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Rural Health
Resources by Topic: Specialty care

Impact of Rural Residence and Health System Structure on Quality of Liver Care
A study of Veterans Health Administration (VHA) patients with Hepatitis C (HCV) to ascertain the extent that rural residency can impact access to HCV specialists and quality of liver care.
Author(s): Catherine Rongey, Hui Shen, Nathan Hamilton, et al.
Citation: PLoS One, 8(12)
Date: 12/2013
Type: Document
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The Influence of Visiting Consultant Clinics on Measures of Access to Cancer Care: Evidence from the State of Iowa
Reports on a study measuring the impact of visiting consultant clinics (VCC) and geographic access to specialized healthcare for cancer patients in rural areas. Includes descriptive statistics and tables on VCCs and travel times.
Author(s): Roger Tracy, Inwoo Nam, Thomas S Gruca
Citation: Health Services Research, 48(5), 1719-1729
Date: 10/2013
Type: Document
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Rates of Black Lung Disease in Relationship to Black Lung Treatment Centers
Investigates the rates of black lung disease among active miners in relationship to the location of Black Lung Clinics.
Additional links: Policy Brief
Author(s): Michael Hendryx, Cynthia Persily, Jamison Conley, Evan Fedorko
Date: 08/2013
Type: Document
Sponsoring organization: West Virginia Rural Health Research Center
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Utah Rural Health Plan
Describes Utah's rural healthcare system, the organizations comprising the healthcare safety net, and the environment in which those organizations provide healthcare services. Prioritizes specific rural health issues identified by hospital surveys, health assessments, and interviews with key rural health stakeholders.
Date: 02/2013
Type: Document
Sponsoring organization: Utah Office of Primary Care and Rural Health
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Rural Residence and Adoption of a Novel HIV Therapy in a National, Equal-Access Healthcare System
Reports the results of a study examining the use of raltegravir, the first HIV integrase inhibitor, in Veterans Affairs (VA) patients. Provides rural versus urban participant characteristic statistics by race/ethnicity, AIDS defining illness, substance abuse, and more. Includes a discussion of barriers to new forms of HIV treatment for rural residents, such as geographic distance, transportation, and limited access to specialists in the field.
Author(s): Michael Ohl, Brian Lund, Pamela S. Belperio, et al.
Citation: AIDS and Behavior, 17(1), 250-259
Date: 01/2013
Type: Document
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Dialysis Availability in Rural America
Explores the availability of dialysis services in rural America including the prevalence of dialysis use across urban and rural counties, travel distance for services, and dialysis quality outcomes.
Additional links: Fact Sheet
Author(s): Amy Martin, Kevin J. Bennett, Nathan Hale, Janice C. Probst
Date: 01/2013
Type: Document
Sponsoring organization: Rural and Minority Health Research Center (formerly the South Carolina Rural Health Research Center)
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HIV/AIDS in Rural America: Prevalence and Service Availability
Examines the prevalence of HIV/AIDS in rural counties across 28 states in 2008 and the rural-versus-urban distribution of Ryan White providers.
Additional links: Fact Sheet
Author(s): Medha Vyavaharkar, Saundra Glover, Deshia Leonhirth, Janice Probst
Date: 01/2013
Type: Document
Sponsoring organization: Rural and Minority Health Research Center (formerly the South Carolina Rural Health Research Center)
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Improving Access to Specialized Care: The Telehealth Kidney Transplant Clinic at the Iowa City VAMC
Profiles the Telehealth Transplant Clinic at the Iowa City Veterans Affairs Medical Center and their actions to reduce travel time and costs for kidney transplant patients by allowing them to receive annual follow-up exams remotely using telehealth services.
Author(s): Roberto Kalil, Christie Thomas, Carol Winetroub, Stacey Abel
Date: 2013
Type: Document
Sponsoring organizations: U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs, Veterans Rural Health Resource Centers
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Improving Accessibility: VISN 11 Mobile Prosthetics Van Program
Describes a mobile program that provides prosthetic and orthotic services to veterans in areas of Michigan, Indiana, northwest Ohio, and eastern Illinois that did not previously offer them and that may be many miles away from the nearest veteran medical center (VAMC).
Author(s): Sherri DeLoof, Guadalupe Bravo, Ernest Howard, Michael Rilenge
Date: 2013
Type: Document
Sponsoring organizations: U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs, Veterans Rural Health Resource Centers
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Evolving Trends in Maternal Fetal Medicine Referrals in a Rural State Using Telemedicine
Presents the results of a study using Arkansas Medicaid claims and birth certificate data from 2001-2006 to make an assessment of maternal fetal medicine (MFM) referrals and consultations from face-to-face interaction to telemedicine over time in a rural population. Discusses the formation of ANGELS (Antenatal and Neonatal Guidelines, Education and Learning Systems) to improve obstetrical care in rural Arkansas and to improve appropriate referrals to MFM specialists.
Author(s): Everett F. Magann, Janet Bronstein, Samantha S. McKelvey, et al.
Citation: Archives of Gynecology and Obstetrics, 286(6)
Date: 12/2012
Type: Document
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