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Rural Health Information Hub

Rural Health
Resources by Topic: Rural-urban differences

New Hampshire: A Health-Focused Landscape Analysis
Chartbook examining population health and healthcare access in New Hampshire, identifying strengths and assets as well as opportunities for improvement. Features demographics and statistics on quality of care, health outcomes, health behaviors, and mortality rates and causes, with breakdowns by rural and urban counties. Includes maps showing locations of Health Professional Shortage Areas, substance use treatment facilities, Rural Health Clinics, Federally Qualified Health Centers, and hospitals.
Author(s): Katherine Ahrens, Amanda Burgess, Carly Milkowski, et al.
Date: 04/2022
Sponsoring organizations: Maine Rural Health Research Center, Northern Border Regional Commission
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Maine: A Health-Focused Landscape Analysis
Chartbook examining population health and healthcare access in Maine, identifying strengths and assets as well as opportunities for improvement. Features demographics and statistics on quality of care, health outcomes, health behaviors, and mortality rates and causes, with breakdowns by rural and urban counties. Includes maps showing locations of Health Professional Shortage Areas, substance use treatment facilities, Rural Health Clinics, Federally Qualified Health Centers, and hospitals.
Author(s): Katherine Ahrens, Amanda Burgess, Carly Milkowski, et al.
Date: 04/2022
Sponsoring organizations: Maine Rural Health Research Center, Northern Border Regional Commission
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Broadband Access Challenges
Fact sheet highlighting barriers to broadband access for rural and underserved communities, addressing infrastructure and affordability issues. Describes policy efforts to increase access through investments to expand broadband adoption.
Additional links: Exploring Digital Equity Fact Sheets
Date: 04/2022
Sponsoring organizations: AARP, Institute for Local Self-Reliance
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Hypertensive Disorders in Pregnancy and Mortality at Delivery Hospitalization — United States, 2017–2019
Examines the prevalence of hypertensive disorders in pregnancy among delivery hospitalizations. Includes data for metropolitan, micropolitan, and rural (nonmetro/nonmicro) counties on prevalence of any hypertension, chronic hypertension, pregnancy-related hypertension, and unspecified maternal hypertension.
Author(s): Nicole D. Ford, Shanna Cox, Jean Y. Ko, et al.
Citation: MMWR (Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report), 71(17), 585–591
Date: 04/2022
Sponsoring organization: Centers for Disease Control and Prevention
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Association of Race, Ethnicity, and Rurality With Major Leg Amputation or Death Among Medicare Beneficiaries Hospitalized With Diabetic Foot Ulcers
Examines the probability of amputation or death in patients with diabetic foot ulcers using 2013-2014 Medicare claims data of 124,487 patients. Includes demographic breakdowns by sex, race/ethnicity, rurality, Area Deprivation Index (ADI), patient history of chronic illness, and more.
Author(s): Meghan B. Brennan, W. Ryan Powell, Farah Kaiksow
Citation: JAMA Network Open, 5(4)
Date: 04/2022
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Area-Level Deprivation and Adverse Childhood Experiences among High School Students in Maryland
Examines the frequency of adverse childhood experiences (ACEs) in adolescents in Maryland such as food insecurity and parental addiction, mental illness, violence, or incarceration. Reports on the 2018 Maryland Youth Risk Behavior Survey/Youth Tobacco Survey data of 41,091 adolescents to examine the connection between ACEs and area-level deprivation. Includes data breakdowns by rural/not rural county.
Author(s): Shaheen Kurani, Lindsey Webb, Kechna Cadet, et al.
Citation: BMC Public Health, 22, 811
Date: 04/2022
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Evaluation of the Home Health Value-Based Purchasing (HHVBP) Model: Fifth Annual Report
Evaluates the Home Health Value-Based Purchasing (HHVBP) Model, which tests the impact of providing financial incentives to home health agencies in nine states: Arizona, Florida, Iowa, Massachusetts, Maryland, Nebraska, North Carolina, Tennessee, and Washington. Reports on the experiences of home health agencies and patients through 2020, the fifth performance year of the HHVBP Model, and the third year that agencies in the HHVBP states received a payment adjustment. Examines the impacts of the HHVBP Model on Medicare expenditures, healthcare utilization, quality of care and patient experience, and agency operations. Discusses rural access to high-quality home health agencies and the impact of HHVBP on rural home health patients.
Additional links: Findings at a Glance, Technical Appendices
Author(s): Alyssa Pozniak, Marc Turenne, Eric Lammers, et al.
Date: 04/2022
Sponsoring organization: Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services
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Assessment of Community-Level Vulnerability and Access to Medications for Opioid Use Disorder
Study examining access to medication for opioid use disorder (MOUD) in relation to social vulnerability to disasters based on ZIP code tabulation data (ZCTA) for 32,434 counties in the continental U.S. Discusses differences in geographic access to MOUD for rural and urban areas and the potential impacts of disasters on that access, highlighting potential interventions to bolster access to treatment.
Author(s): Paul J. Joudrey, Marynia Kolak, Qinyun Lin, et al.
Citation: JAMA Network Open, 5(4), e227028
Date: 04/2022
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Dental Care Utilization Among Adults Aged 18−64: United States, 2019 and 2020
Describes changes in the prevalence of dental visits among adults aged 18-64 between 2019 and 2020, when the COVID-19 pandemic began and many dental practices limited hours and services. Includes information by location for large metropolitan, large fringe metro, small and medium metro, and nonmetro areas.
Author(s): Amy E. Cha, Robin A. Cohen
Date: 04/2022
Sponsoring organization: National Center for Health Statistics
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Changes of Ownership of Hospital and Skilled Nursing Facilities: An Analysis of Newly-Released CMS Data
Examines data from the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) regarding changes in hospital and skilled nursing facility (SNF) ownership between 2016 and 2021. Presents data on rates of hospital ownership changes by hospital characteristics, including rural and urban location and Critical Access Hospital status. Discusses how future research can support policymaking and research on consolidation, healthcare quality, and healthcare costs.
Author(s): W. Pete Welch, Joel Ruhter, Arielle Bosworth, Nancy De Lew, Benjamin D. Sommers
Date: 04/2022
Sponsoring organization: HHS Office of the Assistant Secretary for Planning and Evaluation
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