Advance care planning — planning for decision-making in times of medical crisis — has always been intended for all people, all ages, with or without a chronic disease. Clinicians talk about the challenges of these conversations now that COVID-19 has nudged planning from the realm of the theoretical future to current reality.
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It is the most costly of chronic medical conditions. Described by some as “hidden” conditions, experts talk about the complex needs of rural Americans with Alzheimer’s Disease and related dementias and their caregivers.
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A Federally Qualified Health Center used grant support to provide primary care oral health assessment and fluoride varnishes in 12 school-based health centers in nine Louisiana parishes, hoping to provide thousands of children with better oral health in the present as well as into adulthood.
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Over 40% of today’s physicians are burned out. A closer look at research indicates that not only is this a system problem rather than an individual problem, but that burnout impacts a system’s revenue streams, healthcare quality, and patient safety and satisfaction. Experts suggest the problem may even be of more concern in rural areas.
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Chronic obstructive lung disease, or COPD, is a disease with a stronghold in rural America: almost double the prevalence and double the mortality rates compared to large urban areas. Though it is a condition with no cure, it’s a condition that has treatments — and hope — making proper diagnosis by spirometry imperative.
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As more healthcare delivery efforts include social risk assessments, the impact of the social determinants of health is better understood. Rural clinicians, researchers, and other experts share perspectives on social isolation and loneliness.
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Rural Americans of all ages often go without eye healthcare, a gap that has obvious consequences: blindness and low vision. National associations and an FQHC administrator talk about how rural vision care can be improved to increase quality of life and prevent disability in rural patients.
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Highlighting eye care as more than prescribing glasses, an optometrist explains how the medical model of optometry brings additional health benefits to rural patients.
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In this in-depth story, multiple clinical issues surrounding domestic violence (DV) and intimate partner violence (IPV) in rural settings are discussed by providers, researchers, and those serving indigenous populations. Rural prevalence rates, provider knowledge gaps, and healthcare expenditures are also reviewed.
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Electronic health records are central to rural healthcare providers’ and organizations’ transition to value-based care. Several rural organizations are using their EHR data to make changes for the patient populations they serve.
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