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Resources by Topic: Primary care

Differences in Buprenorphine Prescribing Readiness Among Primary Care Professionals With and Without X-Waiver Training in the US
Examines readiness of primary care providers (PCPs) to prescribe buprenorphine to patients with opioid use disorder (OUD). Analyzes PCP knowledge of and confidence in buprenorphine, attitudes toward patients with OUD, and stress and/or empathy toward patients with OUD. Utilizes survey data from 403 PCPs in Ohio and discusses the challenges of addressing OUD in rural contexts.
Author(s): Berkeley Franz, Lindsay Y. Dhanani, O. Trent Hall, et al.
Citation: Harm Reduction Journal, 20, 180
Date: 12/2023
Type: Document
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VA Health Care: The Medically Underserved Facilities Initiative
Describes the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) medically underserved facilities initiative, which identifies medical facilities that were underserved for primary care and mental health services in 2022. Describes the criteria VA has used to identify medically underserved facilities and which facilities are designated as underserved and what officials from the designated underserved facilities reported about their experiences with the initiative. Explores what VA information shows about the effectiveness of the initiative. Includes rural references throughout.
Additional links: Full Report
Date: 12/2023
Type: Document
Sponsoring organization: Government Accountability Office
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Independent Evaluation of Comprehensive Primary Care Plus (CPC+): Final Annual Report
Reports on the Comprehensive Primary Care Plus (CPC+) model, a CMS primary care payment and delivery reform effort that ran from 2017-2021. Outlines key findings from the model, including CPC+ supports to practices, care delivery changes made by practices, impacts on outcomes for Medicare fee-for-service beneficiaries, and implications for primary care models. Describes the experiences of payers, practices, health IT vendors, and patients. Includes rural references throughout.
Additional links: Appendices to the Final Report, Volume 1, Appendices to the Final Report, Volume 2, Findings at a Glance
Date: 12/2023
Type: Document
Sponsoring organizations: Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services, Mathematica
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VA Health Care: Actions Needed to Improve Information Reported on Mobile Medical Units
Describes how the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) utilizes mobile medical units to provide primary and specialty medical care to veterans in communities with veteran populations too small to support local facilities and in areas with limited access to specialty care, including rural areas. Examines VA's annual reports to Congress between 2018 and 2023 about mobile medical units' operations and performance. Offers recommendations to the VA to improve the reliability of the data and contextual information reported to Congress on mobile medical units.
Additional links: Full Report
Date: 12/2023
Type: Document
Sponsoring organization: Government Accountability Office
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Prioritizing Primary Care: Twenty-first Annual Report to the Secretary of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services and the U.S. Congress
Offers policy and program development recommendations to the Secretary of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services and the U.S. Congress regarding primary care training and education. Reviews the historical development of accelerated pathway programs for clinicians, physician assistants, and dentists, and program outcomes. Explores challenges related to securing an adequate number of clinical training sites, as well as recommendations to address this shortage. Outlines recommendations to support the training of more primary care clinicians who practice in underserved communities.
Date: 12/2023
Type: Document
Sponsoring organization: Advisory Committee on Training in Primary Care Medicine and Dentistry
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Medicaid and CHIP Enrollees Who Received a Well-Child Visit in 2020
Presents data on the percentage and number of children under age 19 who received a well-child visit that was paid for by Medicaid or CHIP in 2020. Includes data on the share of Medicaid or CHIP enrollees under age 19 who received a well-child visit by age, gender, race and ethnicity, urban or rural residence, program type, and primary language spoken.
Date: 12/2023
Type: Document
Sponsoring organization: Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services
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VA Versus Non-VA Quality of Care: A Systematic Review
Presents a review of healthcare quality for veterans in VA and non-VA settings. Analyzes 42 studies of non-surgical care and 19 studies of surgical care. Highlights studies focusing on rural veterans and details rural veterans' reported satisfaction with the care they received.
Additional links: Executive Summary
Author(s): Paul Shekelle, Melinda Maggard-Gibbons, Mariah Blegen, et al.
Date: 12/2023
Type: Document
Sponsoring organization: U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs
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Management of Fall Risk Among Older Adults in Diverse Primary Care Settings
Discusses fall prevention resources integrated into sustainable computerized clinical decision support (CCDS) technology to support urban and rural primary care staff working with older adults. Provides feedback from 24 staff regarding fall risk factors, prevention strategies, patient-provider communication, available resources and training, and more.
Author(s): Kristen Shear, Hannah Rice, Pamela M. Garabedian, et al.
Citation: Journal of Applied Gerontology, 42(11), 2219-2232
Date: 11/2023
Type: Document
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Farmworker Health Network: 2023 Key Resources for Agricultural Worker Health
Highlights several resources on agricultural worker health, including a toolkit to encourage ag worker participation on health center boards and model programs to address specific health conditions. Provides a summary for each resource and links to more information on each sponsoring program's website.
Date: 11/2023
Type: Document
Sponsoring organizations: Farmworker Justice Fund, Inc., Health Outreach Partners, MHP Salud, Migrant Clinicians Network, National Association of Community Health Centers, National Center for Farmworker Health
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Improving Access to Primary Care for Underserved Populations: A Review of Findings from Five Case Studies and Recommendations
Summarizes and synthesizes the findings from a series of five case studies that explored the impact of policy initiatives that aim to improve access to primary care. Covers increasing the availability of primary care providers, improving underserved communities' access to outpatient clinics, removing structural barriers to care, making primary care affordable, and improving comfort and communication between providers and patients. Presents recommendations for federal and state policymakers, primary care practices, medical schools, and other relevant stakeholders. Includes rural examples and considerations throughout.
Additional links: Executive Summary
Author(s): Maanasa Kona, Jalisa Clark, Emma Walsh-Alker
Date: 11/2023
Type: Document
Sponsoring organizations: Center on Health Insurance Reforms, Milbank Memorial Fund, National Institute for Health Care Reform
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