Steiger, Kavya Sindhu Swarna, Jeph Herrin, Rozalina G. McCoy
Citation: Journal of General Internal Medicine, 41, 126-133
Date: 08/2025
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