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Rural Health
Resources by Topic: Rural-urban differences

Variations in Support for Secondhand Smoke Restrictions Across Diverse Rural Regions of the United States
Surveys the support of secondhand smoke restrictions among rural and urban people across all of the HHS regions. Explores the attitudes of people pertaining to smoking regulations in various locations, such as in homes, bars, and playgrounds, among others.
Author(s): Frances A. Stillman, Erin Tanenbaum, Mary Ellen Wewers, et al.
Citation: Preventive Medicine, 116, 157-165
Date: 11/2018
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Motivators, Barriers, and Facilitators to Traveling to the Safest Hospitals in the United States for Complex Cancer Surgery
Results of a nationally representative survey conducted in January 2018, in which 1,016 adults were asked what factors they would consider when deciding whether to seek cancer treatment at their local hospital or at a specialized facility an hour or more away from their home. Table 1 features demographic information including breakdowns by metropolitan or nonmetropolitan residence.
Author(s): Benjamin J. Resio, Alexander S. Chiu, Jessica R. Hoag, et al.
Citation: JAMA Network Open, 1(7)
Date: 11/2018
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Electronic Health Record Adoption and Interoperability Among U.S. Skilled Nursing Facilities and Home Health Agencies in 2017
Presents data for home health agencies and skilled nursing facilities describing their use of health information technology (HIT) in 2017. Includes statistics on electronic health record (EHR) adoption and interoperability. Covers information telehealth use in home health agencies by rural versus urban location and ownership type.
Author(s): JaWanna Henry, Yuriy Pylypchuk, Vaishali Patel
Date: 11/2018
Sponsoring organization: Assistant Secretary for Technology Policy/Office of the National Coordinator for Health Information Technology
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Private Health Insurance in Georgia
Describes trends in private health insurance coverage in Georgia. Addresses the demographics of who is covered, cost, and whether it is purchased individually or obtained through an employer. Highlights differences between rural and urban areas.
Date: 11/2018
Sponsoring organization: Georgia Health Policy Center
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The Rural Hospital and Health System Affiliation Landscape - A Brief Review
Describes choices available to rural hospitals and health systems when considering affiliations with urban-based hospitals, examines motivations for these affiliations, and presents a list of some affiliation structures with examples. Features statistics showing trends in hospital system affiliation by census region from 2007-2016, with breakdowns by metropolitan and nonmetropolitan hospitals and nonmetropolitan Critical Access Hospitals.
Author(s): Onyinye Oyeka, Fred Ullrich, A. Clinton MacKinney, Joseph Lupica, Keith J. Mueller
Date: 11/2018
Sponsoring organization: Rural Policy Research Institute
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Suicide Mortality in the United States, 1999-2017
Reports on trends in suicide mortality from 1999 through 2017. Includes data by urbanization level of the decedent's county of residence, with information for metropolitan, micropolitan, and noncore counties.
Author(s): Holly Hedegaard, Sally C. Curtin, Margaret Warner
Date: 11/2018
Sponsoring organization: National Center for Health Statistics
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Sources of Supplemental Coverage Among Medicare Beneficiaries in 2016
Examines sources of supplemental coverage for traditional Medicare beneficiaries with breakdowns by race/ethnicity, income, rural location, and more.
Author(s): Juliette Cubanski, Anthony Damico, Tricia Neuman, Gretchen Jacobson
Date: 11/2018
Sponsoring organization: KFF
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Significant Vulnerabilities Exist in the Hospital Wage Index System for Medicare Payments
Reports on 41 examinations of wage data of individual acute care hospitals from 2004 to 2017 to describe significant vulnerabilities observed in the wage index system for Medicare payments. Includes discussion on the rural floor wage index and the effects it has on wage index accuracy. Offers recommendations to reform the hospital wage index system.
Date: 11/2018
Sponsoring organization: Office of Inspector General (HHS)
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Update: Rural/Urban Disparities in Pneumococcal Vaccine Service Delivery Among the Fee-for-Service Medicare Population, 2012-2015
Updated report on a study to identify disparities in vaccine provision to people ages 65 and over, and to assess the impact of pharmacies as alternate site providers in rural areas. Revised version specifically assesses the uptake of the 13-valent pneumococcal conjugate vaccine, in response to the revised vaccination recommendations issued in 2014. Includes statistics on pneumococcal vaccine services provided by fee-for-service pharmacies and primary care providers, with breakdowns by rural and urban frequency, and state-level maps with rate of service delivery per eligible population, using 2014 and 2015 data.
Author(s): Joseph C. Vanghelof, Aric Schadler, Patricia R. Freeman, Jeffery C. Talbert
Date: 11/2018
Sponsoring organization: Rural and Underserved Health Research Center
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Why Are the Health Insurance Marketplaces Thriving in Some States but Struggling in Others?
Analyzes the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation's HIX Compare dataset and the National Association of Insurance Commissioners' 2010 Supplemental Health Care Exhibit Report to identify factors explaining differences in issuers' participation in state insurance marketplaces. Features statistics including the number of insurers participating in states in 2017, with breakdowns by mean state population and rural population as percent of total state population.
Author(s): Jon R. Gabel, Heidi Whitmore, Sam Stromberg, Matthew Green
Date: 11/2018
Sponsoring organization: Commonwealth Fund
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