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Rural Health Information Hub

Rural Health
Resources by Topic: Rural-urban differences

Medicaid and CHIP Enrollees Who Received Mental Health or SUD Services in 2020
Presents data on the percentage and number of Medicaid and CHIP enrollees who received mental health or substance use disorder (SUD) services in 2020. Describes the share of enrollees who used these services overall and by selected sociodemographic characteristics, including as age, sex, urban or rural status, Medicaid or CHIP eligibility category, and more.
Date: 12/2023
Sponsoring organization: Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services
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Investigation of Predictors of Severity Of Diabetes Complications among Hospitalized Patients with Diabetes in Florida, 2016–2019
Examines risk factors for severe diabetes complications in adult hospitalizations in Florida by considering individual socioeconomic as well as area-level predictors. Utilizes 2016-2019 hospital discharge data to analyze predictors of complications and formulate a Neighborhood Deprivation Index for rural and urban ZIP code tabulation areas (ZCTAs) in Florida.
Author(s): Jennifer Lord, Keshia Reid, Chris Duclos, Alan Mai, Agricola Odoi
Citation: BMC Public Health, 23, 2424
Date: 12/2023
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The Need for Better Definitions and Data on "Rural" in Health Services Research
Blog post discussing the various definitions of rural used by the federal government. Describes how the different definitions of rural can complicate understanding health disparities between and within rural areas. Offers policy recommendations for standardizing rural definitions, data collection, and research methodologies to improve population health.
Author(s): Kayla Alvis
Date: 12/2023
Sponsoring organization: AcademyHealth
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Support for Healthy Eating and Active Living in Rural Communities: Insights from a National Survey of Local Governments
Analyzes local government policies that support wellness, healthy eating, and physical activity in metro versus nonmetro areas. Utilizes Community Based Survey of Supports for Healthy Eating and Active Living (CBS HEAL) data to compare government structures, master plans, built environment policies, transit options, supportive food access policies, and more.
Author(s): Adee Athiyaman
Date: 12/2023
Sponsoring organization: Illinois Institute for Rural Affairs
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Hospitals' Electronic Access to Information Needed to Treat COVID-19
Explores acute care hospitals' ability to access electronic access to information necessary to treat COVID-19 patients in 2021. Examines differences in information availability by hospital characteristics, including rurality and Critical Access Hospital (CAH) status, and engagement in interoperable exchange.
Author(s): Chelsea Richwine, Jordan Everson, Vaishali Patel
Citation: JAMIA Open, 6(4)
Date: 12/2023
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Geographic Variations in Driving Time to U.S. Mental Health Care, Digital Access to Technology, & Household Crowdedness
Evaluated distance to mental health services, household crowdedness, and access to technology and broadband alongside rurality to determine barriers to mental healthcare for both rural and urban residents in 31,924 ZIP Code Tabulation Areas (ZCTAs). Discusses implications for telehealth and policy measures addressing the digital divide.
Author(s): Sophia N.D. Negaro, Rachel M. Hantman, Janice C. Probst, et al.
Citation: Health Affairs Scholar, 1(6)
Date: 12/2023
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Participation in a Medicare Advanced Primary Care Model and the Delivery of High-Value Services
Examines if participation in the Comprehensive Primary Care Plus Initiative (CPC+) impacted the high-value services delivered by primary care providers. Utilizes multiple national data sets to estimate the association of CPC+ and services such as annual wellness visits (AWVs), advance care planning (ACP), flu shots, tobacco prevention counseling, and depression screening. Provides data on intervention groups and comparison groups by patient demographics as well as provider demographics, specialty, and location, including urban, large rural, small rural, and isolated rural.
Author(s): Fang He, Angela Gasdaska, Lindsay White, Yan Tang, Chris Beadles
Citation: Health Services Research, 58(6), 1266-1291
Date: 12/2023
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Veterans With Blood Cancers: Clinical Trial Navigation and the Challenge of Rurality
Presents a study on the geographic barriers to accessing cancer trials faced by rural veterans. Explored the availability of cancer trials based on rurality and highlights clinical trial deserts. Breaks down demographic data by race, sex, cancer type, and rurality, among other measures.
Author(s): Daphne R. Friedman, Thomas D. Rodgers, Courtney Kovalick, et al.
Citation: Journal of Rural Health, 40(1), 114-120
Date: 12/2023
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Defining the Clinical and Procedural Opportunities Available to Residents During Rural Rotations
Results of a study to determine the rate at which emergency medicine residents at a large academic hospital in Minnesota were exposed to certain clinical and procedural experiences (CPEs) while on rural rotations, compared with their usual academic training hospital. Features patient demographics and statistics on CPEs with breakdowns by rural emergency department (ED) patients and academic ED patients.
Author(s): Brandon Haefke, Daniel Scholz, James Homme, Derick Jones
Citation: Academic Emergency Medicine Education and Training, 7(6), e10922
Date: 11/2023
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Temporal Trends in Telehealth Availability in Mental Health Treatment Settings: Differences in Growth by State Rurality, 2015–2020
Analyzes trends in telehealth availability at outpatient mental health treatment facilities by rurality and urbanicity at the state level. Utilizes 2015-2020 National Mental Health Services Survey data to evaluate growth preceding and during the COVID-19 pandemic.
Author(s): George Pro, Brian Fairman, Jure Baloh, Don Willis, Broome E.E. Montgomery
Citation: Journal of Urban Health, 100(6), 1149-1158
Date: 11/2023
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