Rural Healthcare Workforce – Resources - Rural Health Information Hub

Rural Surgery Call Coverage: Innovative Locoregional Solutions Can Fill the Gap
Features rural locum tenens systems as possible templates to help provide call coverage for rural surgeons. Highlights a successful pilot Canadian Rural Locum Tenens Project and a collaboration with a surgical group in Ohio that helped provide surgical coverage for area rural hospitals.
Author(s): Stephen Hiscock, Michael Sarap
Citation: Bulletin of the American College of Surgeons, 104(4), 52-54
Date: 04/2019
Type: Document
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The State of Primary Care Physician Workforce
State-level information describing the primary care physician workforce in 50 states and the District of Columbia. Features statistics including age, gender, training origin, distribution of physicians, percent of state population living in rural areas, and percent of physicians practicing in rural communities.
Date: 02/2019
Type: Document
Sponsoring organization: Robert Graham Center
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Addressing Rural Workforce Shortages and Healthcare Disparities: An Annotated Bibliography
Report designed to inform policy discussions and future publications concerning healthcare disparities and outcomes, the distribution of physicians in rural areas, and the graduate medical education system financing. Also includes sections on rural hospital closures, social determinants of health, and healthcare safety net facilities. Constructed from a literature review, expert-recommended articles, and a search of white and grey literature.
Author(s): Dara Khatib, Alison Huffstetler, Andrew Bazemore
Date: 02/2019
Type: Document
Sponsoring organization: Robert Graham Center
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Peer Support Specialists Care for and Connect Rural Behavioral Health Clients
Discusses peer support specialists, trained laypeople in recovery with a mental health condition or substance use disorder, and describes the roles they play as mentors and coordinators for clients with similar behavioral health issues. Features peer support specialist programs in rural Arizona, Michigan, and North Dakota.
Author(s): Allee Mead
Citation: Rural Monitor
Date: 02/2019
Type: Document
Sponsoring organization: Rural Health Information Hub
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Health Professional Shortage Areas: Mental Health
Printable map that shows nonmetropolitan and micropolitan mental health HPSAs on one color scale and metropolitan mental health HPSAs on another. Data source: data.HRSA.gov
Date: 01/2019
Type: Map/Mapping System
Sponsoring organization: Rural Health Information Hub
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Health Professional Shortage Areas: Dental Care
Printable map that shows nonmetropolitan and micropolitan dental care HPSAs on one color scale and metropolitan dental care HPSAs on another. Data source: data.HRSA.gov
Date: 01/2019
Type: Map/Mapping System
Sponsoring organization: Rural Health Information Hub
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Health Professional Shortage Areas: Primary Care
Printable map that shows nonmetropolitan and micropolitan primary care HPSAs on one color scale and metropolitan primary care HPSAs on another. Data source: data.HRSA.gov
Date: 01/2019
Type: Map/Mapping System
Sponsoring organization: Rural Health Information Hub
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Burnout and Job and Career Satisfaction in the Physician Assistant Profession: A Review of the Literature
Discussion paper exploring factors contributing to burnout and job satisfaction among physician assistants (PAs), by examining 37 scholarly articles, 4 of which evaluate PAs in rural areas. Features a list of high-priority research areas and an appendix showing key findings from each of the 37 articles.
Author(s): Alison C. Essary, Kari S. Bernard, Bettie Coplan, et al.
Date: 12/2018
Type: Document
Sponsoring organization: National Academy of Medicine
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Case Study: How Alaska Addresses Its Health Care Workforce Challenges
Reviews how state agencies and organizations in Alaska have collaborated to address health workforce shortages, particularly in rural areas of the state. Highlights the state's apprenticeship program, workforce coalition, use of Medicaid to pay nontraditional healthcare workers, and more.
Author(s): Rachel Donlon, Natalie Williams
Date: 11/2018
Type: Document
Sponsoring organization: National Academy for State Health Policy
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Case Study: How Indiana Addresses Its Health Care Workforce Challenges
Presents information and strategies used by the state of Indiana to address the healthcare workforce challenges existing within the state. Highlights cross-agency approaches and collaborations to expand health workforce support occupations, streamline state licensure requirements, support healthcare providers and professionals looking for jobs, and provide data-informed support and information for legislators.
Author(s): Kitty Purington, Natalie Williams
Date: 11/2018
Type: Document
Sponsoring organization: National Academy for State Health Policy
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Nurse Practitioners: A Solution to America's Primary Care Crisis
Examines trends in supply and demand of nurse practitioners (NPs), including projected supply of physicians and NPs in rural areas. Includes a table listing state-level scope-of-practice regulatory restrictions on NPs as of 2018.
Author(s): Peter Buerhaus
Date: 09/2018
Type: Document
Sponsoring organization: American Enterprise Institute
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Primary Care: The Foundation for a High Performance Rural Health Care System
Describes elements of a robust rural primary care system. Discusses the development and maintenance of a high performance rural primary care system and workforce. Includes policy considerations and opportunities to address rural primary care and sustainability.
Author(s): Keith J. Mueller, Charlie Alfero, Andrew F. Coburn, et al.
Date: 07/2018
Type: Document
Sponsoring organization: Rural Policy Research Institute Rural Health Panel
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Impact of Nurse Practitioner Practice Regulations on Rural Population Health Outcomes
Analyzes data from Rural Health Clinics (RHCs) in eight Southeastern states to determine if clinical outcomes of Medicare beneficiaries vary by level of practice autonomy that states grant to nurse practitioners (NPs).
Author(s): Judith Ortiz, Richard Hofler, Angeline Bushy, et al.
Citation: Healthcare, 6(2), 65
Date: 06/2018
Type: Document
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Closing Behavioral Health Workforce Gaps: A HRSA Program Expanding Direct Mental Health Service Access in Underserved Areas
Commentary describing HRSA's Behavioral Health Workforce Education and Training program, an initiative to address behavioral health disparities through supply and distribution of providers to underserved areas. Includes statistics on employment status and location of 1,975 graduates of the program.
Author(s): Hayden O. Kepley, Robin A. Streeter
Citation: American Journal of Preventive Medicine, 54(6), Supplement 3, S190-S191
Date: 06/2018
Type: Document
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Where Are They? Examining General Surgery Workforce Issues
Describes challenges related to getting adequate data on the rural surgical workforce and what is needed to understand rural shortages.
Author(s): Kay Miller Temple
Date: 06/2018
Type: Document
Sponsoring organization: Rural Health Information Hub
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The Rural General Surgeon’s Partner: Rural Certified Registered Nurse Anesthetists
Describes the role that Certified Registered Nurse Anesthetists (CRNAs) play in rural surgery.
Author(s): Kay Miller Temple
Citation: Rural Monitor
Date: 06/2018
Type: Document
Sponsoring organization: Rural Health Information Hub
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Comprehensive Rural Population Health: Where is the General Surgeon?
Provides an overview of the role that general surgeons play, discusses the importance of surgical access, and describes efforts underway to attract students into the field and to train the rural surgical workforce.
Author(s): Kay Miller Temple
Citation: Rural Monitor
Date: 06/2018
Type: Document
Sponsoring organization: Rural Health Information Hub
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What Makes Physician Assistant (PA) Training Programs Successful at Training Rural PAs?
Results of a study analyzing characteristics of PA programs producing high proportions of graduates who choose rural practice, using data collected from 173 programs from November 2015 through January 2016. Features statistics with breakdowns by rurally oriented and non-rurally oriented programs and those with high and low rural productivity.
Date: 06/2018
Type: Document
Sponsoring organization: WWAMI Rural Health Research Center
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PAs in Rural Locations Ready to Meet Primary Care Needs
Describes characteristics of physician assistants (PAs) working in rural areas, based on data collected from 9,140 PAs for the 2018 American Academy of PAs Salary Survey. Features statistics with breakdowns by rural or urban location and by various medical specialties.
Author(s): Noel Smith
Date: 06/2018
Type: Document
Sponsoring organization: American Academy of PAs
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Behavioral Health Integration and Workforce Development
Examines the need for states to assess behavioral health integration (BHI) workforce needs, identify legal and policy barriers to practice, and effectively train and retain BHI practitioners, especially in underserved areas. Includes case studies of programs in Washington, Nebraska, and Michigan, and lists of resources.
Author(s): Rachel Block
Date: 05/2018
Type: Document
Sponsoring organization: Milbank Memorial Fund
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The Health Care Workforce: Addressing Shortages and Improving Care
Testimony in the U.S. Senate Committee on Health, Education, Labor & Pensions on May 22, 2018. Examines the growing problem of healthcare shortages in rural areas and the response by the federal government. Also explores how well healthcare professionals are being trained and why they choose the geographical areas where they work. Focuses on shortages of physicians, nurses, and professionals specializing in care of older adults.
Additional links: Testimony by Elizabeth A. Phelan, Testimony by Julie Tanner Sanford, Testimony by Kristen H. Goodell
Author(s): Kristen Goodell, Julie Sanford, Elizabeth Phelan
Date: 05/2018
Type: Video/Multimedia
Sponsoring organization: Senate Committee on Health, Education, Labor & Pensions
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Shortage of Rural Surgeons: How Bad Is It?
Features information on supply and demand in the rural surgery workforce, including reasons for current and expected shortages or maldistribution of surgeons. Explains the difficulties in interpreting available data, and offers ideas for accurately assessing surgical needs in rural areas.
Author(s): Mark W. Puls
Citation: Bulletin of the American College of Surgeons, 103(4), 52-55
Date: 04/2018
Type: Document
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Physician Assistants: Modernize Laws to Improve Rural Access
National Rural Health Association policy paper describing benefits to rural communities when practice barriers are removed and payments are sufficient to attract physician assistants to the area. Includes recommendations to help achieve this goal.
Author(s): Roger Wells, Megan Cody, Robert Alpino, Melissa Van Dyne, Ross Abbott, et al.
Date: 04/2018
Type: Document
Sponsoring organization: National Rural Health Association
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2018 Update: The Complexities of Physician Supply and Demand: Projections from 2016 to 2030
Projects future supply of active physicians by examining trends in key determinants and the sensitivity of supply projections to changes in determinants. Features statistics including projected demand by metropolitan and nonmetro location as of 2016.
Author(s): Tim Dall, Terry West, Ritashree Chakrabarti, Ryan Reynolds, Will Iacobucci
Date: 03/2018
Type: Document
Sponsoring organization: Association of American Medical Colleges
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Promising Practice: Minnesota Program Aims to Help Immigrant Physicians Practice in the State
Describes the collaboration between the Minnesota Department of Health’s Office of Rural Health and Primary Care (ORHPC), and the IMG Assistance Program – a nonprofit organization, and their partnership with the University of Minnesota to prepare and integrate international medical graduates (IMGs) into the physician workforce to address provider shortages in the state.
Author(s): Beth Blevins
Date: 02/2018
Type: Document
Sponsoring organization: National Organization of State Offices of Rural Health
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Rural Family Physicians in Patient Centered Medical Homes Have a Broader Scope of Practice
Results of a study to determine whether rural family physicians in Patient Centered Medical Home (PCMH) practices have a broader scope of practice than those in non-PCMH practices. Features statistics including physician characteristics and scope of clinical services, with breakdowns by PCMH and non-PCMH and by large rural, small rural, and frontier areas.
Author(s): Lars E. Peterson, Bo Fang
Date: 02/2018
Type: Document
Sponsoring organization: Rural and Underserved Health Research Center
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Rural Family Physicians Have a Broader Scope of Practice than Urban Family Physicians
Results of a study to determine differences between rural and urban family physicians in scope of practice for clinical and procedural care in 2014 and 2015. Features statistics including physician characteristics and percentages of physicians providing various types of services and care, with breakdowns by metropolitan, large rural, small rural, and frontier areas.
Author(s): Lars E. Peterson, Bo Fang
Date: 02/2018
Type: Document
Sponsoring organization: Rural and Underserved Health Research Center
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The Impact of Nurse Practitioner Scope-of-Practice Regulations in Primary Care
Examines the current and projected role of Nurse Practitioners (NPs) in rural and primary care settings, and discusses how changes in scope-of-practice (SOP) regulations for NPs may help alleviate healthcare access issues caused by a limited supply of physicians.
Author(s): Aziza Arifkhanova
Date: 2018
Type: Document
Sponsoring organization: RAND Corporation
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Getting to Healthcare Value: Redirecting the Policy Debate Toward Lower Costs and Better Quality
Report reflecting discussions and views of participants of the Healthcare Value Hub meeting in New Orleans, Nov.6-8, 2017. Includes a section on challenges and opportunities for healthcare value in rural areas.
Date: 12/2017
Type: Document
Sponsoring organization: Healthcare Value Hub
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Strengthening the Rural Health Workforce: Tools, Resources and Outcomes
Webinar designed to explore rural healthcare workforce challenges and best practices for recruiting and retaining clinicians and allied health professionals. Panelists include representatives from HRSA, the Federal Office of Rural Health Policy, 3RNet, and HRSA grantees.
Date: 11/2017
Type: Video/Multimedia
Sponsoring organization: Health Resources and Services Administration
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2017 State Physician Workforce Data Book
Examines the active physician supply in each state, current medical school enrollment, physicians in graduate medical education programs, and in-state retention rates. Includes data charts and tables for all 50 states, in addition to national averages.
Date: 11/2017
Type: Document
Sponsoring organization: Association of American Medical Colleges
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Trends in Primary Care Provision to Medicare Beneficiaries by Physicians, Nurse Practitioners, or Physician Assistants: 2008-2014
Examines trends in elderly patients receiving primary care from physicians alone, physicians with nurse practitioners (NPs) and/or physician assistants (PAs), and NPs/PAs without physicians. Considered these models for delivering primary care to Medicare patients with multiple chronic conditions and Medicare patients in rural and health professional shortage areas (HPSAs).
Author(s): Ying Xue, James S. Goodwin, Deepak Adhikari, Mukaila A. Raji, Yong-Fang Kuo
Citation: Journal of Primary Care and Community Health, 8(4), 256-263
Date: 10/2017
Type: Document
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A Profile of New York State Nurse Practitioners, 2017
Describes active nurse practitioners (NPs) in New York, based on information from NPs who recertified from September 2015 through December 2016. Includes map of New York Population Health Improvement Program (PHIP) regions and table with practice settings of active NPs by PHIP region, both with breakdowns by urban or rural status.
Author(s): Robert Martiniano, Shen Wang, Jean Moore
Date: 10/2017
Type: Document
Sponsoring organization: Center for Health Workforce Studies
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Organizations Help Veterans Transition into Healthcare Careers
Highlights the work of the Multi-State Collaborative on Military Credit and the Consortium of Michigan Veterans Educators to help veterans pursue careers in healthcare. Discusses the role veterans have played in the past and continue to play in meeting the health workforce needs of rural communities. Identifies barriers veterans face transitioning to health careers.
Author(s): Allee Mead
Citation: Rural Monitor
Date: 10/2017
Type: Document
Sponsoring organization: Rural Health Information Hub
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Rural America Faces Shortage of Physicians to Care for Rapidly Aging Population
Discusses the problem of physician shortages in rural areas, the role of foreign-born physicians who serve in high-need areas, and physician training programs that specifically target rural practice.
Author(s): Janis Orlowski, Michael Dill
Date: 09/2017
Type: Document
Sponsoring organization: American Society on Aging
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Improving Access to Care in Rural and Underserved Communities: State Workforce Strategies
Discusses how the shortage of healthcare providers affects access to care for people in rural areas and outlines state policy strategies used to address these issues. Focuses on recruitment and retention, scope of practice for non-physician healthcare providers, and telehealth.
Author(s): Emily Heller, Sydne Enlund, Kate Blackman
Date: 08/2017
Type: Document
Sponsoring organization: National Conference of State Legislatures
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Primary Care Office Manual
Gives the history of Primary Care Office (PCO) funding, and is intended to help PCO staff with program expectations, including needs assessment, reporting requirements, and an understanding of the federal organizational structure overseeing operations. Includes information to support collaboration between PCOs and State Offices of Rural Health, and resources for shortage designations, recruitment and retention, the J-1 Visa Waiver program, health center development, and grant and cooperative agreement management.
Date: 03/2017
Type: Document
Sponsoring organization: Association of State and Territorial Health Officials
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Accountable Care Organization Implementation Experiences and Rural Participation: Considerations for Nurses
Examines implications of Accountable Care Organization (ACO) development for advanced practice nurses and other primary care clinicians employed by rural practices such as Rural Health Clinics that may be considering ACO participation.
Author(s): Matt Thomas Bagwell, Angeline Bushy, Judith Ortiz
Citation: The Journal of Nursing Administration, 47(1), 30-34
Date: 01/2017
Type: Document
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A Guide for Emerging Professions: Tips for Stakeholders and Advocates of Emerging Professions to Professionalize and Integrate with the Health Care System
Provides background information and constructive knowledge to help stakeholders develop strategies to change policies and structures to integrate the profession into the existing healthcare system.
Date: 2017
Type: Document
Sponsoring organization: Minnesota Department of Health - Office of Rural Health and Primary Care
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Does Your State Face Rural Area Provider Shortages?
Shares the percentage of each state's population living in a rural county, along with the following rural and urban healthcare workforce statistics: number of specialists per 100,000 population, number of primary care providers (PCPs) per 100,000 population, and the percent of counties that are wholly designated primary care health professional shortage areas (HPSAs).
Date: 2017
Type: Document
Sponsoring organization: Healthcare Value Hub
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State-Level Projections of Supply and Demand for Primary Care Practitioners: 2013-2025
Presents projections for supply and demand of physicians, nurse practitioners, and physician assistants in 2025, using 2013 data as baseline. Features statistics with breakdowns by provider type and state-level maps showing projected supply versus demand for each of these provider types.
Date: 11/2016
Type: Document
Sponsoring organizations: Bureau of Health Workforce, Health Resources and Services Administration, National Center for Health Workforce Analysis
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Clinical Training in the Rural Setting: Using Photovoice to Understand Student Experiences
Reports on a qualitative study of medical and physician assistant student training in 2 rural locations using photovoice, a participatory research methodology that combines photography and participant commentary.
Author(s): Emily M. Mader, Carrie Roseamelia, Sarah L. Lewis, et al.
Citation: Rural and Remote Health, 16, 3877
Date: 05/2016
Type: Document
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Systematic Review: Rural Healthcare Workforce
Management brief describing literature review of 59 publications from 2005-2015, identifying need for rural healthcare providers, exploring provider geographic choices, synthesizing evidence on interventions to increase recruitment and retention, and documenting efficacy of student training for rural healthcare.
Author(s): Susanne Hempel, Melinda Maggard Gibbons, Jesus G. Ulloa, et al.
Citation: Management Brief no. 112
Date: 05/2016
Type: Document
Sponsoring organization: VA Health Services Research & Development Service
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Outcomes of Rural-Centric Residency Training to Prepare Family Medicine Physicians for Rural Practice
Reports the results of a study analyzing the number of graduates from rural-centric family medicine residency programs who chose to practice in rural areas and primary care Health Professional Shortage Areas (HPSAs).
Author(s): Davis G. Patterson, C. Holly A. Andrilla, David Schmitz, Randall Longenecker, David V. Evans
Date: 03/2016
Type: Document
Sponsoring organization: WWAMI Rural Health Research Center
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Solo and Small Practices: A Vital, Diverse Part of Primary Care
Examines characteristics, including rurality, and services provided by family physicians within solo and small practices, and identifies the overall percentage of family physicians working in these practices.
Author(s): Winston R. Liaw, Anuradha Jetty, Stephen M. Petterson, Lars E Peterson, Andrew W. Bazemore
Citation: Annals of Family Medicine, 14(1), 8-15
Date: 01/2016
Type: Document
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Diversity in Medical Education: Facts & Figures 2016
Interactive report with detailed statistical information on race, ethnicity, and gender in medical education in the United States for the 2014–2015 academic year, and trend data on select topics. Includes a map showing concentrations of select race and ethnicity of medical school applicants, matriculants, and graduates by state of legal residence. Map may be customized by student group and race/ethnicity, including American Indians or Alaska Natives.
Date: 2016
Type: Document
Sponsoring organization: Association of American Medical Colleges
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A Profile of Oral Health Providers in New York State
Results of a study examining the dentist and dental hygienist workforce in New York, using U.S. Census Bureau data from 2009-2013. Features statistics with breakdowns by sex, race or ethnicity, age group, and rural or urban location.
Author(s): Tracey Continelli, Cassondra Bruce, Erin Roberts, Robert Martiniano
Date: 11/2015
Type: Document
Sponsoring organization: Center for Health Workforce Studies
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Assessing Rural-Urban Nurse Practitioner Supply and Distribution in 12 States Using Available Data Sources
A policy brief comparing the distribution of nurse practitioners (NPs) in rural and urban areas through the analysis of license records and the National Provider Identifier (NPI) data from 12 states.
Author(s): Susan M. Skillman,Gina Keppel, Mark P. Doescher, et al.
Date: 08/2015
Type: Document
Sponsoring organization: WWAMI Rural Health Research Center
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Prehospital Emergency Medical Services Personnel in Rural Areas: Results from a Survey in Nine States
Results of a 2008 Centers for Disease Control survey comparing patterns of supply and demand in rural and urban areas for prehospital emergency response personnel and examining involvement of medical directors and availability of medical consultation. Includes statistics on organizations, personnel, and types of medical emergencies, with breakdowns by four population density categories.
Author(s): D.G. Patterson, S.M. Skillman, M.A. Fordyce
Date: 08/2015
Type: Document
Sponsoring organization: WWAMI Rural Health Research Center
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Personality Profiles of Rural Longitudinal Integrated Clerkship Students Who Choose Family Medicine
Examines whether rural clerkship students who intended to and eventually practiced family medicine had personality traits different from rural clerkship students who intended to practice in all other specialties. Includes statistics with breakdowns by sex, medical specialty, year of clerkship, age group, marital status, and personality trait.
Author(s): Diann S. Eley, Kathleen D. Brooks, Therese Zink, C. Robert Cloninger
Citation: Family Medicine, 47(3), 194-203
Date: 03/2015
Type: Document
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Estimating the Residency Expansion Required to Avoid Projected Primary Care Physician Shortages by 2035
Discusses the projected shortage of primary care physicians by 2035. Briefly mentions expanding graduate medical education training through the use of teaching health centers and rural training tracks to increase those who choose primary care.
Author(s): Stephen M. Petterson, Winston R. Liaw, Carol Tran, Andrew W. Bazemore
Citation: Annals of Family Medicine, 13(2), 107-114
Date: 03/2015
Type: Document
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Family Medicine Graduate Proximity to Their Site of Training: Policy Options for Improving the Distribution of Primary Care Access
Assesses the geographic relationship between graduate practice location and family medicine graduate medical education training sites. Results show an uneven geographic distribution between urban and rural primary care physicians. Report also states that family physicians are more likely to work in rural areas.
Author(s): Ernest Blake Fagan, Claire Gibbons, Sean C. Finnegan, et al.
Citation: Family Medicine, 47(2), 124-130
Date: 02/2015
Type: Document
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Intra Rural and Urban Primary Care Physician Findings: AAMC 2009 Physician Survey of Primary Care Chartbook
Analyzes primary care physician survey data that was assembled by the Association of American Medical Colleges (AAMC) in 2009/2010 prior to passage of the Affordable Care Act (ACA) to provide baseline measures in which to compare potential post ACA application studies.
Author(s): Gary Hart
Date: 02/2015
Type: Document
Sponsoring organization: Rural Health Reform Policy Research Center
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Tapping Nurse Practitioners to Meet Rising Demand for Primary Care
Discusses the use of advanced practice nurses, specifically nurse practitioners, to increase access to primary care for those residing in Health Professional Shortage Areas. Reports that nurse practitioners working in primary care are more likely than primary care physicians to work in rural areas. Suggests that the use of nurse practitioners and physician assistants could help reduce the primary care provider shortage in 2020 by two-thirds.
Author(s): Amanda Van Vleet, Julia Paradise
Date: 01/2015
Type: Document
Sponsoring organization: Kaiser Family Foundation
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Fewer Family Physicians Are in Solo Practices
Discusses the current trend of fewer family physicians engaging in a solo practice, which could affect access to healthcare in rural areas that are reliant on single physician facilities.
Author(s): Lars E. Peterson, Elizabeth Baxley, Carlos Roberto Jaén, Robert L. Phillips
Citation: Journal of the American Board of Family Medicine, 28(1), 11-12
Date: 01/2015
Type: Document
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The Obstetric Care Workforce in Critical Access Hospitals (CAHs) and Rural Non-CAHs
Examines current obstetric practice models in Critical Access Hospitals (CAHs) and other rural hospitals to understand obstetric care services and obstetric workforce issues. Reports on the types of clinicians providing obstetric care in rural hospitals, including obstetricians, family physicians, certified nurse midwives, and general surgeons.
Author(s): Katy Kozhimannil, Michelle Casey, Peiyin Hung, Shailendra Prasad, Ira Moscovice
Date: 11/2014
Type: Document
Sponsoring organization: University of Minnesota Rural Health Research Center
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An Interview with Robert T. Trachtenberg
Presents an interview with Robert Trachtenberg, the Executive Director of the National AHEC Organization who discusses its evolution, and how AHECs build the rural healthcare workforce.
Author(s): Beth Blevins
Citation: Rural Monitor
Date: 11/2014
Type: Document
Sponsoring organization: Rural Health Information Hub
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Distribution of U.S. Health Care Providers Residing in Rural and Urban Areas
Presents the supply and distribution of practitioners in 32 health occupations across urban and rural areas, from 2008-2010, based on their place of residence. Includes statistics with breakdowns by rural or urban location.
Date: 10/2014
Type: Document
Sponsoring organization: National Center for Health Workforce Analysis
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The Role of Physician Assistants in Health Care Delivery
Describes the role of physician assistants (PAs) in the U.S. healthcare system with information related to state regulations, PA education, scope of practice, and their importance in rural healthcare facilities. Also provides policy recommendations to help states attract, retain, and realize the value of PAs within their healthcare system.
Author(s): Amanda Dunker, Esther Krofah, Frederick Isasi
Date: 09/2014
Type: Document
Sponsoring organization: National Governors Association
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Transforming the Workforce to Provide Better Care: The Role of Obstetric Nurse Coordinators in North Carolina
A case study describing how nurses are helping improve prenatal care for high-risk pregnant women via North Carolina's statewide Medicaid Pregnancy Medical Home (PMH) program. Includes a section on support for rural practices participating in the PMH program.
Author(s): Mary Takach, Rachel Yalowich
Date: 09/2014
Type: Document
Sponsoring organizations: AARP Public Policy Institute, National Academy for State Health Policy
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Advancing Primary Care Delivery: Practical, Proven, and Scalable Approaches
Describes the U.S. primary care system and suggests several approaches for improving value and capacity. Includes rural-specific workforce and healthcare facility statistics.
Date: 09/2014
Type: Document
Sponsoring organization: UnitedHealth Group
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Unfreezing the Flexnerian Model: Introducing Longitudinal Integrated Clerkships in Rural Communities
Investigates the perspective of physicians introduced to rural health through a nine-month Longitudinal Integrated Clerkship (LIC) to measure the effectiveness of the LIC model in increasing the rural health workforce.
Author(s): Robert Bing-You, Robert Trowbridge, Catherine Kruithoff, John L. Daggett Jr.
Citation: Rural and Remote Health, 14, 2944
Date: 08/2014
Type: Document
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Models to Estimate the Economic Impact of a Rural Nurse Practitioner or Physician Assistant
Discusses the advantages of using nurse practitioners (NPs) and physician assistants (PAs) for the provision of primary care services to meet the workforce challenges in rural settings and how they contribute economically to the community.
Additional links: Summary
Author(s): Fred C. Eilrich, Gerald A. Doeksen, Cheryl F. St. Clair,
Date: 08/2014
Type: Document
Sponsoring organization: National Center for Rural Health Works
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Graduate Medical Education That Meets the Nation's Health Needs
Reviews the system supporting graduate medical education (GME) and discusses how it supports or creates barriers to the development of the physician workforce the nation needs. A section on geographic maldistribution on pages 43-44 discusses the rural physician workforce. The report also discusses GME issues related to rural health facilities, including Table 3-8 (p. 83), with data on rural hospital GME.
Additional links: Read Online
Author(s): Committee on the Governance and Financing of Graduate Medical Education
Date: 07/2014
Type: Document
Sponsoring organization: Health and Medicine Division (HMD), National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine
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For the Record: Mary Wakefield
Presents an interview with Mary Wakefield, Administrator of the Health Resources and Services Administration, who discusses the shortage of health care providers. Highlights strategies and programs including the National Health Service Corp, the Maternal and Child Health Block Grant, State Offices of Rural Health and Primary Care Offices, scholarship and loan forgiveness programs, and the Rural Recruitment and Retention Network, which links clinicians looking to practice in rural areas with rural clinical sites in need of providers.
Citation: State Legislatures Magazine, 40(6), 20-21
Date: 06/2014
Type: Document
Sponsoring organization: National Conference of State Legislatures
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Working with Dental Therapists - Dental Health Aide Bobby Curtis
Presents a 2 minute video with Bobby Curtis, a dental health aide therapist in rural Alaska, who describes his work with patients and how he interacts with his supervising dentist.
Date: 06/2014
Type: Video/Multimedia
Sponsoring organization: Pew Charitable Trusts
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Preventing Rural Workforce by Design
Argues that the lack of primary care physicians in rural America could have been and can still be avoided. Discusses how policies aimed to attract recent graduates into primary healthcare, rather than specialty healthcare, can help address disparities between rural and urban healthcare.
Author(s): Robert Bowman, Michael Halasy
Citation: Rural and Remote Health, 14(2), 2852
Date: 06/2014
Type: Document
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State Variability in Supply of Office-based Primary Care Providers: United States, 2012
Data brief covering the supply of primary care providers. Includes national rural-urban comparisons for primary care providers per 100,000 population and for use of physician assistants and nurse practitioners in physician practices. See Figure 4.
Author(s): Esther Hing, Chun-Ju Hsiao
Date: 05/2014
Type: Document
Sponsoring organization: National Center for Health Statistics
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Subcommittee Hearing - Addressing Primary Care Access and Workforce Challenges: Voices from the Field
Presents video recording of a hearing, held on April 9, 2014, with the Senate Committee on Health, Education, Labor and Pensions (HELP) Subcommittee on Primary Health and Aging. Features 9 speakers from various health centers or clinics throughout the U.S. Speakers discussed primary care access issues including workforce training programs as a method of increasing access to geographically and economically underserved areas. 2 hours, 37 minutes in length.
Date: 04/2014
Type: Video/Multimedia
Sponsoring organization: Senate Committee on Health, Education, Labor & Pensions
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Projected Impact of the Primary Care Residency Expansion Program Using Historical Trends in Graduate Placement
Discusses the Primary Care Residency Expansion Program and its impact on future physicians working in primary care. Chart shows projected work areas by type of residency including the number of those residents working in primary care, health professional shortage areas, and rural areas.
Author(s): Rossan M. Chen, Stephen M. Petterson, Andrew Bazemore
Date: 04/2014
Type: Document
Sponsoring organization: Robert Graham Center
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Effects of Potential Federal Funding Cuts on Graduate Medical Education: Results of a Survey of Designated Institutional Officials
Results of a 2011 survey that assessed how future federal funding reductions for physician education would affect the number of residency programs.
Author(s): Kathleen D. Holt, Rebecca S. Miller, Ingrid Philibert, Thomas J. Nasca
Citation: Journal of Graduate Medical Education, 6(1), 183-188
Date: 03/2014
Type: Document
Sponsoring organization: Accreditation Council for Graduate Medical Education
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A 21st Century Health Care Workforce for the Nation
Highlights proposals in the President's 2015 budget related to healthcare workforce, particularly primary care services. Discusses funding for graduate medical education and the National Health Service Corps to increase the number of trained providers in rural areas.
Date: 02/2014
Type: Document
Sponsoring organization: U.S. Department of Health and Human Services
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Supervision, Support and Mentoring Interventions for Health Practitioners in Rural and Remote Contexts: An Integrative Review and Thematic Synthesis of the Literature to Identify Mechanisms for Successful Outcomes
Reports the results of a literature review examining support strategies for providing rural and remote healthcare. Identifies successful interventions related to management, training, education, professional support, and mentoring. Included studies focused on the rural U.S. and other countries.
Author(s): Anna M. Moran, Julia Coyle, Rod Pope, et al.
Citation: Human Resources for Health, 12(10)
Date: 02/2014
Type: Document
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Diversity in the Physician Workforce: Facts & Figures 2014
Interactive report identifying demographics and practice patterns of the physician workforce that graduated from United States M.D. granting medical schools. A map in Section III provides access to state and county-level physician data. Table 12 in Section V lists primary care and specialist physicians by rural and urban areas and by race/ethnicity.
Date: 2014
Type: Document
Sponsoring organization: Association of American Medical Colleges
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Highlights From the 2012 National Sample Survey of Nurse Practitioners
Analyzes data from the 2012 National Sample Survey of Nurse Practitioners (NSSNP) to describe the nurse practitioner (NP) workforce in the U.S. Covers education, certification, and practice patterns, including NPs who practice in Rural Health Clinics (RHCs).
Date: 2014
Type: Document
Sponsoring organization: National Center for Health Workforce Analysis
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Rural Primary Care Physician Workforce Expansion: An Opportunity for Bipartisan Legislation
Recommends expansion of graduate medical education (GME) support in teaching health centers (THCs) as a way to address the shortage of rural primary care physicians. Proposes an expanded version of the community health center and academic medicine partnerships (CHAMP) model that would help in the development of rural THCs.
Author(s): Richard E. Rieselbach, Robert L. Phillips, Thomas J. Nasca, Byron J. Crouse
Citation: Journal of Graduate Medical Education, 5(4), 556-559
Date: 12/2013
Type: Document
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Rural Nurses’ Continuing Education Needs: A U.S. Multi-Site Survey Reveals Challenges and Opportunities
Presents the results of a study which assessed the perceptions of continuing education needs for nursing staff working in healthcare facilities throughout rural areas of the Midwestern United States. Results showed the need for evidence-based continuing education content, and reducing nursing knowledge stagnation among entry level staff.
Author(s): Roseanne M. Fairchild, Marcee Everly, Linda Walters, et al.
Citation: Journal of Nursing Education and Practice, 3(5), 45-55
Date: 11/2013
Type: Document
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Projecting the Supply and Demand for Primary Care Practitioners Through 2020
Examines the adequacy of the future supply of primary care providers to meet the projected demand for primary care. Includes information on physician, nurse practitioner, and physician assistant supply and demand. Discusses likely causes of growth in demand for primary care, and potential impact of increased use of NPs and PAs on alleviating the primary care physician shortage. Section 8 of the full report discusses geographic disparities.
Date: 11/2013
Type: Document
Sponsoring organization: Health Resources and Services Administration
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Hospice Workforce: An Annotated Review of the Literature
Contains an annotated review of hospice workforce literature published between 2000 and 2013. Review was completed to assist in identifying hospice provider types for a hospice workforce study by the Rural Health Reform Policy Research Center.
Author(s): Shawnda Schroeder
Date: 11/2013
Type: Document
Sponsoring organization: Rural Health Reform Policy Research Center
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Growing the Dental Workforce: The Critical Role of Community Colleges and Workforce Investment Boards
Examines how community colleges and workforce investment boards can help improve access to care. Discusses the distribution of dentists in both rural and urban areas, dental therapists who deliver care to rural underserved communities, and dental education programs targeting recruitment efforts for students from underserved communities, including rural and low-income.
Date: 11/2013
Type: Document
Sponsoring organization: Pew Charitable Trusts
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The Aging of the Rural Primary Care Physician Workforce: Will Some Locations Be More Affected than Others?
Examines the location of older primary care physicians for rural and urban counties, with maps portraying the data. Discusses the potential impact of retiring physicians on rural primary care shortages.
Author(s): Meredith A. Fordyce, Mark P. Doescher, Susan M. Skillman
Date: 09/2013
Type: Document
Sponsoring organization: WWAMI Rural Health Research Center
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Expanding Access to Primary Care: The Role of Nurse Practitioners, Physician Assistants, and Certified Nurse Midwives in the Health Center Workforce
Discusses the use of nurse practitioners (NPs), physician assistants (PAs), and nurse midwives (CNMs) to improve access to healthcare, patient outcomes, and reduce health disparities while promoting a more efficient and cost-effective primary care system.
Date: 09/2013
Type: Document
Sponsoring organization: National Association of Community Health Centers
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GME in the United States: A Review of State Initiatives
Reports results from a study examining what states are doing to address issues affecting the physician workforce, including shortages in rural areas. Report introduces maps and charts showing demographics and healthcare workforce data by state.
Author(s): Julie C. Spero, Erin P. Fraher, Thomas C. Ricketts, Paul H. Rockey
Date: 09/2013
Type: Document
Sponsoring organization: The Cecil G. Sheps Center for Health Services Research
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Health Workforce Assessment: Tools for Policymakers and Planners
Provides information and statistics on the rural healthcare workforce, assessments, and other factors affecting the delivery of healthcare in Washington, Wyoming, Alaska, Montana, and Idaho.
Author(s): Susan M. Skillman, Davis G. Patterson, Denise M. Lishner, Mark P. Doescher, C. Holly A. Andrilla
Date: 07/2013
Type: Document
Sponsoring organization: WWAMI Rural Health Research Center
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The Rural Health Workforce in the WWAMI States: By the Numbers
Provides statistics on healthcare professionals in rural and urban areas of Washington, Wyoming, Alaska, Montana, and Idaho.
Author(s): Davis G. Patterson, Susan M. Skillman, C. Holly A. Andrilla, Denise M. Lishner, Mark P. Doescher
Date: 07/2013
Type: Document
Sponsoring organization: UW Center for Health Workforce Studies
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The Rural Health Workforce: Challenges and Opportunities
Describes characteristics and challenges of the rural healthcare workforce in Washington, Wyoming, Alaska, Montana, and Idaho. Covers factors affecting delivery of healthcare in rural areas.
Author(s): Susan M. Skillman, Davis G. Patterson, Denise M. Lishner, Mark P. Doescher
Date: 07/2013
Type: Document
Sponsoring organization: WWAMI Rural Health Research Center
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Unequal Distribution of the U.S. Primary Care Workforce
Describes the distribution of the primary care workforce by urban and rural setting in the U.S.
Author(s): Stephen M. Petterson, Robert L. Phillips, Andrew W. Bazemore, Gerald T. Koinis
Date: 06/2013
Type: Document
Sponsoring organization: American Academy of Family Physicians
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The U.S. Nursing Workforce: Trends in Supply and Education
Analyzes data from a variety of sources to describe trends and the current status of the registered nurse (RN) and licensed practical nurse (LPN) workforces in both rural and urban settings.
Additional links: Data Brief
Date: 04/2013
Type: Document
Sponsoring organization: National Center for Health Workforce Analysis
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Workforce Roles in a Redesigned Primary Care Model
Discusses primary care delivery models and physician workforce roles, in rural and urban areas, in response to the growing workforce needs as a result of the Affordable Care Act (ACA) and the increased number of Americans receiving health insurance.
Date: 01/2013
Type: Document
Sponsoring organization: American Hospital Association
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Summary of FCC's Rural Health Care Program
Describes aspects of the Rural Health Care Program, which works to ensure that eligible health care providers have access to telecommunications and broadband services.
Date: 01/2013
Type: Document
Sponsoring organization: Health Resources and Services Administration
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Primary Care Access: 30 Million New Patients and 11 Months to Go: Who Will Provide Their Primary Care?
Discusses the shortage of primary care providers in rural and low-income urban areas.
Date: 01/2013
Type: Document
Sponsoring organization: Senate Committee on Health, Education, Labor & Pensions
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Out of Order, Out of Time: The State of the Nation's Health Workforce
Focuses attention on the need for a collaborative, coordinated, national health workforce planning initiative. Chapters 5 and 7 of the full report discuss socioeconomic trends and challenges including students’ limited access to health professions education partly due to faculty shortages, and the importance of keeping pace with the increasing diversity of the U.S. population. Also discusses resources such as pipeline initiatives for K-12 students which focus more on rural areas or underrepresented minorities, and offering distance education and online courses particularly for those in rural areas. Includes the 2013 Call to Action, the 2013 Policy Framework, and the full report.
Date: 2013
Type: Document
Sponsoring organization: Association of Academic Health Centers
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Source Book: Rural Health Workforce Development Grant Program, 2010-2013
Describes 20 initiatives funded under the Rural Health Workforce Development Grant Program in the 2010-2013 funding cycle. Includes information on program services, community characteristics, outcomes, challenges addressed, partners involved, and implications for other communities.
Date: 2013
Type: Document
Sponsoring organization: Federal Office of Rural Health Policy
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Widespread Need for Caregivers
Finding an adequate supply of trained caregivers to provide in-home care for seniors continues to be a challenge, especially in rural areas.
Author(s): Candi Helseth
Citation: Rural Monitor
Date: 11/2012
Type: Document
Sponsoring organization: Rural Health Information Hub
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The Contributions of Community Colleges to the Education of Allied Health Professionals in Rural Areas of the United States
Examines the availability and importance of community colleges for educating the rural allied health workforce. Discusses which allied health occupations are most affected, the contributions of rural community colleges, and the potential for using distance education to overcome geographic barriers. Addresses the distance from community colleges with allied health programs to Critical Access Hospitals and the implications for workforce recruitment.
Additional links: Policy Brief
Author(s): Susan M. Skillman, Gina A. Keppel, Davis G. Patterson, Mark P. Doescher
Date: 10/2012
Type: Document
Sponsoring organization: WWAMI Rural Health Research Center
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Alliance Creates Community Health Workers’ Scope of Practice, Training Curriculum, Certificate Program, and Reimbursement Strategy, Expanding Their Integration Into the Health System to Reduce Health Disparities
Provides an overview of the Minnesota Community Health Worker Alliance, a statewide consortium of community health workers, public agencies, and nonprofits. Discusses priorities to build the community health worker field as a key strategy for addressing health disparities in the state.
Date: 09/2012
Type: Document
Sponsoring organization: Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality
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Characteristics of Rural RNs Who Live and Work in Different Communities
Explores individual and community-level factors associated with registered nurses' decisions to commute away from their rural areas of residence for work. Discusses the implications of the findings for recruiting and retaining nurses in rural communities.
Additional links: Policy Brief
Author(s): Susan M. Skillman, Lorella Palazzo, Mark P. Doescher, Patricia Butterfield
Date: 09/2012
Type: Document
Sponsoring organization: WWAMI Rural Health Research Center
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Professional Liability Reform
Policy brief discussing the current and future impact of malpractice insurance rates have on rural communities. Discusses ways to decrease medical liability costs rural health care providers.
Author(s): Ray Christensen
Date: 09/2012
Type: Document
Sponsoring organization: National Rural Health Association
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Dental Therapists: A Promising Practice for Frontier Communities
Describes a class of allied dental health workers, dental therapists, who are working in frontier and rural areas of Alaska and Minnesota.
Author(s): Saskia van Hecke
Date: 08/2012
Type: Document
Sponsoring organization: National Center for Frontier Communities
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Primary Care Workforce Project Report
Highlights a one-day rural symposium which featured focus groups on improving access to primary care services, raising awareness of efforts to recruit ND youth for primary care professions, and encouraging ND youth to remain in or return to the state after graduation.
Author(s): Joshua Wynne, Gary Hart, Lynette Dickson
Date: 06/2012
Type: Document
Sponsoring organization: University of North Dakota School of Medicine & Health Sciences
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Priming the Pump of Primary Care: Ninth Annual Report to the Secretary of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services and to Congress
Offers several policy and program development recommendations to the Secretary of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. Recommendations are specifically designed to create a strong rural healthcare workforce through improved training opportunities in rural primary care medicine and dentistry.
Date: 02/2012
Type: Document
Sponsoring organization: Advisory Committee on Training in Primary Care Medicine and Dentistry
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Health Care Workforce Distribution and Shortage Issues in Rural America
Policy paper detailing the ongoing problems for rural areas regarding the distribution of physicians and other healthcare providers, including recruitment and retention issues. Provides policy recommendations and offers solutions that may help reduce or solve healthcare workforce issues in rural America.
Author(s): Elizabeth Burrows, Ryung Suh, Danielle Hamann
Date: 01/2012
Type: Document
Sponsoring organization: National Rural Health Association
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Primary Care Workforce Facts and Stats No. 3: The Distribution of the U.S. Primary Care Workforce
Describes the primary care workforce, including physicians, nurse practitioners, and physician assistants. Provides statistics on the geographic distribution of the primary care workforce. Compares the primary care workforce distribution with specialty physicians, nurse practitioners, and physician assistants.
Date: 01/2012
Type: Document
Sponsoring organization: Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality
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Exploring Change in Supply of Total Surgeons
These maps show rural and urban counties that lost all active surgeons between 2006-2011, counties that had no surgeons in either 2006 or 2011, counties that saw a decline in surgeons relative to population, and counties that gained surgeons relative to population.
Date: 2012
Type: Map/Mapping System
Sponsoring organization: American College of Surgeons Health Policy Research Institute
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Negotiated Rulemaking Committee on the Designation of Medically Underserved Populations and Health Professional Shortage Areas: Final Report to the Secretary
Contains recommendations and documentation of the Negotiated Rulemaking (NRM) Committee to influence methodologies used to determine Medically Underserved Populations (MUPs) and Health Professional Shortage Areas (HPSAs).
Additional links: Appendices and Addenda, Attachments
Date: 10/2011
Type: Document
Sponsoring organization: Health Resources and Services Administration
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Advancing Health in Rural America: Maximizing Nursing’s Impact
Connects evidence-based nursing solutions in the 2010 report Future of Nursing: Leading Change, Advancing Health and the healthcare challenges facing rural America. Outlines challenges including access to quality healthcare, cost of care in rural areas, and covers examples of initial progress and supporting key programs.
Author(s): Mary S. Gorski
Date: 06/2011
Type: Document
Sponsoring organization: AARP Public Policy Institute
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Health Care Workforce Shortages Critical in Rural America
Describes the impact of health workforce shortages on rural areas. Discusses state policy options to address workforce shortages and provides state-by-state statistics on Health Professional Shortage Areas for primary care, dental, and mental health HPSAs.
Author(s): Debra Miller
Date: 05/2011
Type: Document
Sponsoring organization: Council of State Governments
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The Country Doctor
Focuses on ethical concerns physicians face in rural settings. Includes discussion on issues related to patient privacy, overlapping roles for rural physicians, and other topics.
Citation: AMA Journal of Ethics, 13(5), 269-330
Date: 05/2011
Type: Document
Sponsoring organization: American Medical Association
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Training Physicians for Rural Practice: Capitalizing on Local Expertise to Strengthen Rural Primary Care
Reports that medical residents who train in rural settings are more likely to practice in a rural area. Rural Training Track (RTT) programs play an important role in increasing rural practice placements, thus reducing primary care shortages. Describes the new Rural Training Track Technical Assistance (RTT-TA) program.
Author(s): Davis G. Patterson, Randall Longenecker, David Schmitz, Susan M. Skillman, Mark P. Doescher
Date: 01/2011
Type: Document
Sponsoring organization: WWAMI Rural Health Research Center
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Continuing Education, Professional Development, and Lifelong Learning for the 21st Century Health Care Workforce
11th Annual Report to the Secretary of the United States Department of Health and Human Services and the Congress of the United States. Focuses on continuing education for health professionals. Discusses video or web conferencing for providing continuing education to rural providers.
Date: 2011
Type: Document
Sponsoring organization: Advisory Committee on Interdisciplinary Community-Based Linkages
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The Future of Nursing: Leading Change, Advancing Health
Discusses transforming the nursing profession to meet the need for improving health care system. Topics include healthcare workforce, healthcare quality and safety, and health services. Chapters 3 and 4 discuss rural nursing practices and education.
Additional links: Read Online
Date: 2011
Type: Document
Sponsoring organization: Health and Medicine Division (HMD), National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine
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Nurse Staffing and Rural Hospital Performance Improvement
Examines the impact of nurse staffing on hospital performance improvement, with a comparison of rural and urban hospitals. Analyses the relationship between registered nurse (RN) hours per patient day to quality measure scores for pneumonia, heart failure, acute myocardial infarction (AMI), and a hospital-wide composite measure.
Author(s): Gestur Davidson, Kathy Belk, Ira Moscovice
Date: 12/2010
Type: Document
Sponsoring organization: Upper Midwest Rural Health Research Center
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COGME Twentieth Report: Advancing Primary Care
Makes recommendations related to the ideal number of primary care physicians, primary care physician reimbursement, financial aid programs, as well as physician education and distribution. Addresses rural and underserved areas, Rural Health Clinics (RHCs), and community health centers (CHCs).
Author(s): Jerry Kruse, Mark Kelley, Tom Keane, et al.
Date: 12/2010
Type: Document
Sponsoring organization: Council on Graduate Medical Education
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Preparing the Interprofessional Healthcare Workforce to Address Health Behavior Change: Ensuring A High Quality and Cost-Effective Healthcare System
10th Annual Report to the Secretary of the United States Department of Health and Human Services and the Congress of the United States. Focuses on education and training needed to help the healthcare workforce promote positive health behaviors. Discusses task shifting to community members in rural areas such as the use of lay health workers, including promotoras and patient navigators.
Date: 09/2010
Type: Document
Sponsoring organization: Advisory Committee on Interdisciplinary Community-Based Linkages
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The Economic Impact of a Rural General Surgeon
Identifies the economic benefits of a general surgeon and offers a methodology to estimate the need for a rural general surgeon.
Author(s): Fred Eilrich, Jonathan Sprague, Brian Whitacre, et al.
Date: 09/2010
Type: Document
Sponsoring organization: National Center for Rural Health Works
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The Future of Family Medicine and Implications for Rural Primary Care Physician Supply
Examines the rural physician shortage, the effect of recent trends in specialty choice on provider supply, and major trends that are changing the dynamics that shape the delivery of healthcare. Identifies policy options that could help increase the number of rural family medicine physicians.
Additional links: Policy Brief, June 2009
Author(s): Roger A. Rosenblatt, Frederick M. Chen, Denise M. Lishner, Mark P. Doescher
Date: 08/2010
Type: Document
Sponsoring organization: WWAMI Rural Health Research Center
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Designating Health Professional Shortage Areas and Medically Underserved Populations/Medically Underserved Areas: A Primer on Basic Issues to Resolve
Includes discussion for interested parties considering issues related to the designation of Medically Underserved Areas (MUAs), Medically Underserved Populations (MUPs), and Health Professional Shortage Areas (HPSAs). Describes key issues on how the designations establish eligibility for programs important to rural healthcare delivery.
Author(s): Andrew F. Coburn, Jennifer P. Lundblad, A. Clinton MacKinney, Timothy D. McBride, Keith J. Mueller
Date: 08/2010
Type: Document
Sponsoring organization: Rural Policy Research Institute Rural Health Panel
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Rural Health Workforce Issues: Challenges and Opportunities National Rural Task Force 2010 Meeting Summary
Summarizes the discussion and outcomes from the National Rural Task Force 2010 meeting. Includes updates from the Health Resources and Services Administration and Federal Office of Rural Health Policy.
Date: 07/2010
Type: Document
Sponsoring organization: National Rural Health Association
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A National View of Rural Health Workforce Issues in the USA
Findings from a nationwide survey of rural hospital chief executive officers (CEOs). Topics addressed include their assessments of health workforce shortages and perceptions about factors influencing recruitment and retention.
Author(s): MacDowell M., Glasser M., Fitts M., Nielsen K., Hunsaker M.
Citation: Rural and Remote Health, 10, 1531
Date: 07/2010
Type: Document
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The 2010 Report to the Secretary: Rural Health and Human Services Issues
Report to the Secretary of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services on issues related to rural America. Topics include home and community based care for rural seniors, rural primary care workforce, and rural health care provider integration.
Date: 05/2010
Type: Document
Sponsoring organization: National Advisory Committee on Rural Health and Human Services
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The Aging Surgeon Population: Replacement Rates Vary by Specialty and Rural-Urban Status
Highlights the demographic characteristics of the surgical workforce in the U.S. Presents 2009 data analysis to describe trends by surgical specialty, region, and rural-urban county status.
Author(s): Elizabeth Walker, Stephanie Poley, Thomas Ricketts
Date: 05/2010
Type: Document
Sponsoring organization: American College of Surgeons Health Policy Research Institute
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An Analysis of the Labor Markets for Anesthesiology
Examines the supply and demand of anesthesiologists (ANs) and certified registered nurse anesthetists (CRNAs). Includes information on demographics, income, differences in rural areas, demand by state, and more. Compares employment of CRNAs and ANs by rural and urban facilities. Analyzes earnings and hours worked for CRNAs in rural versus urban areas.
Author(s): Lindsay Daugherty, Raquel Fonseca, Krishna B. Kumar, Pierre-Carl Michaud
Date: 2010
Type: Document
Sponsoring organization: RAND Corporation
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Persistent Primary Care Health Professional Shortage Areas (HPSAs) and Health Care Access in Rural America
Examines the persistence of primary care Health Professional Shortage Area (HPSA) designation among rural counties, and the role of low population, low socioeconomic status, and limited access to healthcare services in perpetuating that designation.
Author(s): Mark P. Doescher, Meredith A. Fordyce, Susan M. Skillman, J. Elizabeth Jackson, Roger A. Rosenblatt
Date: 09/2009
Type: Document
Sponsoring organization: WWAMI Rural Health Research Center
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The Aging of the Primary Care Physician Workforce: Are Rural Locations Vulnerable?
Describes the rural areas of the U.S. where impending retirement threatens access to primary care, and offers potential solutions to the problem. Includes a map showing the percent of near-retirement primary care providers in nonmetropolitan areas by state.
Date: 06/2009
Type: Document
Sponsoring organization: WWAMI Rural Health Research Center
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An Examination of the Healthcare Workforce Issues in Rural America
8th Annual Report to the Secretary of the United States Department of Health and Human Services and the United States Congress. Focuses on rural health workforce issues. Discusses improving rural healthcare through interdisciplinary training and quality improvement. Examines the rural health workforce by profession and looks at health workforce issues and trends.
Date: 09/2008
Type: Document
Sponsoring organization: Advisory Committee on Interdisciplinary Community-Based Linkages
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Rural Health Explorer
An interactive web-based mapping tool focused on rural health. Provides access to data on rural population health, covering health behaviors, health outcomes, healthcare access, and social determinants of health. Includes healthcare workforce data for nurses, advanced practice registered nurses, physician assistants, and physicians. Also includes the Appalachia Community Data Portal, with regional data on social determinants of health and health outcomes. Part of the HealthLandscape set of tools.
Type: Map/Mapping System
Sponsoring organization: American Academy of Family Physicians
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Scopes of Practice for Behavioral Health Professionals
Tool for finding state-by-state characteristics of the behavioral health professional workforce, including credentialing requirements and services they are allowed to perform.
Type: Tool
Sponsoring organization: Behavioral Health Workforce Research Center
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HPSA Find
Search tool for Health Professional Shortage Areas (HPSAs). Allows searching by state, county, or ID number.
Type: Database
Sponsoring organization: Health Resources and Services Administration
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Medicare Learning Network: Health Professional Shortage Area Physician Bonus Program
Provides an overview of the Health Professional Shortage Area (HPSA) Physician Bonus Program and explains how bonus payments are calculated and paid. Includes information related to Critical Access Hospitals (CAHs) as well as primary care and mental health HPSAs.
Type: Document
Sponsoring organization: Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services
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Medically Underserved Areas/Populations
A map of the U.S. displaying Medically Underserved Population (MUP) and Medically Underserved Area (MUA) designated regions, updated daily.
Type: Map/Mapping System
Sponsoring organization: Health Resources and Services Administration
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Health Professional Shortage Areas (HPSA) - Mental Health
A map of the U.S. displaying Health Professional Shortage Areas (HPSA) and HPSA scores for mental health by county, updated daily.
Type: Map/Mapping System
Sponsoring organization: Health Resources and Services Administration
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Health Professional Shortage Areas (HPSA) - Dental Health
A map of the U.S. displaying Health Professional Shortage Areas (HPSA) and HPSA scores for dental health by county, updated daily.
Type: Map/Mapping System
Sponsoring organization: Health Resources and Services Administration
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Health Professional Shortage Areas (HPSA) - Primary Care
A map of the U.S. displaying Health Professional Shortage Areas (HPSAs) and HPSA scores for primary care by county, updated daily.
Type: Map/Mapping System
Sponsoring organization: Health Resources and Services Administration
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AMA Health Workforce Mapper
Customizable, interactive tool for accessing healthcare workforce-related data. Includes data on physicians by specialty, as well as data on a wide range of other healthcare providers. Provides information on Health Professional Shortage Areas, hospital locations, population indicators, and patient health data such as morbidity and mortality rates, health behaviors and social environment, healthcare access, and quality data.
Type: Map/Mapping System
Sponsoring organizations: American Academy of Family Physicians, American Medical Association
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Physician Compare
Provides consumers with information on physicians that accept Medicare patients. Includes practice location, physician specialties, hospital affiliation, and participation in selected Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services quality improvement programs.
Type: Website
Sponsoring organization: U.S. Department of Health and Human Services
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Rural Health Workforce Funding Programs
May 2014 webinar providing an overview of funding programs designed to grow and sustain a new crop of rural health workers. Highlights funding programs from HRSA, HHS, and foundations. Also covers financial aid and loan repayment programs available to those entering the rural health workforce. Presented by Becca Cruger, Funding Specialist for RHIhub. 60 minutes in length.
Additional links: Audio Recording, PowerPoint Handout, Transcript
Type: Video/Multimedia
Sponsoring organization: Rural Health Information Hub
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State Nursing Workforce Centers
Directory of state nursing workforce centers, which focus on addressing the nursing shortage in their states.
Type: Directory
Sponsoring organization: National Forum of State Nursing Workforce Centers
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Health Workforce Research Centers
Information on the centers funded by the Health Resources and Services Administration to conduct policy-relevant research on the health workforce.
Type: Website
Sponsoring organization: Bureau of Health Workforce
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Health Professional Shortage Area (HPSA) Application and Scoring Process
Provides an overview of the Health Professional Shortage Area (HPSA) designation application and scoring process, including discussing the scoring criteria. Covers additional criteria and guidelines specific to each of the three types of designations: primary care, dental and mental health.
Type: Website
Sponsoring organization: Health Resources and Services Administration
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Find Shortage Areas by Address
Searchable tool for identifying Health Professional Shortage Areas (HPSAs) and Medically Underserved Areas/Populations (MUA/P) by street address, city, and state or a street address and zip code.
Type: Website
Sponsoring organization: Health Resources and Services Administration
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Area Health Resources Files (AHRF)
Provides access to data on healthcare facilities, healthcare utilization, demographics, and social determinants of health by state and county. Includes data for health workforce and health professions training at the state level. Shares data from a variety of sources.
Type: Website
Sponsoring organization: Health Resources and Services Administration
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Community Health Workers Toolkit
Contains eight modules about community health worker programs, how the programs work, and how to use community health workers in the local community.
Type: Website
Sponsoring organization: Rural Health Information Hub
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PubMed Search: Healthcare Workforce and Rural Health
Searches PubMed's collection of journal article citations on the topic of rural healthcare workforce.
Type: Literature Search
Sponsoring organization: U.S. National Library of Medicine
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Health Workforce Connector
A resource for finding job opportunities at National Health Service Corps and NURSE Corps sites. Includes in-depth site information, as well as information on vacancies. Searchable by keyword and location.
Type: Website
Sponsoring organization: National Health Service Corps
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State Primary Care Offices Directory
Contact information for state Primary Care Offices (PCOs). These offices can provide shortage designation application help and shortage information, as well as information on the Conrad 30 J-1 Visa Waiver program, loan repayment programs, and recruitment and retention.
Type: Directory
Sponsoring organization: Bureau of Health Workforce
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Shortage Designation
Provides information on how to apply for and locate shortage designations. Includes Health Professional Shortage Areas (HPSAs), and Medically Underserved Areas and Populations (MUAs/MUPs).
Type: Website
Sponsoring organization: Health Resources and Services Administration
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MUA Find
Search for Medically Underserved Areas and Populations (MUAs/MUPs). Allows searching by state, county, or ID number. Includes designation status and date.
Type: Database
Sponsoring organization: Health Resources and Services Administration
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