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Rural Health
Resources by Type: Document

Evaluating the HCIA - Behavioral Health/Substance Abuse Awards: Second Annual Report
Second annual evaluations of 10 Health Care Innovation Awards Round One projects focused on mental health and substance abuse services. Offers overviews of all projects, including HealthLinkNow, which uses telehealth to provide behavioral care services in rural areas, and the Prevention and Recovery in Early Psychosis Program, which was expanded to serve to rural counties in California.
Date: 03/2016
Sponsoring organizations: Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services, Mathematica Policy Research
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HCIA Complex/High-Risk Patient Targeting: Second Annual Report
Second annual evaluations of 23 Health Care Innovation Awards Round One projects focused on patients with medically complex conditions at high risk for hospitalization, re-hospitalization, emergency department visits, or nursing home stays. Several projects serve rural areas, offering caregiver education and support, telehealth services, and various care coordination approaches. Discusses common experiences of grantees serving rural areas, as well as profiles of each project.
Date: 03/2016
Sponsoring organizations: Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services, NORC at the University of Chicago
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Sexual Assault: Information on Training, Funding, and the Availability of Forensic Examiners
GAO survey of the 2013 grantees who used funding established by the Violence Against Women Reauthorization Act to support the training of forensic examiners in the case of sexual assault. Rural areas are highlighted as particularly underserved due to limited availability of training, reluctance of hospitals to fund training of examiners, and low examiner retention rates overall.
Additional links: Full Report
Date: 03/2016
Sponsoring organization: Government Accountability Office
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The Economics of Local Food Systems: A Toolkit to Guide Community Discussions, Assessments and Choices
Seven research modules guiding food system planning, economic assessment, and analysis of data. Explains that local food production promotes rural economic revitalization and supports built capital invested in rural communities, and notes the importance of recognizing differences in rural and urban food issues.
Author(s): Dawn Thilmany McFadden, David Conner, Steven Deller, et al.
Date: 03/2016
Sponsoring organization: U.S. Department of Agriculture
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Reducing Potentially-Preventable Readmissions in Critical Access Hospitals
Policy brief describing evidence-based readmission prevention programs and strategies shown to be effective at reducing readmission rates for small rural hospitals, including Critical Access Hospitals (CAHs).
Author(s): Emma Distel, Michelle Casey, Shailendra Prasad
Date: 03/2016
Sponsoring organization: Flex Monitoring Team
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Estimating the Prevalence of Childhood Obesity in Alaska Using Partial, Nonrandom Measurement Data
Results of a 2013-2014 study of obesity among students in the 8 largest Alaska school districts, 7 of which are in rural areas. Features statistics with breakdowns including district, grade level, and sex, among other measures.
Author(s): Erik Everson, Myde Boles, Karol Fink, Rebecca Topol, Andrea Fenaughty
Citation: Preventing Chronic Disease, 13
Date: 03/2016
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Medicare Costs and Utilization Among Beneficiaries in Rural Areas
Reports on a study evaluating the association of Medicare beneficiary spending patterns with the differences in cost for services across rural hospital service areas (HSAs). Describes strategies and policies to address the geographic variability of higher costs of care in rural HSAs.
Author(s): Carrie Henning-Smith, Doug Wholey, Michelle Casey, Ira Moscovice
Date: 03/2016
Sponsoring organization: University of Minnesota Rural Health Research Center
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Improvements and Disparities in Types of Foods and Milk Beverages Offered in Elementary School Lunches, 2006-2007 to 2013-2014
Evaluates changes and disparities in school lunch characteristics, using data from 4,630 public schools. Features breakdowns by urban, suburban, town, or rural locale.
Author(s): Lindsey Turner, Punam Ohri-Vachaspati, Lisa Powell, Frank J. Chaloupka
Citation: Preventing Chronic Disease, 13
Date: 03/2016
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America After 3PM Special Report: The Growing Importance of Afterschool in Rural Communities
Provides an overview of afterschool and summer learning programming in rural America. Discusses health and wellness impacts of afterschool programs for rural children. Describes strengths of rural programs and identifies barriers to participation in rural communities.
Date: 03/2016
Sponsoring organization: Afterschool Alliance
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MedPAC Report to the Congress: Medicare Payment Policy, 2016
Annual review of Medicare payment policies, with recommendations to Congress. Discussions of rural aspects of Medicare payment policies are included throughout the report. Focuses on payment adequacy, Medicare Advantage, and Medicare Part D.
Date: 03/2016
Sponsoring organization: Medicare Payment Advisory Commission
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