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Rural Health
Resources by Topic: Rural-urban differences

Rural Health Disparities in Health Care Utilization for Dementia in Minnesota
Examines emergency department (ED) and inpatient hospitalization rates for older adults with dementia in rural and urban areas of Minnesota. Utilizes 2016-2018 Centers for Disease Control and Prevention disease-specific mortality data to compare to chronologically related H-CUP's State Inpatient Database (SID) and State Emergency Department Database (SEDD) hospital and ED visit data. Includes rural versus urban breakdowns of hospitalizations and ED visits by demographics such as age, sex, income, education, minority status, health behaviors, and access to healthcare providers.
Author(s): Sung Han Rhew, Kristen Jacklin, Patrick Bright, et al.
Citation: Journal of Rural Health, 39(3), 656-665
Date: 07/2022
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Counties With High Levels of Self-Employed Workers Dominate the Great Plains and Upper Mountain West
Map showing metro and nonmetro counties with a proportion of self-employed workers in the top 25% for 2014-2018.
Date: 07/2022
Sponsoring organization: USDA Economic Research Service
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Achieving Health Equity in US Suicides: A Narrative Review and Commentary
Discusses suicide mortality disparities by different demographics, such as age, race, veteran status, and rurality, among others. Tracks suicide rates from 1999-2019 and highlights rates by specific demographic group.
Author(s): Seth W. Perry, Jacob C. Rainey, Stephen Allison, et al.
Citation: BMC Public Health, 22, 1360
Date: 07/2022
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County-Level Availability of Obstetric Care and Economic Implications of Hospital Closures on Obstetric Care
Policy brief providing data on the economic changes in counties that lost obstetric care facilities between 2012-2019. Describes demographic and economic differences between counties with or without obstetric care facilities. Features statistics with breakdowns by urban or rural location and a county-level map with shadings showing availability of obstetric services and hospital closures from 2012-2019.
Author(s): Andrew L. Owen, Alison Davis, Simona Balazs
Date: 07/2022
Sponsoring organization: Center for Economic Analysis of Rural Health
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Temporal Changes in Treatment Patterns for Rural and Urban Patients With Early-Stage Non-Small Cell Lung Cancer
Examines treatment modalities in rural and urban populations in North Carolina for patients who have Stage I non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC). Identifies the treatment patterns of 5,504 patients such as surgery, radiation, or no treatment. Provides patient demographics broken down by age, sex, race, insurance, comorbidity index, history of lung disease, and urban, suburban, or rural location.
Author(s): Joshua Herb, Tzy-Mey Kuo, Vaibhav Kumar, et al.
Citation: North Carolina Medical Journal, 83(4), 294-303
Date: 07/2022
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Human Papillomavirus Vaccine Beliefs and Practice Characteristics in Rural and Urban Adolescent Care Providers
Study examining human papillomavirus (HPV) vaccine resources, practices, and attitudes in rural and urban populations based on data from 437 survey respondents in Minnesota and Wisconsin. Discusses rural disparities in HPV vaccine coverage and noted differences in evening and weekend appointment availability, experience with adolescent vaccine quality improvement projects, and adolescent vaccination orders.
Author(s): Cody L. Goessl, Ben Christianson, Kayla E. Hanson, et al.
Citation: BMC Public Health, 22, 1322
Date: 07/2022
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Report to Congress: Unified Payment for Medicare-Covered Post-Acute Care
Presents a prototype for a Unified Post-acute Care (PAC) prospective payment system (PPS) that would set payment for PAC services on the basis of the clinical characteristics of the patient rather than the type of provider. Details the structure of the prototype and the data used in the analyses to design and calibrate the PPS. Explores key considerations for unifying PAC payment, such as cost-sharing and value-based payment. Includes data on PAC provider characteristics, including facility size and rural status, as well as rural payment adjustments.
Additional links: Appendices
Author(s): Benjamin Silver, Anne Deutsch, Nicole Coomer, et al.
Date: 07/2022
Sponsoring organizations: Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services, RTI International
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QuickStats: Age-Adjusted Percentage of Adults Aged ≥18 Years Who Met the 2018 Federal Physical Activity Guidelines for Both Muscle-Strengthening and Aerobic Physical Activity, by Urbanization Level — National Health Interview Survey, United States, 2020
Bar chart showing the percentage of adults meeting physical activity guidelines overall and by urbanization level for large central metro, large fringe metro, medium and small metro, and nonmetropolitan areas.
Citation: MMWR (Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report), 71(27), 887
Date: 07/2022
Sponsoring organization: Centers for Disease Control and Prevention
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Availability of Medical Doctors Favors Metropolitan Areas with Low Rates of Self-Employment
Line chart tracking the number of Medical Doctors (MDs) per 10,000 residents between 1960 and 2017, comparing metro and nonmetro areas of high self-employment and low self-employment. Uses data from the HRSA Bureau of Health Workforce, 2018-19 Area Health Resources File and American Community Survey 2018 5-year data.
Date: 07/2022
Sponsoring organization: USDA Economic Research Service
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Nursing Homes in Rural America: A Chartbook
Explores county-level nursing home availability and evaluates the supply of nursing home beds per 1,000 population aged 65 and older. Identifies nursing home availability for counties with and without hospitals with swing beds, and describes the resident and nursing home characteristics including occupancy levels, payer mix, demographics, and healthcare needs. Features statistics with breakdowns by noncore, micropolitan, and metropolitan counties.
Author(s): Hari Sharma, Lili Xu, Fred Ullrich, Clint MacKinney, Keith J. Mueller
Date: 07/2022
Sponsoring organization: RUPRI Center for Rural Health Policy Analysis
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