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Rural Health Information Hub

Rural Health
Resources by Topic: Rural-urban differences

The COVID-19 Pandemic and Rural America
Provides an overview of how the COVID-19 pandemic impacted rural areas. Includes charts and maps showing the spread of COVID-19 in rural areas and unemployment during the pandemic.
Date: 07/2021
Sponsoring organization: USDA Economic Research Service
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U.S. Monthly Unemployment Rates in Metro and Nonmetro Areas, January 2007 to April 2021
Line chart show unemployment rates for metropolitan and nonmetro areas.
Date: 07/2021
Sponsoring organization: USDA Economic Research Service
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U.S. Unemployment Rates by County Economic Type and Metro Status, Week Including March 12, 2021
Bar chart showing unemployment rates for metropolitan and nonmetro counties by economic type for counties dependent on farming, mining, manufacturing, government, and recreation and for counties that are nonspecialized.
Date: 07/2021
Sponsoring organization: USDA Economic Research Service
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Rural/Urban Differences in Discharge from Rehabilitation in Older Adults with Traumatic Brain Injury
Compares rural and urban rates of discharge from skilled nursing facilities for 61,021 older adults with traumatic brain injury between 2011 and 2015 to determine quality of care. Discusses factors predicting successful discharge and reasons for not successfully discharging between rural and urban patients.
Author(s): Marie C. Anderson, Emily Evans, Mark R. Zonfrillo, Kali S. Thomas
Citation: Journal of the American Geriatrics Society, 69(6), 1601-1608
Date: 06/2021
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Adoption of Health System Innovations: Evidence of Urban-Rural Disparities from the Ohio Primary Care Marketplace
Examines the market penetration of Medicare Shared Savings Program (MSSP) Accountable Care Organizations (ACOs), patient-centered medical homes (PCMHs), and the meaningful use of electronic health records (EHRs) among primary care providers (PCPs) in Ohio between 2011 and 2015. Compares the percentage of PCPs who are affiliated with ACOs, PCMHs, and meaningful use by urban and rural county status.
Author(s): Joseph E. Tanenbaum, Mark Votruba, Douglas Einstadter, Thomas E. Love, Randall D. Cebul
Citation: Journal of General Internal Medicine, 36(6), 1584–1590
Date: 06/2021
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Texas Emergency Medical Services Personnel, 2020: Trends, Distribution, and Demographics
Fact sheet showing emergency medical services (EMS) personnel growth trends, geographic distribution by county and ratio of population to EMS personnel by metropolitan, non-metropolitan, border, and non-border geography, provider demographics by race/ethnicity, age, sex, and license type.
Date: 06/2021
Sponsoring organization: Texas Health and Human Services
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Veterans' Use of Veterans Health Administration Primary Care in an Era of Expanding Choice
Characterizes and compares veterans' use of Veterans Health Administration (VA) primary care services at VA facilities and through a VA community care network (VA-CCN) provider, using data from fiscal years 2015-2018. Features statistics including patient characteristics by primary care venue and odds of having any VA-CCN primary care, with breakdowns by urban, rural, or highly rural location.
Author(s): Denise M. Hynes, Samuel Edwards, Alex Hickok, et al.
Citation: Medical Care, 59(6), S292-S300
Date: 06/2021
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County-level Predictors of Growth in Community-based Primary Care Use Among Veterans
Measures county-level growth in Veterans Health Administration (VA) community-based primary care (CBPC) penetration following enactment of the Veterans Access, Choice, and Accountability Act, and assesses whether CBPC penetration increased in rural counties with limited access to VA facilities. Features statistics on county-level CBCP rates and characteristics of counties with high or low growth in penetration rates, with breakdowns by urban, rural, and highly rural locations.
Author(s): Sarah H. Gordon, Erin Beilstein-Wedel, Amy K. Rosen, et al.
Citation: Medical Care, 59(6), S301-S306
Date: 06/2021
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Did Access to Care Improve Since Passage of the Veterans Choice Act?: Differences Between Rural and Urban Veterans
Examines wait times among rural and urban veterans for physical therapy, cardiology, optometry, orthopedic, and dental services. Features demographic statistics for fiscal year (FY) 2015 with breakdowns by rural or urban patients, and average consult wait times during FY 2015 and FY 18 with breakdowns by urban or rural location, service types, and care settings.
Author(s): Deborah Gurewich, Michael Schwartz, Erin Beilstein-Wedel, Heather Davila, Amy K. Rosen
Citation: Medical Care, 59(6), S270-S278
Date: 06/2021
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Rural Veterans' Experiences With Outpatient Care in the Veterans Health Administration Versus Community Care
Compares rural veterans' experiences with community care (CC) and Veterans Administration (VA) outpatient healthcare services to those of urban veterans, and examines changes over time. Features demographic statistics with breakdowns by rural CC and rural VA patients, and ratings for 4 healthcare experiences and outcome measures for rural and urban veterans in fiscal years 2016 and 2019.
Author(s): Heather Davila, Amy K. Rosen, Erin Beilstein-Wedel, et al.
Citation: Medical Care, 59, S286-S291
Date: 06/2021
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