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Rural Health
Resources by Topic: Telehealth

Promising Practice: Advisory Group in Washington State Works to Bring Palliative Care to Rural Patients
Describes the Palliative Care Rural Health Integration Advisory Team (PC-RHIAT) initiated by the Washington State Office of Rural Health (WA SORH), which aims to bring palliative care to rural patients through the use of telehealth and community engagement. The WA SORH facilitates this process by bringing experts in palliative care, rural health and telehealth, together with hospitals, clinics, and community team members to develop an action plan based in the rural community and within their healthcare organizations.
Author(s): Beth Blevins
Date: 06/2017
Type: Document
Sponsoring organization: National Organization of State Offices of Rural Health
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Telehealth Delivery of the Diabetes Prevention Program to Rural Communities
Analyzes a rural telehealth diabetes prevention program (DPP) and compares it to an on-site DPP to determine if differences exist between the programs in monitoring diet and physical activity as well as weight loss in DPP participants.
Author(s): Liane M. Vadheim, Katherine Patch, Sarah M. Brokaw, et al.
Citation: Translational Behavioral Medicine, 7(2), 286-291
Date: 06/2017
Type: Document
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Rural and Urban/Suburban Families' Use of a Web-Based Mental Health Intervention
Analyzes data from a web-based mental health intervention program serving adolescents and caregivers in disaster-affected areas of Missouri and Alabama, comparing rural and urban/suburban rates of accessing and completing web-based mental healthcare modules. Describes historic disparities in mental healthcare among rural communities, noting changes to access and engagement due to increased internet technology use among rural youth and adults. Discusses the potential of web-based healthcare interventions, including telehealth, to expand mental health services in rural areas.
Author(s): Brian Bunnell, Tatiana Davidson, Daniel Dewey, Matthew Price, Kenneth J. Ruggiero
Citation: Telemedicine Journal and E-Health, 23(5), 390-396
Date: 05/2017
Type: Document
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Evidence Roadmap: Telehealth and Health Care Access for Rural Populations
Lists systematic reviews, research studies, grey literature, and ongoing research related to telehealth and rural healthcare access.
Date: 05/2017
Type: Literature Search
Sponsoring organization: AcademyHealth
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Track: A Randomized Controlled Trial of a Digital Health Obesity Treatment Intervention for Medically Vulnerable Primary Care Patients
Examines the effectiveness of Track, a digital health intervention, to provide obesity treatment to low-income, racial/ethnic minority adults with obesity and related comorbidities in rural North Carolina. Includes baseline characteristic data, such as gender, race/ethnicity, education, smoking status, and diagnosis.
Author(s): Perry Foley, Dori Steinberg, Erica Levine, et al.
Citation: Contemporary Clinical Trials, 48, 12-20
Date: 05/2017
Type: Document
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American Telemedicine Association: Telestroke Guidelines
Details guidelines for telestroke services to assist providers with the assessment, diagnosis, management, and/or remote consultative support for patients showing signs and symptoms of a stroke using real time videoconferencing technology.
Author(s): Bart M. Demaerschalk, Jill Berg, Brian W. Chong, et al.
Citation: Telemedicine Journal and e-Health, 23(5), 376-389
Date: 05/2017
Type: Document
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Rural Promising Practice Issue Brief: Interdisciplinary Clinical Video - Telehealth for Geriatrics and Dementia
Highlights the development, implementation, and evaluation of an interdisciplinary telehealth program designed to help caregivers provide coordinated care for aging rural veterans suffering from dementia. Discusses the interdisciplinary team model comprised of social workers, geriatricians, primary care providers, and rural caregivers coordinating to maintain a uniform level of care. Includes outcomes regarding the increase of access to education and caregiver support, as well as the ability of providers to prescribe medication to rural patients.
Additional links: Overview
Date: 05/2017
Type: Document
Sponsoring organization: Veterans Health Administration's Office of Rural Health
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Substance Use in Rural Central Appalachia: Current Status and Treatment Considerations
Examines the factors in rural Central Appalachia that influence substance misuse and the treatments, strategies, and interventions to curb drug misuse and improve treatment outcomes. Discusses how the combination of poverty, work-related distress, lack of healthcare coverage, and the shortage of qualified providers of substance use treatments affect the need for a multifaceted policy approach in the region.
Author(s): Lara Moody, Emily Satterwhite, Warren K. Bickel
Citation: Rural Mental Health, 41(2), 123-135
Date: 04/2017
Type: Document
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Telepharmacy Rules and Statutes: A 50-State Survey
Policy brief identifying state-enacted regulations and legislation authorizing use of community telepharmacy initiatives, and describing implications for patients in underserved rural communities. Includes a table listing states with telepharmacy permitted in some capacity, pilot programs that enable telepharmacy initiatives, waivers enabling telepharmacy initiatives, or no rules or legislation authorizing telepharmacy use.
Additional links: Table Supplement
Author(s): George Tzanetakos, Fred Ullrich, Keith Mueller
Date: 04/2017
Type: Document
Sponsoring organization: RUPRI Center for Rural Health Policy Analysis
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Health Care: Telehealth and Remote Patient Monitoring Use in Medicare and Selected Federal Programs
Examines factors affecting the provision of telehealth and remote patient monitoring (RPM) in Medicare and emerging payment and delivery models that could affect its future use. Analyzes data collected through review of agency documents and regulations, and interviews with officials representing 9 general and medical specialty associations familiar with telehealth. Includes state Medicaid reimbursement examples. Rural-specific implications are discussed throughout.
Additional links: Full Report
Date: 04/2017
Type: Document
Sponsoring organization: Government Accountability Office
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