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Rural Health
Resources by Topic: Rural-urban differences

Electronic Prescribing of Controlled Substances among Office-Based Physicians, 2017
Examines rates of electronic prescribing of controlled substances (EPCS), with information by type of physician practice, including rural or urban location, practice size, practice ownership, physician specialty, and technology available. EPCS is mandated for Medicare Part D providers by 2021, through the Substance Use-Disorder Prevention that Promotes Opioid Recovery and Treatment (SUPPORT) for Patients and Communities Act.
Author(s): Sonal Parasrampuria, Martin Blanco, Wesley Barker
Date: 09/2019
Sponsoring organization: Office of the National Coordinator for Health Information Technology
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Impact of Rurality on Diabetes Screening in the US
Examines diabetes screening in urban, suburban, and rural areas, using Behavioral Risk Factor Surveillance System (BRFSS) data from 2011 through 2017.
Author(s): Phoebe Tran, Lam Tran, Liem Tran
Citation: BMC Public Health, 19, 1190
Date: 09/2019
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Child Poverty Declines Slightly in 2018 to 18 Percent
Brief summary of child poverty rates. Includes a line chart showing the percent of children in poverty from 2007 through 2018 for city, suburban, and rural places.
Author(s): Jessica A. Carson
Date: 09/2019
Sponsoring organization: Carsey School of Public Policy
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Study of Food Safety Needs of Adult Day Care Centers in the Child and Adult Care Food Program
Identifies the food safety education needs of adult day care centers. Examines food safety knowledge gaps, preferences for receiving food safety education, and methods for communicating about food safety education resources. Includes information on rural, town, and urban adult day care centers.
Date: 09/2019
Sponsoring organization: USDA Food and Nutrition Administration
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The Older Population in Rural America: 2012-2016
Describes the rural older population, those 65 years and older, compared to urban older adults. Includes rural-urban data on population size for the nation, by region, and by state. Also covers demographic, social, and economic characteristics, age distribution, and sex ratio by age. Some data is available by level of rurality for mostly urban, mostly rural, and completely rural counties.
Author(s): Amy Symens Smith, Edward Trevelyan
Date: 09/2019
Sponsoring organization: U.S. Census Bureau
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Characteristics of Asthma Visits to Physician Offices in the United States: 2012–2015 National Ambulatory Medical Care Survey
Examines asthma visits to offices of non-federally employed U.S. physicians, with information on asthma visit characteristics and trends. Includes data by geographic location of the visit for metropolitan and nonmetro areas.
Author(s): Lara J. Akinbami, Loredana Santo, Sonja Williams, et al.
Date: 09/2019
Sponsoring organization: National Center for Health Statistics
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ACA and Medicaid Expansion Associated with Increased Insurance Coverage for Rural Americans with Disabilities
Fact sheet exploring ways in which Affordable Care Act (ACA) policy changes and Medicaid expansion affected people with disabilities, especially those in rural areas. Features statistics including changes in insurance coverage for urban and rural people with and without disabilities from 2006-2017, and differences in coverage in Medicaid expansion or non-expansion states, with breakdowns by urban or rural locations.
Author(s): Research and Training Center on Disability in Rural Communities
Date: 09/2019
Sponsoring organization: University of Montana: Rural Institute for Inclusive Communities
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How Will Medicaid Work Requirements Affect Hospitals' Finances?
Examines the potential financial impact of approved or pending Medicaid Section 1115 demonstration waivers that include work requirements on hospitals in 18 states. Includes a section on the potential impact on rural hospitals' operating margins. Updates a March 2019 report of the same title covering 13 states.
Author(s): Randy Haught, Allen Dobson, Joan DaVanzo
Date: 09/2019
Sponsoring organization: Commonwealth Fund
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Provider Shortages and Limited Availability of Behavioral Health Services in New Mexico's Medicaid Managed Care
Examines the supply and distribution of behavioral health providers and prescribers across New Mexico, with a focus on services available to Medicaid managed care enrollees. Includes data for rural and frontier counties. Discusses rural broadband connectivity challenges that impact the use of telehealth to address access. Offers policy recommendations. Findings are likely to be relevant to behavioral healthcare access in other states' rural and frontier counties.
Date: 09/2019
Sponsoring organization: Office of Inspector General (HHS)
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Health Insurance Coverage in the United States: 2018
Provides statistics on health insurance coverage in 2018 and also focuses on changes between 2017 and 2018. Table 5 and Appendix Table 4 list statistics for metropolitan and nonmetropolitan areas. Based on data from the Current Population Survey Annual Social and Economic Supplement and the American Community Survey.
Author(s): Edward R. Berchick, Jessica C. Barnett, Rachel D. Upton
Date: 09/2019
Sponsoring organization: U.S. Census Bureau
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