Rural Health
Resources by Topic: Primary care

Maine's Physician, Nurse Practitioner, and Physician Assistant Workforce in 2018
Presents a report on the workforce supply of physicians, nurse practitioner, and physician assistant workforce in Maine. Compares data to a 2014 report, as well as data from rural and urban counties.
Author(s): Susan M. Skillman, Benjamin A. Stubbs, Arati Dahal
Date: 07/2018
Sponsoring organization: UW Center for Health Workforce Studies
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Primary Care: The Foundation for a High Performance Rural Health Care System
Describes elements of a robust rural primary care system. Discusses the development and maintenance of a high performance rural primary care system and workforce. Includes policy considerations and opportunities to address rural primary care and sustainability.
Author(s): Keith J. Mueller, Charlie Alfero, Andrew F. Coburn, et al.
Date: 07/2018
Sponsoring organization: Rural Policy Research Institute Rural Health Panel
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Mapping Our Way to Success: Wisconsin's Physician Workforce, 2018 Healthcare Workforce Report
Profiles physicians in Wisconsin and offers projections for the primary care physician workforce into the year 2035 by analyzing additional data, such as the supply of physicians from medical schools, Graduate Medical Education (GME) training, and recruitment. Discusses the expected physician workforce need in rural communities. Includes statistics on Wisconsin physicians by rural-urban community area (RUCA) categories and specialty and other county-level data. See WCMEW's 2016 report for information on new or expanded family medicine, psychiatry, and general surgery programs.
Additional links: Issue Brief
Date: 07/2018
Sponsoring organization: Wisconsin Council on Medical Education and Workforce
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Integrating Responses at the Intersection of Opioid Use Disorder and Infectious Disease Epidemics: Proceedings of a Workshop
Features the proceedings of a public workshop on the relationship between the opioid epidemic and the spread of infectious diseases. Presents research and policy options, such as integrating infectious disease treatment into opioid treatment and prevention efforts, as well as exploring the role of law enforcement. Discusses barriers to treatment and prevention in rural areas.
Additional links: Read Online
Date: 07/2018
Sponsoring organization: Health and Medicine Division (HMD), National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine
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Quantifying Disparities in Accessibility and Availability of Pediatric Primary Care across Multiple States with Implications for Targeted Interventions
Examines disparities in accessing pediatric primary care for rural and urban communities and children with public versus private insurance. Uses data on accessibility and availability for children in 7 states: California, Georgia, Louisiana, Minnesota, Mississippi, North Carolina, and Tennessee. Discusses the policy implications of the findings both generally and for the states studied.
Author(s): Monica Gentili, Pravara Harati, Nicoleta Serban, Jean O'Connor, Julie Swann
Citation: Health Services Research, 53(3), 1458-1477
Date: 06/2018
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Medicaid Expansion and Community Health Centers: Care Quality and Service Use Increased for Rural Patients
Reports on a study to assess the impact of Medicaid expansion on quality of care and insurance coverage in rural and urban community health centers (CHCs), and to examine the impact of expansion on the volume of healthcare services provided by CHCs. Uses data from the 2011-15 or 2012-15 Uniform Data System collected by the Bureau of Primary Health Care of the Health Resources and Services Administration (HRSA).
Author(s): Megan B. Cole, Brad Wright, Ira B. Wilson, Omar Galárraga, Amal N. Trivedi
Citation: Health Affairs, 37(6), 900-907
Date: 06/2018
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Applying the Principles for Digital Development: Case Study of a Smartphone App to Support Collaborative Care for Rural Patients with Posttraumatic Stress Disorder or Bipolar Disorder
Examines ways of incorporating a patient-provider mobile health (mHealth) platform to support the delivery of primary care based mental health services in rural patients with post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) and/or bipolar disorder.
Author(s): Amy M. Bauer, Sarah Hodsdon, Jared M. Bechtel, John C. Fortney
Citation: Journal of Medical Internet Research, 20(6), e10048
Date: 06/2018
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Strategies for Expanding Primary Care Capacity in California
Addresses the need to improve the diversity, geographic distribution, and supply of primary care providers in California. Focuses on the education pipeline, recruitment and retention, nurse practitioners and physician assistants, and using data to inform workforce strategies.
Author(s): Janet Coffman, Kris Himmerick
Date: 06/2018
Sponsoring organization: Healthforce Center at UCSF
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Rural and Nonrural Primary Care Physician Practices Increasingly Rely on Nurse Practitioners
Details a study comparing rural and urban reliance on nurse practitioners as providers of primary care. Discusses the role of Medicaid expansion and scope of practice in findings.
Author(s): Hilary Barnes, Michael R. Richards, Matthew D. McHugh, Grant Martsolf
Citation: Health Affairs, 37(6)
Date: 06/2018
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What Makes Physician Assistant (PA) Training Programs Successful at Training Rural PAs?
Results of a study analyzing characteristics of PA programs producing high proportions of graduates who choose rural practice, using data collected from 173 programs from November 2015 through January 2016. Features statistics with breakdowns by rurally oriented and non-rurally oriented programs and those with high and low rural productivity.
Date: 06/2018
Sponsoring organization: WWAMI Rural Health Research Center
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