Rural Health
Resources by Topic: Technology for health and human services
New Frontiers for Funding: An Introduction to Grantmaking in Rural Aging
Offers guidance on offering grant funds for rural aging work, discussing scale of funding, rural assets, sustainability, and partnership building. Highlights rural aging issues including health, rural culture, transportation, broadband, housing and institutional care, and social isolation.
Date: 06/2024
Sponsoring organization: Grantmakers In Aging
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Offers guidance on offering grant funds for rural aging work, discussing scale of funding, rural assets, sustainability, and partnership building. Highlights rural aging issues including health, rural culture, transportation, broadband, housing and institutional care, and social isolation.
Date: 06/2024
Sponsoring organization: Grantmakers In Aging
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Computer and Internet Use in the United States: 2021
Analyzes both 2021 American Community Survey 1-year data and 2017-2021 5-year data to report on computer use by device type and broadband subscriptions. Includes rural and urban comparisons within 4 regions and by state.
Author(s): Daniela Mejía
Date: 06/2024
Sponsoring organization: U.S. Census Bureau
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Analyzes both 2021 American Community Survey 1-year data and 2017-2021 5-year data to report on computer use by device type and broadband subscriptions. Includes rural and urban comparisons within 4 regions and by state.
Author(s): Daniela Mejía
Date: 06/2024
Sponsoring organization: U.S. Census Bureau
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Understanding the Rise of Ransomware Attacks on Rural Hospitals
Explores trends in ransomware attacks on rural hospitals between 2016 and 2021 by analyzing data from the Tracking Healthcare Ransomware Events and Traits (THREAT) database. Describes the types of rural hospitals that experienced ransomware attacks during this period. Compares the frequency of hospitals' operational disruptions during attacks by urban and rural location.
Author(s): Hannah T. Neprash, Claire C. McGlave, Katie Rydberg, Carrie Henning-Smith
Date: 06/2024
Sponsoring organization: University of Minnesota Rural Health Research Center
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Explores trends in ransomware attacks on rural hospitals between 2016 and 2021 by analyzing data from the Tracking Healthcare Ransomware Events and Traits (THREAT) database. Describes the types of rural hospitals that experienced ransomware attacks during this period. Compares the frequency of hospitals' operational disruptions during attacks by urban and rural location.
Author(s): Hannah T. Neprash, Claire C. McGlave, Katie Rydberg, Carrie Henning-Smith
Date: 06/2024
Sponsoring organization: University of Minnesota Rural Health Research Center
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MedPAC Report to the Congress: Medicare and the Health Care Delivery System, June 2024
Evaluates Medicare payment issues and provides recommendations to the U.S. Congress. Covers approaches for updating fee-for-service (FFS) Medicare's physician fee schedule (PFS) payments and incentivizing participation in alternative payment models; provider networks and prior authorization in Medicare Advantage (MA) plans; an assessment of the relative completeness of MA encounter data and other data sources; Medicare coverage and payments for medical software; alternate approaches to lower Medicare payment rates for select conditions in inpatient rehabilitation facilities; and Medicare's Acute Hospital Care at Home program. Includes rural references throughout.
Additional links: Executive Summary
Date: 06/2024
Sponsoring organization: Medicare Payment Advisory Commission
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Evaluates Medicare payment issues and provides recommendations to the U.S. Congress. Covers approaches for updating fee-for-service (FFS) Medicare's physician fee schedule (PFS) payments and incentivizing participation in alternative payment models; provider networks and prior authorization in Medicare Advantage (MA) plans; an assessment of the relative completeness of MA encounter data and other data sources; Medicare coverage and payments for medical software; alternate approaches to lower Medicare payment rates for select conditions in inpatient rehabilitation facilities; and Medicare's Acute Hospital Care at Home program. Includes rural references throughout.
Additional links: Executive Summary
Date: 06/2024
Sponsoring organization: Medicare Payment Advisory Commission
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2023 Immunization Profile Study: A Look at Immunization Capacity among Local Health Departments
Reports survey results from 422 local health departments (LHDs) on immunization workforce capacity, vaccine provision and uptake, funding and reimbursement, immunization data capacity, barriers to vaccination, and more in 2023. Includes data comparisons of small, medium, and large LHDs.
Author(s): Margaret C. Cunningham, Amy Maxson, Robin Mowson, et al.
Date: 06/2024
Sponsoring organization: National Association of County and City Health Officials
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Reports survey results from 422 local health departments (LHDs) on immunization workforce capacity, vaccine provision and uptake, funding and reimbursement, immunization data capacity, barriers to vaccination, and more in 2023. Includes data comparisons of small, medium, and large LHDs.
Author(s): Margaret C. Cunningham, Amy Maxson, Robin Mowson, et al.
Date: 06/2024
Sponsoring organization: National Association of County and City Health Officials
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Understanding Rural-Urban Differences in Veterans' Internet Access, Use and Patient Preferences for Telemedicine
Analyzes disparities among rural and urban veterans regarding telemedicine. Utilizes March 2022 survey data from 350 veterans about issues related to telemedicine use, including internet access, connection speeds, internet-connected devices, and use and perception of telemedicine.
Author(s): Amy M.J. O'Shea, Mikayla Gibson, James Merchant, et al.
Citation: Journal of Rural Health, 40(3), 438-445
Date: 06/2024
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Analyzes disparities among rural and urban veterans regarding telemedicine. Utilizes March 2022 survey data from 350 veterans about issues related to telemedicine use, including internet access, connection speeds, internet-connected devices, and use and perception of telemedicine.
Author(s): Amy M.J. O'Shea, Mikayla Gibson, James Merchant, et al.
Citation: Journal of Rural Health, 40(3), 438-445
Date: 06/2024
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Building a Sustainable Rural Health Workforce for the 21st Century: A Report of the 2024 Rural Health Workforce Summit
Summarizes a May 2024 summit of national rural health workforce experts to discuss strategies for increasing the supply of rural health workforce. Presents 3 principles related to rural community culture, innovation, and payment structure to inform 4 core strategies for building and maintaining the workforce. Strategies cover workforce roles, partnerships and networking, technology to improve access to care, and educational pathways.
Date: 05/2024
Sponsoring organization: National Rural Health Resource Center
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Summarizes a May 2024 summit of national rural health workforce experts to discuss strategies for increasing the supply of rural health workforce. Presents 3 principles related to rural community culture, innovation, and payment structure to inform 4 core strategies for building and maintaining the workforce. Strategies cover workforce roles, partnerships and networking, technology to improve access to care, and educational pathways.
Date: 05/2024
Sponsoring organization: National Rural Health Resource Center
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Special Supplemental Nutrition Program for Women, Infants, and Children Nutrition Assessment and Tailoring Study (WIC NATS)
Provides an overview of the Special Supplemental Nutrition Program for Women, Infants, and Children (WIC) and how local WIC agencies and clinic sites assess their breastfeeding and nutrition services to improve participant retention and service delivery. Includes two reports: a pre-pandemic nutrition assessment report at the state and local levels and a remote versus in-person report focused on assessment processes. Includes data from state agencies as well as 369 local WIC agencies, with differences between rural versus urban agencies discussed.
Additional links: Final Report Part 1, Final Report Part 2, Summary
Author(s): M. Gabay, A.A. Gola, M. Gearing, et al.
Date: 05/2024
Sponsoring organization: USDA Food and Nutrition Service
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Provides an overview of the Special Supplemental Nutrition Program for Women, Infants, and Children (WIC) and how local WIC agencies and clinic sites assess their breastfeeding and nutrition services to improve participant retention and service delivery. Includes two reports: a pre-pandemic nutrition assessment report at the state and local levels and a remote versus in-person report focused on assessment processes. Includes data from state agencies as well as 369 local WIC agencies, with differences between rural versus urban agencies discussed.
Additional links: Final Report Part 1, Final Report Part 2, Summary
Author(s): M. Gabay, A.A. Gola, M. Gearing, et al.
Date: 05/2024
Sponsoring organization: USDA Food and Nutrition Service
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Pandemic-Era Trends in Telehealth Use among Americans with Private Health Insurance
Brief analyzing telehealth use between 2019 and 2021 for people younger than 65 with private health insurance. Discusses the impact of COVID-19 on telehealth use. Analyzes data by various factors such as age, rurality, access, broadband availability, and more. Discusses policy implications related to broadband access, mental healthcare provider shortages, costs, access, and equity. Includes both nationwide and state-by-state rural and urban comparisons.
Author(s): Beth Carter, Olivia Dean, Alex Hartzman, Luis Arzaluz, Aiden Wynia
Date: 05/2024
Sponsoring organization: AARP Public Policy Institute
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Brief analyzing telehealth use between 2019 and 2021 for people younger than 65 with private health insurance. Discusses the impact of COVID-19 on telehealth use. Analyzes data by various factors such as age, rurality, access, broadband availability, and more. Discusses policy implications related to broadband access, mental healthcare provider shortages, costs, access, and equity. Includes both nationwide and state-by-state rural and urban comparisons.
Author(s): Beth Carter, Olivia Dean, Alex Hartzman, Luis Arzaluz, Aiden Wynia
Date: 05/2024
Sponsoring organization: AARP Public Policy Institute
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Interoperable Exchange of Patient Health Information Among U.S. Hospitals: 2023
Presents data on the degree to which hospitals engage in the four domains of interoperable exchange - send, receive, find, and integrate - as of 2023 and describes trends between 2018 and 2023. Analyzes the frequency that non-federal acute care hospitals engaged in interoperable exchange by hospital characteristics, including hospital size, system affiliation status, rural or urban location, and Critical Access Hospital (CAH) designation. Describes hospitals' ability to exchange electronic health information with other providers across the care continuum and how clinicians use this information about the point of care.
Author(s): Meghan Hufstader Gabriel, Chelsea Richwine, Catherine Strawley, Wesley Barker, Jordan Everson
Date: 05/2024
Sponsoring organization: Assistant Secretary for Technology Policy/Office of the National Coordinator for Health Information Technology
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Presents data on the degree to which hospitals engage in the four domains of interoperable exchange - send, receive, find, and integrate - as of 2023 and describes trends between 2018 and 2023. Analyzes the frequency that non-federal acute care hospitals engaged in interoperable exchange by hospital characteristics, including hospital size, system affiliation status, rural or urban location, and Critical Access Hospital (CAH) designation. Describes hospitals' ability to exchange electronic health information with other providers across the care continuum and how clinicians use this information about the point of care.
Author(s): Meghan Hufstader Gabriel, Chelsea Richwine, Catherine Strawley, Wesley Barker, Jordan Everson
Date: 05/2024
Sponsoring organization: Assistant Secretary for Technology Policy/Office of the National Coordinator for Health Information Technology
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