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Rural Health
Resources by Type: Document

The Future of Rural Health: Report on a Special Convening Held November 19-20, 2024
Summarizes discussions held during a November 2024 summit of rural health services delivery and finance experts that aimed to identify the needs of the rural health communities, build on existing strengths, and develop a cohesive approach to improving the health of rural residents. Describes the themes and policy options that emerged throughout the summit. Covers financing rural health services, payment policies, workforce considerations, the use of technology and data, and more.
Date: 04/2025
Sponsoring organizations: National Rural Health Association, Rural Policy Research Institute, The Leona M. and Harry B. Helmsley Charitable Trust, West Health Institute
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Flying Hope: Lifeline Pilots Connects Hoosiers to Life-Saving Medical Care, One Flight at a Time
Discusses the LifeLine Pilots program that provides free air transportation for Indiana residents needing medical care. Outlines the purpose of the program and its commitment to providing medical transportation for rural and low-income residents.
Author(s): Danielle Muench
Date: 04/2025
Sponsoring organization: Indiana Rural Health Association
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Stand-Alone Drug Plans Cover a Larger Share of Medicare Part D Enrollees Living in the Most Rural Areas Than Medicare Advantage Plans
Examines Medicare Part D enrollment in stand-alone Medicare prescription drug plans and Medicare Advantage drug plans in 2025. Presents data by urban, rural adjacent, and rural non-adjacent status nationally and by state.
Author(s): Juliette Cubanski, Tricia Neuman, Anthony Damico
Date: 04/2025
Sponsoring organization: KFF
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Sustaining Rural Hospital Access: Adjustments to Medicare Rural Hospital Designations
Describes the history of Medicare rural hospital designations. Discusses how traditional Medicare, Medicare Advantage, and Medicaid impact hospital finances. Outlines policy recommendations to the Secretary of Health and Human Services (HHS) and Congress regarding rural hospitals designations, payment adjustments, Medicare Advantage, and rural ambulance and emergency services.
Author(s): Emma Sheffert, Maya Sandalow
Date: 04/2025
Sponsoring organization: Bipartisan Policy Center
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Opioid Stewardship Programs in Rural Arizona
Provides an overview of Opioid Stewardship Programs (OSPs), and discusses OSP implementation and knowledge in Arizona from a survey of 39 Arizona rural hospital leaders and professionals. Includes an infographic on the results of the OSP survey and links to OSP training resources.
Author(s): Bridget S. Murphy
Date: 04/2025
Sponsoring organization: Arizona Center for Rural Health
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Utah Physician and Osteopathic Physician Workforce Data Report
Report details the education, recruitment, and retention of Utah's physician and osteopathic physician workforce. Discusses supply and demand, demographics, geographic distribution, practice characteristics, projected supply and demand, and specialty profiles including primary care and specialty care.
Date: 04/2025
Sponsoring organization: Utah Department of Health and Human Services
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Transportation: The Missing Link in Family Caregiver Support
Provides information on transportation services the professional or family caregivers of people with disabilities or aging-related challenges. See pages 8-9 for discussion of rural-specific challenges and strategies.
Date: 04/2025
Sponsoring organizations: ARCH National Respite Network and Resource Center, National Aging and Disability Transportation Center
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Evolving Remote Monitoring: An Evidence-Based Approach to Coverage and Payment
Reports on trends in utilization of remote patient monitoring (RPM) and discusses policy and payment approaches for effectively and efficiently utilizing RPM, particularly via Medicare and Medicaid. Includes data and discussion of rural barriers to RPM access.
Date: 04/2025
Sponsoring organization: Peterson Center on Healthcare
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Virginia's Optometrist Workforce: 2025
An overview of the optometrist workforce in Virginia based on data from the 2025 Optometrist Workforce Survey. Features statistics including the number of optometrists in rural Virginia and how many grew up in rural areas.
Date: 04/2025
Sponsoring organization: Virginia Department of Health Professions
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Perceived Risk and HPV Vaccination Awareness Among Women in Rural and Underserved Communities in the State of Louisiana
Explores human papillomavirus (HPV) awareness and vaccination knowledge among women in rural and underserved areas of Louisiana, via a study of 141 women who participated in a mobile health unit-based study conducted between November 2022 and December 2023. Includes data on awareness of the existence of the HPV vaccine, history of being offered or receiving the HPV vaccine, willingness to be vaccinated, and the relationship between HPV knowledge and perceived HPV risk.
Author(s): Deborah Gurgel Smith, Emily M Dantes, Robbie Beyl, et al.
Citation: Journal of Community Health, 50(5), 826-832
Date: 04/2025
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