Rural Health
Resources by Type: Document
What to Know About Medicare Coverage of Telehealth
Discusses telehealth use by Medicare patients before, during, and after declaration of the COVID-19 public health emergency. Notes temporary telehealth provisions set to expire December 31, 2024, telehealth provisions made permanent, and trends in use since 2020. Includes rural and urban comparisons of telehealth use since 2020. Discusses payment models for Medicare and Medicare Advantage, current policies related to telehealth, fraud, and the cost of coverage through Medicare.
Author(s): Alex Cottrill, Juliette Cubanski, Tricia Neuman
Date: 10/2024
Sponsoring organization: KFF
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Discusses telehealth use by Medicare patients before, during, and after declaration of the COVID-19 public health emergency. Notes temporary telehealth provisions set to expire December 31, 2024, telehealth provisions made permanent, and trends in use since 2020. Includes rural and urban comparisons of telehealth use since 2020. Discusses payment models for Medicare and Medicare Advantage, current policies related to telehealth, fraud, and the cost of coverage through Medicare.
Author(s): Alex Cottrill, Juliette Cubanski, Tricia Neuman
Date: 10/2024
Sponsoring organization: KFF
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State of Geographic Access to Cancer Treatment Trials in the United States: Are Studies Located Where Patients Live?
Examines disparities in geographic access to cancer clinical trials through an analysis of trial availability at the county level and drive time to reach available trials. Includes data on demographics and other characteristics of high and low access counties, including metropolitan-nonmetropolitan comparisons. Provides color-coded maps showing access at the county and state levels.
Author(s): M. Kelsey Kirkwood, Caroline Schenkel, Dominique C. Hinshaw, et al.
Citation: JCO Oncology Practice
Date: 10/2024
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Examines disparities in geographic access to cancer clinical trials through an analysis of trial availability at the county level and drive time to reach available trials. Includes data on demographics and other characteristics of high and low access counties, including metropolitan-nonmetropolitan comparisons. Provides color-coded maps showing access at the county and state levels.
Author(s): M. Kelsey Kirkwood, Caroline Schenkel, Dominique C. Hinshaw, et al.
Citation: JCO Oncology Practice
Date: 10/2024
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Younger and Rural Children are More Likely to be Hospitalized for SARS-CoV-2 Infections
Examines patient characteristics and likelihood of hospitalization among children with SARS-CoV-2, utilizing May 2020-April 2022 Arkansas Children's Hospital data. Analyzes hospitalization rates during each wave of the COVID-19 pandemic with demographic data breakdowns, including comparisons between rural and urban children.
Author(s): Rebecca M. Cantu, Sara C. Sanders, Grace A. Turner, et al.
Citation: PLoS ONE, 19(10), e0308221
Date: 10/2024
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Examines patient characteristics and likelihood of hospitalization among children with SARS-CoV-2, utilizing May 2020-April 2022 Arkansas Children's Hospital data. Analyzes hospitalization rates during each wave of the COVID-19 pandemic with demographic data breakdowns, including comparisons between rural and urban children.
Author(s): Rebecca M. Cantu, Sara C. Sanders, Grace A. Turner, et al.
Citation: PLoS ONE, 19(10), e0308221
Date: 10/2024
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About 1 in 4 Households Experienced a Power Outage in the Span of a Year
Reports on power outages in homes over a 12 month period using the 2023 American Housing Survey. Includes a comparison of rural and urban homes and discusses healthcare-related challenges associated with power outages including operating electrical medical equipment and refrigerating medication.
Author(s): Patrick Madamba
Date: 10/2024
Sponsoring organization: U.S. Census Bureau
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Reports on power outages in homes over a 12 month period using the 2023 American Housing Survey. Includes a comparison of rural and urban homes and discusses healthcare-related challenges associated with power outages including operating electrical medical equipment and refrigerating medication.
Author(s): Patrick Madamba
Date: 10/2024
Sponsoring organization: U.S. Census Bureau
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Improving Care and Accessibility for Rural Patients with Disabilities
Provides an overview of barriers to healthcare access for rural patients with disabilities. Shares insights from a public health department in Montana and a disability and health program in New Hampshire on how to improve accessibility and communication with patients with disabilities.
Author(s): Allee Mead
Citation: Rural Monitor
Date: 10/2024
Sponsoring organization: Rural Health Information Hub
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Provides an overview of barriers to healthcare access for rural patients with disabilities. Shares insights from a public health department in Montana and a disability and health program in New Hampshire on how to improve accessibility and communication with patients with disabilities.
Author(s): Allee Mead
Citation: Rural Monitor
Date: 10/2024
Sponsoring organization: Rural Health Information Hub
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Health Care Transparency: CMS Needs More Information on Hospital Pricing Data Completeness and Accuracy
Provides an overview of the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) hospital price transparency requirements before and after 2024 updates to the requirements. Describes users' experiences with hospital pricing data before the 2024 updates. Examines CMS's enforcement of hospital price transparency requirements and offers recommendations to CMS regarding the sufficiency and accuracy of the data reported. Table 3 compares CMS enforcement actions by hospitals' rural or urban designation between 2021 and 2023.
Additional links: Full Report
Date: 10/2024
Sponsoring organization: Government Accountability Office
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Provides an overview of the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) hospital price transparency requirements before and after 2024 updates to the requirements. Describes users' experiences with hospital pricing data before the 2024 updates. Examines CMS's enforcement of hospital price transparency requirements and offers recommendations to CMS regarding the sufficiency and accuracy of the data reported. Table 3 compares CMS enforcement actions by hospitals' rural or urban designation between 2021 and 2023.
Additional links: Full Report
Date: 10/2024
Sponsoring organization: Government Accountability Office
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One or Two Health Systems Controlled the Entire Market for Inpatient Hospital Care in Nearly Half of Metropolitan Areas in 2022
Examines the competitiveness of hospital markets in 2022 by analyzing RAND Hospital Data and American Hospital Association (AHA) survey data. Presents data on the share of metropolitan statistical areas (MSAs) controlled by a small number of health systems, the level of market concentration in MSAs, and the share of hospitals affiliated with health systems over time. Compares the share of hospitals affiliated with health systems in rural and non-rural areas.
Author(s): Jamie Godwin, Zachary Levinson, Tricia Neuman
Date: 10/2024
Sponsoring organization: KFF
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Examines the competitiveness of hospital markets in 2022 by analyzing RAND Hospital Data and American Hospital Association (AHA) survey data. Presents data on the share of metropolitan statistical areas (MSAs) controlled by a small number of health systems, the level of market concentration in MSAs, and the share of hospitals affiliated with health systems over time. Compares the share of hospitals affiliated with health systems in rural and non-rural areas.
Author(s): Jamie Godwin, Zachary Levinson, Tricia Neuman
Date: 10/2024
Sponsoring organization: KFF
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Adaptations to a Patient Navigation Program for Follow-Up Colonoscopy in Rural Primary Care Practices
Analyzes adaptations made by a patient navigation program to improve colorectal cancer screenings at rural primary care clinics in Oregon. Examines patient reflections and interviews as well as clinic meetings and reflections from practice facilitators. Discusses proactive adaptations of the program for a rural context as well as reactive adaptations made due to COVID-19.
Author(s): Jamie H. Thompson, Jennifer S. Rivelli, Jennifer L. Schneider, et al.
Citation: Journal of Evaluation in Clinical Practice, 30(7), 1457-1466
Date: 10/2024
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Analyzes adaptations made by a patient navigation program to improve colorectal cancer screenings at rural primary care clinics in Oregon. Examines patient reflections and interviews as well as clinic meetings and reflections from practice facilitators. Discusses proactive adaptations of the program for a rural context as well as reactive adaptations made due to COVID-19.
Author(s): Jamie H. Thompson, Jennifer S. Rivelli, Jennifer L. Schneider, et al.
Citation: Journal of Evaluation in Clinical Practice, 30(7), 1457-1466
Date: 10/2024
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Equitable COVID-19 Testing Access for Underserved Communities: The Success of Vending Machines
Examines the public health strategy of the Southern Nevada Health District (SNHD) to use vending machines for free distribution of COVID-19 tests. Focuses on placement of vending machines to improve access in rural and underserved areas, mitigating the spread of disease.
Author(s): Danielle Jamerson, Kimberly Franich, Cassius Lockett
Citation: American Journal of Public Health, 114(S7), S558-S561
Date: 10/2024
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Examines the public health strategy of the Southern Nevada Health District (SNHD) to use vending machines for free distribution of COVID-19 tests. Focuses on placement of vending machines to improve access in rural and underserved areas, mitigating the spread of disease.
Author(s): Danielle Jamerson, Kimberly Franich, Cassius Lockett
Citation: American Journal of Public Health, 114(S7), S558-S561
Date: 10/2024
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Promoting Equitable Access to COVID-19 Vaccinations in Rural and Underserved Arizona: Experiences From Three County Health Departments
Provides background on health disparities related to the COVID-19 outbreak in Arizona and strategies to implement local vaccine access in rural and underserved areas. Discusses how health departments collaborated to serve rural, migrant, and Native American populations.
Author(s): Bryna Koch, Mona Arora, Brianna Rooney, et al.
Citation: American Journal of Public Health, 114(S7), S546-S550
Date: 10/2024
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Provides background on health disparities related to the COVID-19 outbreak in Arizona and strategies to implement local vaccine access in rural and underserved areas. Discusses how health departments collaborated to serve rural, migrant, and Native American populations.
Author(s): Bryna Koch, Mona Arora, Brianna Rooney, et al.
Citation: American Journal of Public Health, 114(S7), S546-S550
Date: 10/2024
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