Rural Health
Resources by Topic: Pharmacy and prescription drugs
Congress Must Act to Bring Needed Reforms to the 340B Drug Pricing Program: Majority Staff Report
Presents findings from a U.S. Senate Committee on Health, Education, Labor & Pensions majority staff report on how covered entities generate and use revenue from the 340B Drug Pricing Program and how patients benefit from the program. Describes data and information collected from hospital covered entities, Bon Secours Mercy Health and Cleveland Clinic; Federally Qualified Health Center (FQHC) covered entities, Sun River Health and Yakima Valley Farm Workers Clinic; contract pharmacies, CVS Health and Walgreens; and drug manufacturers, Eli Lilly and Amgen. Includes rural references throughout.
Date: 04/2025
Sponsoring organization: Senate Committee on Health, Education, Labor & Pensions
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Presents findings from a U.S. Senate Committee on Health, Education, Labor & Pensions majority staff report on how covered entities generate and use revenue from the 340B Drug Pricing Program and how patients benefit from the program. Describes data and information collected from hospital covered entities, Bon Secours Mercy Health and Cleveland Clinic; Federally Qualified Health Center (FQHC) covered entities, Sun River Health and Yakima Valley Farm Workers Clinic; contract pharmacies, CVS Health and Walgreens; and drug manufacturers, Eli Lilly and Amgen. Includes rural references throughout.
Date: 04/2025
Sponsoring organization: Senate Committee on Health, Education, Labor & Pensions
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Stand-Alone Drug Plans Cover a Larger Share of Medicare Part D Enrollees Living in the Most Rural Areas Than Medicare Advantage Plans
Examines Medicare Part D enrollment in stand-alone Medicare prescription drug plans and Medicare Advantage drug plans in 2025. Presents data by urban, rural adjacent, and rural non-adjacent status nationally and by state.
Author(s): Juliette Cubanski, Tricia Neuman, Anthony Damico
Date: 04/2025
Sponsoring organization: KFF
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Examines Medicare Part D enrollment in stand-alone Medicare prescription drug plans and Medicare Advantage drug plans in 2025. Presents data by urban, rural adjacent, and rural non-adjacent status nationally and by state.
Author(s): Juliette Cubanski, Tricia Neuman, Anthony Damico
Date: 04/2025
Sponsoring organization: KFF
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Characteristics of Adults Age 18 and Older Who Took Prescription Medication for Depression: United States, 2023
Provides 2023 data on the characteristics of adults who took prescription medication for depression. Includes a breakdown by region and urbanization level, including nonmetropolitan, medium and small metropolitan, large fringe metropolitan, or large central metropolitan area.
Author(s): Nazik Elgaddal, Julie D. Weeks, Laryssa Mykyta
Date: 04/2025
Sponsoring organization: National Center for Health Statistics
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Provides 2023 data on the characteristics of adults who took prescription medication for depression. Includes a breakdown by region and urbanization level, including nonmetropolitan, medium and small metropolitan, large fringe metropolitan, or large central metropolitan area.
Author(s): Nazik Elgaddal, Julie D. Weeks, Laryssa Mykyta
Date: 04/2025
Sponsoring organization: National Center for Health Statistics
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April 2025 MedPAC Meeting Transcript
Transcript from the Medicare Payment Advisory Commission's (MedPAC) April 2025 meeting. Covers physician fee schedule updates and improving the accuracy of relative payment rates; structural differences between the stand-alone prescription drug plan (PDP) and Medicare Advantage–Prescription Drug plan (MA–PD) markets; the utilization and delivery of Medicare Advantage supplemental benefits; the effect of Medicare Advantage on rural hospitals; paying for software technologies in Medicare; access to hospice and certain services under the hospice benefit for beneficiaries with end-stage renal disease and beneficiaries with cancer; and regulations, star ratings, and fee-for-service Medicare policies aimed at improving nursing home quality.
Additional links: Exploring the Effect of Medicare Advantage on Rural Hospitals
Date: 04/2025
Sponsoring organization: Medicare Payment Advisory Commission
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Transcript from the Medicare Payment Advisory Commission's (MedPAC) April 2025 meeting. Covers physician fee schedule updates and improving the accuracy of relative payment rates; structural differences between the stand-alone prescription drug plan (PDP) and Medicare Advantage–Prescription Drug plan (MA–PD) markets; the utilization and delivery of Medicare Advantage supplemental benefits; the effect of Medicare Advantage on rural hospitals; paying for software technologies in Medicare; access to hospice and certain services under the hospice benefit for beneficiaries with end-stage renal disease and beneficiaries with cancer; and regulations, star ratings, and fee-for-service Medicare policies aimed at improving nursing home quality.
Additional links: Exploring the Effect of Medicare Advantage on Rural Hospitals
Date: 04/2025
Sponsoring organization: Medicare Payment Advisory Commission
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Barriers and Facilitators to HPV Vaccination in Rural South Carolina Pharmacies: A Qualitative Investigation
Examines human papillomavirus (HPV) vaccination services in rural South Carolina pharmacies. Utilizes interview feedback from rural community-based pharmacists and discusses barriers and facilitators to administering HPV vaccines.
Author(s): Abby Davies, Sarah Beth Tucker, Macie Goodman, Heather M. Brandt, Tessa J. Hastings
Citation: Implementation Science Communications, 6, 26
Date: 03/2025
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Examines human papillomavirus (HPV) vaccination services in rural South Carolina pharmacies. Utilizes interview feedback from rural community-based pharmacists and discusses barriers and facilitators to administering HPV vaccines.
Author(s): Abby Davies, Sarah Beth Tucker, Macie Goodman, Heather M. Brandt, Tessa J. Hastings
Citation: Implementation Science Communications, 6, 26
Date: 03/2025
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Pharmacy-Related Syringe Access Barriers: An Audit of Oregon Community Pharmacies
Examines barriers to purchasing over-the-counter (OTC) syringes in Oregon pharmacies. Utilizes a telephone audit (secret shopper) methodology to examine 425 pharmacies' willingness to sell OTC syringes by pharmacy type, syringe services program (SSP) availability, overdose rates, and rural versus urban county type.
Author(s): Victor Abreu, Marissa McGinnis, Savannah Justen, et al.
Citation: Harm Reduction Journal, 22, 37
Date: 03/2025
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Examines barriers to purchasing over-the-counter (OTC) syringes in Oregon pharmacies. Utilizes a telephone audit (secret shopper) methodology to examine 425 pharmacies' willingness to sell OTC syringes by pharmacy type, syringe services program (SSP) availability, overdose rates, and rural versus urban county type.
Author(s): Victor Abreu, Marissa McGinnis, Savannah Justen, et al.
Citation: Harm Reduction Journal, 22, 37
Date: 03/2025
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340B Benefits Patients and Communities: Examples from the Frontlines
Provides an overview of the 340B Drug Pricing Program and its impact on hospitals. Offers program examples, information, and statistics, with rural community examples included.
Date: 03/2025
Sponsoring organization: American Hospital Association
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Provides an overview of the 340B Drug Pricing Program and its impact on hospitals. Offers program examples, information, and statistics, with rural community examples included.
Date: 03/2025
Sponsoring organization: American Hospital Association
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Vulnerability Index Approach to Identify Pharmacy Deserts and Keystone Pharmacies
Discusses the importance of improving pharmacy access in rural and low-income areas. Utilizes data from the National Council for Prescription Drug Programs (NCPDP) dataQ to examine travel time to nearest pharmacy according to urbanicity. Defines a pharmacy vulnerability index according to this measure and reports on residents in the the contiguous U.S. living in or at risk of living in a pharmacy desert, with comparisons for small rural, large rural, suburban, and urban.
Author(s): Walter S. Mathis, Lucas A. Berenbrok, Peter A. Kahn, et al.
Citation: JAMA Network Open, 8(3)
Date: 03/2025
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Discusses the importance of improving pharmacy access in rural and low-income areas. Utilizes data from the National Council for Prescription Drug Programs (NCPDP) dataQ to examine travel time to nearest pharmacy according to urbanicity. Defines a pharmacy vulnerability index according to this measure and reports on residents in the the contiguous U.S. living in or at risk of living in a pharmacy desert, with comparisons for small rural, large rural, suburban, and urban.
Author(s): Walter S. Mathis, Lucas A. Berenbrok, Peter A. Kahn, et al.
Citation: JAMA Network Open, 8(3)
Date: 03/2025
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Screening and Referral Programs for Diabetes and Cardiovascular Disease: Can Community Pharmacists Bridge the Care Gap?
Examines the community-based valued-driven care initiative (CVCI) in community pharmacies to evaluate its effectiveness related to screening and referral (S&R) to treat cardiovascular disease (CVD) and diabetes mellitus (DM). Analyzes patient demographics and success rates of CVD and DM S&R in 6 community pharmacies, with both rural and urban locations represented.
Author(s): Melanie Livet, Amber Watson, Shweta Pathak, et al.
Citation: Exploratory Research in Clinical and Social Pharmacy, 17, 100539
Date: 03/2025
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Examines the community-based valued-driven care initiative (CVCI) in community pharmacies to evaluate its effectiveness related to screening and referral (S&R) to treat cardiovascular disease (CVD) and diabetes mellitus (DM). Analyzes patient demographics and success rates of CVD and DM S&R in 6 community pharmacies, with both rural and urban locations represented.
Author(s): Melanie Livet, Amber Watson, Shweta Pathak, et al.
Citation: Exploratory Research in Clinical and Social Pharmacy, 17, 100539
Date: 03/2025
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Key Facts About Hospitals
Presents information and data on hospitals and hospital spending. Covers national hospital spending, the hospital industry, use of hospital care, out-of-pocket spending and medical debt, hospital finances, and more. Includes a section on rural hospitals, which describes the prevalence of rural hospitals, rural hospital characteristics, discharges by payer, profit margins, and openings and closings of rural hospitals.
Author(s): Zachary Levinson, Scott Hulver, Jamie Godwin, Tricia Neuman
Date: 02/2025
Sponsoring organization: KFF
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Presents information and data on hospitals and hospital spending. Covers national hospital spending, the hospital industry, use of hospital care, out-of-pocket spending and medical debt, hospital finances, and more. Includes a section on rural hospitals, which describes the prevalence of rural hospitals, rural hospital characteristics, discharges by payer, profit margins, and openings and closings of rural hospitals.
Author(s): Zachary Levinson, Scott Hulver, Jamie Godwin, Tricia Neuman
Date: 02/2025
Sponsoring organization: KFF
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