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Rural Health Information Hub

Rural Health
Resources by Type: Document

MedPAC Comment on CMS's Proposed Rule on the Home Health Prospective Payment System for CY 2021
Comments on a June 30, 2020, Federal Register proposed rule related to Medicare payment policies for home health agencies. Includes comments addressing the use of technology under the Medicare home health benefit and changes to geographic area delineations.
Date: 08/2020
Sponsoring organization: Medicare Payment Advisory Commission
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Rural–Urban Disparities in Access to Medicaid-Contracted Pharmacies in Washington State, 2017
Uses 2017 data to explore the relationship between rurality and Medicaid-contracted pharmacy access in Washington State. Includes rural/urban comparisons on zip-code characteristics, such as age, Medicaid-insured, and poverty.
Author(s): Janessa Graves, Demetrius Abshire, Megan Undeberg, Laura Forman, Solmaz Amiri
Citation: Preventing Chronic Disease, 17
Date: 08/2020
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National, Regional, State, and Selected Local Area Vaccination Coverage Among Adolescents Aged 13–17 Years — United States, 2019
Reports on vaccination coverage among U.S. adolescents by age for ages 13 through 17 and overall for 2018 and 2019. Also includes data on vaccination coverage by metropolitan and nonmetropolitan residence and poverty status. Includes nonmetro data related to the following vaccines: Tdap (tetanus toxoid, reduced diphtheria toxoid, and acellular pertussis), MenACWY (quadrivalent meningococcal conjugate), HPV (human papillomavirus), MMR (measles, mumps, and rubella), hepatitis A, hepatitis B, and varicella.
Author(s): Laurie D. Elam-Evans, David Yankey, James A. Singleton, et al.
Citation: MMWR (Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report), 69(33), 1109-1116
Date: 08/2020
Sponsoring organization: Centers for Disease Control and Prevention
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Living at Home in Rural America: Improving Accessibility for Older Adults and People with a Disability
Information on current federal resources, programs, and initiatives intended to improve home safety and accessibility for rural older adults and people with disabilities. Supports the Rural Health Strategy, launched by the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services in 2018 to improve health care in rural America by leveraging partnerships on the federal, regional, state, and local levels.
Date: 08/2020
Sponsoring organizations: Administration for Community Living, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services, Health Resources and Services Administration, U.S. Department of Agriculture, U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development
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COVID-19 Among American Indian and Alaska Native Persons — 23 States, January 31–July 3, 2020
Examines the cumulative incidence in 23 states of laboratory-confirmed COVID-19 among American Indian and Alaska Native (AI/AN) people, compared with rates from other groups. Discusses possible causes for the elevated incidence of COVID-19 in AI/AN populations.
Author(s): Sarah M. Hatcher, Christine Agnew-Brune, Mark Anderson, et al.
Citation: MMWR (Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report), 69(34), 1166-1169
Date: 08/2020
Sponsoring organization: Centers for Disease Control and Prevention
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Addressing Opioid Use in Rural Communities: Examples from Critical Access Hospitals
Highlights strategies adopted by Critical Access Hospitals (CAHs) to combat opioid use in their communities. Describes lessons learned from the featured CAHs regarding the development and implementation of projects targeting opioid use. Identifies ways that State Flex Programs and State Offices of Rural Health can support the efforts of CAHs in addressing opioid use in their communities. Provides list of opioid-related resources for CAHs and State Flex Programs.
Author(s): John Gale, Sara Kahn-Troster, Karen Pearson, Nathan First
Date: 08/2020
Sponsoring organization: Flex Monitoring Team
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Urban–Rural Differences in Suicide Rates, by Sex and Three Leading Methods: United States, 2000–2018
Reports on trends in suicide mortality from 2000 through 2018 among all ages for urban and rural counties. Includes data by sex for the leading methods of suicide: firearms, suffocation, and poisoning.
Additional links: Visual Abstract
Author(s): Kristen Pettrone, Sally C. Curtin
Date: 08/2020
Sponsoring organization: National Center for Health Statistics
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Telemedicine: What Should the Post-Pandemic Regulatory and Payment Landscape Look Like?
Discusses changes to telemedicine regulation and payment policies in response to the COVID-19 pandemic, examining the effects of these temporary changes in relation to the broader issues that telemedicine policy addresses. Explores possible long-term options for insurers and regulators and offers policy recommendations.
Author(s): Ateev Mehrotra, Bill Wang, Gregory Snyder
Date: 08/2020
Sponsoring organization: Commonwealth Fund
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Trends in Number and Distribution of COVID-19 Hotspot Counties — United States, March 8–July 15, 2020
Examines trends in the location of COVID-19 hotspot counties, counties that had increasing case numbers and incidence. Includes maps identifying hotspot counties for specific time periods. Provides data on COVID-19 hotspot alerts for metropolitan, micropolitan, and noncore counties.
Author(s): Alexandra M. Oster, Gloria J. Kang, Amy E. Cha, et al.
Citation: MMWR (Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report), 69(33), 1127-1132
Date: 08/2020
Sponsoring organization: Centers for Disease Control and Prevention
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Mental Health, Substance Use, and Suicidal Ideation During the COVID-19 Pandemic - United States, June 24-30, 2020
Reports on the number of adults experiencing elevated adverse mental health conditions associated with COVID-19. Features statistics on self-reported incidence of anxiety or depressive disorder, trauma- and stressor-related disorder (TSRD) related to the pandemic, and substance use, with breakdowns by rural or urban residence.
Author(s): Mark E. Czeisler, Rashon I. Lane, Emiko Petrosky, et al.
Citation: MMWR (Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report), 69(32),1049-1057
Date: 08/2020
Sponsoring organization: Centers for Disease Control and Prevention
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