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Rural Health
Resources by Topic: Statistics and data

April 2024 MedPAC Meeting Transcript
Transcript from the Medicare Payment Advisory Commission's (MedPAC) April 2024 meeting. Covers telehealth in Medicare, alternative approaches to lowering Medicare payments for select conditions in inpatient rehabilitation facilities, approaches for updating the Medicare physician fee schedule, initial findings from an analysis of Medicare Part B payment rates and 340B ceiling prices, and more. Includes discussion of telehealth in rural areas and data on telehealth use in Federally Qualified Health Centers (FQHCs) and Rural Health Clinics (RHCs) between 2020 and 2022.
Additional links: Telehealth in Medicare: Status Report - Presentation Slides
Date: 04/2024
Sponsoring organization: Medicare Payment Advisory Commission
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Using the Updated Financial Distress Index to Describe Relative Risk of Hospital Financial Distress
Describes the relative risk of rural hospitals and selected urban hospitals experiencing financial distress in 2023. Provides an overview of an updated Financial Distress Index (FDI), which incorporates variables reflecting changes to operational environments since the publication of the 2017 FDI to predict and analyze financial distress and risk of rural hospital closure. Presents data on the characteristics of hospitals by relative risk of financial distress in 2023 and the number of hospitals in each state across in category of relative risk of financial distress.
Author(s): Tyler Malone, George Pink, Kristie Thompson, Mark Holmes
Date: 04/2024
Sponsoring organization: North Carolina Rural Health Research Program
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Survey Emphasizes Scale and Significance of the RHC Program
Summarizes results of a 2024 national survey of 930 Rural Health Clinics. Presents data on the average payer mix, use and attitude toward telehealth services, Medicare Advantage (MA) contract structures, and MA reimbursement relative to traditional Medicare reimbursement, and more.
Additional links: NARHC 2024 Policy Survey Results
Date: 04/2024
Sponsoring organization: National Association of Rural Health Clinics
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The Cost-Efficacy of a Healthy Food Box for Managing Hypertension Within a Native American Population: A Group Randomized Controlled Trial
Evaluates the cost-efficacy of healthy food delivery and fruit and vegetable vouchers aimed at reducing hypertension in the Chickasaw Nation. Includes data on blood pressure and quality of life. Discusses the importance of food environment to cardiovascular disease reduction in rural and tribal areas.
Author(s): Austin Henderson, Robert Rosenman, Amber L. Fyfe-Johnson, et al.
Citation: Archives of Public Health, 82, 59
Date: 04/2024
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Cancer Care Coordination in Rural Hawaii: A Focus Group Study
Presents results from focus group discussions about challenges and facilitators of coordinated care with 8 rural cancer patients receiving active treatment in Hawaii. Identifies themes related to access to care, insurance, travel, electronic patient portal use, and more.
Author(s): Shin Chang, Michelle Liu, Christa Braun-Inglis, Randall Holcombe, Izumi Okado
Citation: BMC Health Services Research, 24, 518
Date: 04/2024
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Identifying Priority Geographic Locations for Diabetes Self-Management Education and Support Services in the Appalachian Region
Examines the relationship among diabetes self-management education and support (DSMES) services, economic distress, and diabetes prevalence in Appalachia. Includes maps presenting these relationships as well as discussion about providing access to DSMES services.
Author(s): Jacob T. Wittman, Dayna S. Alexander, Melissa Bing, et al.
Citation: Preventing Chronic Disease, 21
Date: 04/2024
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The Dynamic Risk Factors of Cardiovascular Disease Among People Living with HIV: A Real-World Data Study
Analyzes the relationship between cardiovascular disease (CVD) and people living with HIV (PLWH) in South Carolina. Examines risk factors for CVD among PLWH by breaking down data by health status and sociodemographic variables, including rural versus urban residence.
Author(s): Ziang Liu, Jiajia Zhang, Xueying Yang, et al.
Citation: BMC Public Health, 24, 1162
Date: 04/2024
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Transforming Oral Health Care in North Carolina
Makes recommendations for improving oral health access, supporting oral care workforce and providers, and promoting oral health quality and equity in North Carolina. Discusses oral health in rural and underserved areas throughout, including coverage of workforce distribution, dental safety net, and access barriers.
Date: 04/2024
Sponsoring organization: North Carolina Institute of Medicine
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Does Engagement Matter? The Impact of Patient and Community Engagement on Implementation of Cardiovascular Health Materials in Primary Care Settings
Analyzes New Mexico and Colorado primary care practices' uptake of cardiovascular disease prevention materials produced through Boot Camp Translation (BCT), a participatory research strategy where community members and patients adapt medical information into messages and materials that reflect local culture and language. Compares practices' likelihood of selecting materials produced locally and by demographically and geographically similar BCTs.
Author(s): Linda Zittleman, John M. Westfall, Danelle Callen, et al.
Citation: BMC Primary Care, 25, 135
Date: 04/2024
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Utah Latina/o/x Suicide Decedents Less Likely to Die by Firearm, Even in Rural Areas: Examining Population-wide Data From the Utah Office of the Medical Examiner
Highlights a study on the firearm-based suicide rate among Latina/o/x populations in rural areas. Explores the rate of rural people of Latina/o/x ethnicity who commit suicide by firearm and the percentage of rural people who commit suicide by firearm who are of Latina/o/x ethnicity.
Author(s): Douglas Tharp, Evan V. Goldstein, Richard M. Medina, et al.
Citation: Frontiers in Public Health, 12
Date: 04/2024
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