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Rural Health Information Hub

Rural Health
Resources by Type: Document

Rural Health Disparities, Population Health, and Rural Culture
Commentary discussing the rural health disparities documented in Health United States, 2001, Urban and Rural Health Chartbook. Recommends branching out from the traditional focus of rural health policy and research on access to healthcare services toward initiatives that are based on models of population health. Identifies the risky health behaviors among rural populations that suggest a "rural culture" health determinant. Suggests that there may be environmental and cultural factors unique to towns or regions that affect health behavior and health.
Author(s): David Hartley
Citation: American Journal of Public Health, 94(10), 1675-1678
Date: 2004
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Health, United States, 2004: With Chartbook on Trends in the Health of Americans with Special Feature on Drugs
Presents an annual overview of national trends in health statistics. Covers health status and determinants, healthcare utilization, access, and expenditures. Includes data on rural areas - see index under "metropolitan/nonmetropolitan data." 2004 edition includes a feature on prescription and nonprescription drug use.
Date: 2004
Sponsoring organization: National Center for Health Statistics
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Prescription Drug Spending and Coverage Among Rural Medicare Beneficiaries in 2003
Examines out-of-pocket spending on prescription drugs by noninstitutionalized rural Medicare beneficiaries age 65 and older. Includes information on supplemental insurance coverage among rural and urban Medicare beneficiaries.
Author(s): Craig Caplan, Normandy Brangan
Date: 2004
Sponsoring organization: AARP Public Policy Institute
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Grantee Sustainability in the Rural Health Outreach Grant Program
Describes a study of the post-grant experiences of 99 Rural Health Outreach Grant recipients. Focuses on the extent to which programs were able to maintain or expand services after their grants ended and characteristics that helped programs succeed in the post-grant period.
Author(s): Walter Gregg, Astrid Knott, Ira Moscovice
Date: 12/2003
Sponsoring organization: University of Minnesota Rural Health Research Center
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Medicare Prescription Drug, Improvement, and Modernization Act of 2003
Text of the legislation that adds a prescription drug benefit to Medicare and enhances some rural healthcare programs, such as the Critical Access Hospitals program.
Date: 11/2003
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Rural-Urban Issues in the Wage Index Adjustment for Prospective Payment in Skilled Nursing Facilities
Discusses the use of the hospital wage index for the skilled nursing facility prospective payment system (SNF PPS) and how a change to an SNF wage index would impact rural and urban skilled nursing facilities. Also identifies some related issues that impact reimbursement to SNFs in both urban and rural areas.
Additional links: Findings Brief, January 2004
Author(s): Kathleen Dalton, Rebecca Slifkin
Date: 11/2003
Sponsoring organization: North Carolina Rural Health Research Program
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Are There Geographic Disparities in Out-of-Pocket Spending by Medicare Beneficiaries?
Describes a study comparing out-of-pocket spending among rural and urban Medicare recipients. Includes data on differences based on supplemental insurance coverage.
Author(s): Tiffany A. Radcliff, Gestur Davidson, Aram Dobalian,
Date: 10/2003
Sponsoring organization: University of Minnesota Rural Health Research Center
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Health Insurance Coverage of the Rural and Urban Near Elderly
Results of a study of health insurance coverage of those between 55 and 64 years old. Includes data for rural and urban near elderly. Covers sources of health insurance coverage and rates of uninsurance.
Author(s): Erika C. Ziller, Andrew F. Coburn
Date: 10/2003
Sponsoring organization: Maine Rural Health Research Center
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Physician Workforce: Supply Increased in Metropolitan and Nonmetropolitan Areas but Geographic Disparities Persisted
Describes the change in supply of physicians from 1991 to 2001. Includes data nationally and by state on physicians in nonmetropolitan areas and on the number of specialists versus generalists. Includes a list of Health Resources and Services Administration programs that address the supply and distribution of health professionals, with 1991 and 2001 expenditures for each program.
Additional links: Full Report
Date: 10/2003
Sponsoring organization: Government Accountability Office
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Information Technology: Benefits Realized for Selected Health Care Functions
Describes cost savings and other benefits of information technology use in health care, including clinical care and administrative applications. Discusses examples from hospitals serving rural areas. Also includes examples of IT use by insurers for improved claims processing and customer service.
Additional links: Full Report
Date: 10/2003
Sponsoring organization: Government Accountability Office
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