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Rural Health Information Hub

Rural Health
Resources by Topic: Rural-urban differences

Behavioral and Mental Health Care Among Urban, Suburban, and Rural Respondents: Differences in Reported Need, Reasons for Not Getting Care, and Travel Time
Data snapshot featuring statistics on percentages of people needing behavioral or mental health care or having difficulty finding a provider, and reported length of travel time to a provider, with breakdowns by urban, suburban, and rural location.
Date: 03/2019
Sponsoring organization: Association of American Medical Colleges
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Assessment of Town and Park Characteristics Related to Physical Activity in the Lower Mississippi Delta
Examines the built environments of 12 rural towns to determine whether these features may have contributed to low levels of physical activity in gestational and postnatal periods by women participating in a diet and physical activity program. Features statistics including characteristics of the towns, Rural Active Living Assessment Scores, and characteristics of parks in the towns.
Author(s): Jessica L. Thomson, Melissa H. Goodman, Alicia S. Landry
Citation: Preventing Chronic Disease, 16
Date: 03/2019
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The Availability of Medication-Assisted Treatment for Opioid Addiction in Pennsylvania
Report details the availability of medication-assisted treatment (MAT) for opioid addiction throughout the state of Pennsylvania. Compares rural and urban counties and highlights MAT delivery methods to rural areas.
Additional links: Executive Summary
Author(s): Harry D. Holt, Matin Katirai, Whitney Katirai
Date: 03/2019
Sponsoring organization: Center for Rural Pennsylvania
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National Hospital Ambulatory Medical Care Survey: 2016 Emergency Department Summary Tables
Provides data on ambulatory care emergency department (ED) hospital visits. Table 1 provides metropolitan/nonmetropolitan ED visit data based on hospital location, Table 2 includes metro/nonmetro ED visit data by location of patient residence, and Table 14 has metro/nonmetro injury visit data based on hospital location.
Date: 03/2019
Sponsoring organization: National Center for Health Statistics
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Vietnam-Era Veterans Represent the Largest Share of All Rural Veterans
Bar chart showing the rural and urban veteran population by service period, based on 2017 American Community Survey data.
Date: 03/2019
Sponsoring organization: USDA Economic Research Service
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Facility-Based Ambulatory Care Provided to Rural Medicare Beneficiaries in 2014
Chartbook describing claims, costs, and common diagnoses in facility-based ambulatory care provided to rural Medicare patients. Features statistics in various categories with breakdowns by Federally Qualified Health Centers in rural and urban areas, Rural Health Clinics, Critical Access Hospitals, and Prospective Payment Systems in rural and urban areas.
Author(s): Alex R. Schulte, Denise A. Kirk, Kristie W. Thompson, George H. Pink
Date: 03/2019
Sponsoring organization: North Carolina Rural Health Research Program
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Relationship Between Adherence to Antihypertensive Medication Regimen and Out-of-Pocket Costs Among People Aged 35 to 64 With Employer-Sponsored Health Insurance
Assesses the proportion of people taking antihypertensive medicine, the rates of adherence to these regimens, and the costs. Features demographic statistics with breakdowns by urban or rural location.
Author(s): Madeleine M. Baker-Goering, Kakoli Roy, David H. Howard
Citation: Preventing Chronic Disease, 16
Date: 03/2019
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Inpatient Stays Involving Mental and Substance Use Disorders, 2016
Examines inpatient stays involving mental and substance use disorders at community hospitals among patients 5 years old or older. Provides data on costs, length of stay, discharge status, patient demographics, primary expected payer, and hospital region. Table 2 includes data by location of patient residence for rural and urban areas.
Author(s): Pamela L. Owens, Kathryn R. Fingar, Kimberly W. McDermott, Pradip K. Muhuri, Kevin C. Heslin
Date: 03/2019
Sponsoring organization: Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality
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Medications for Opioid Use Disorder Save Lives
Reports on the findings from an expert committee regarding the evidence behind using medications to treat opioid use disorder, as well as issues with accessing medication-based treatment. Chapter 3 includes a section focusing on rural populations and chapter 5 addresses rural/urban differences in the number of healthcare providers waivered to prescribe buprenorphine, a medication used to treat opioid-use disorder.
Additional links: Read Online
Author(s): Committee on Medication-Assisted Treatment for Opioid Use Disorder
Date: 03/2019
Sponsoring organization: Health and Medicine Division (HMD), National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine
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MedPAC Report to the Congress: Medicare Payment Policy: Hospital Inpatient and Outpatient Services: Chapter 3
Examines the adequacy of Medicare payments to hospitals in 2017 and offers recommendations for changes. Includes a discussion of rural hospital closures and provides rural/urban breakdowns for hospital occupancy rates, Medicare inpatient discharges, and Medicare margins.
Date: 03/2019
Sponsoring organization: Medicare Payment Advisory Commission
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