Healthcare Access in Rural Communities – Resources
Selected recent or important resources focusing on Healthcare Access in Rural Communities.
Access to Health Care in Rural America: Current Trends and Key Challenges
Highlights patterns in insurance coverage and uninsurance rates in rural and urban areas, explores non-financial challenges in accessing care faced by rural residents, and describes disparities in health outcomes between urban and rural areas. Features statistics on number of uninsured rural non-elderly adults by state, in 2010 and 2023.
Author(s): Gina Turrini, Eden Volkov, Christie Peters, Nancy De Lew, Thomas Buchmueller
Date: 10/2024
Sponsoring organization: HHS Office of the Assistant Secretary for Planning and Evaluation
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Highlights patterns in insurance coverage and uninsurance rates in rural and urban areas, explores non-financial challenges in accessing care faced by rural residents, and describes disparities in health outcomes between urban and rural areas. Features statistics on number of uninsured rural non-elderly adults by state, in 2010 and 2023.
Author(s): Gina Turrini, Eden Volkov, Christie Peters, Nancy De Lew, Thomas Buchmueller
Date: 10/2024
Sponsoring organization: HHS Office of the Assistant Secretary for Planning and Evaluation
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'A Silent, Unmet Need': Rural Motherhood and the Challenges of Postpartum Care
Discusses the importance of rural access to postpartum care, including perinatal mental healthcare. Features programs in Montana, Maine, and Alaska that are providing support to rural mothers via postpartum doulas, telehealth, and home visiting.
Author(s): Gretel Kauffman
Citation: Rural Monitor
Date: 10/2024
Sponsoring organization: Rural Health Information Hub
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Discusses the importance of rural access to postpartum care, including perinatal mental healthcare. Features programs in Montana, Maine, and Alaska that are providing support to rural mothers via postpartum doulas, telehealth, and home visiting.
Author(s): Gretel Kauffman
Citation: Rural Monitor
Date: 10/2024
Sponsoring organization: Rural Health Information Hub
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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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Nowhere to Go: Maternity Care Deserts Across the U.S. 2024
Explores maternal healthcare access and provides county-level U.S. maps that show maternity care deserts, hospitals that offer obstetric (OB) care, distribution of OB providers, travel time to maternity care, chronic conditions of birthing people, social drivers of health, and more. Includes rural versus urban characteristics of the maternal health workforce as well as access and policy discussions specific to rural areas.
Date: 09/2024
Sponsoring organization: March of Dimes
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Explores maternal healthcare access and provides county-level U.S. maps that show maternity care deserts, hospitals that offer obstetric (OB) care, distribution of OB providers, travel time to maternity care, chronic conditions of birthing people, social drivers of health, and more. Includes rural versus urban characteristics of the maternal health workforce as well as access and policy discussions specific to rural areas.
Date: 09/2024
Sponsoring organization: March of Dimes
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Is Access to Optimal Concussion Care for Pediatric Athletes Limited by Geography?
Examines access to optimal concussion care for pediatric patients in metro and rural areas of the United States. Analyzes internet searches written as "concussion care near me" originating from one rural area and one metro area in each state to observe distance to care, if available clinic treats pediatric patients, and if care allows for self-referral and/or is multidisciplinary. Includes data from select states and representative regions across the country.
Author(s): Ryan Powers, Robert Trevino, Holly Erpenbach, Danny Thomas
Citation: Clinical Journal of Sport Medicine 34(5), 425-429
Date: 09/2024
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Examines access to optimal concussion care for pediatric patients in metro and rural areas of the United States. Analyzes internet searches written as "concussion care near me" originating from one rural area and one metro area in each state to observe distance to care, if available clinic treats pediatric patients, and if care allows for self-referral and/or is multidisciplinary. Includes data from select states and representative regions across the country.
Author(s): Ryan Powers, Robert Trevino, Holly Erpenbach, Danny Thomas
Citation: Clinical Journal of Sport Medicine 34(5), 425-429
Date: 09/2024
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Sociodemographic Differences in Nonfinancial Access Barriers to Health Care Among Adults: United States, 2022
Examines nonfinancial reasons adults delay medical care, such as work or other time commitments, lack of available appointments, not having access to clinic or provider hours, difficulty finding provider match for insurance, and length of time to get to provider's office. Utilizes 2022 National Health Interview Survey to break down healthcare access barriers according to sex, age, race/ethnicity, family income, education, employment, insurance status, and urbanization level, including large central metropolitan, large fringe metropolitan, medium and small metropolitan, or nonmetropolitan.
Author(s): Amanda E. Ng, Dzifa Adjaye-Gbewonyo, James M. Dahlhamer
Date: 08/2024
Sponsoring organization: National Center for Health Statistics
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Examines nonfinancial reasons adults delay medical care, such as work or other time commitments, lack of available appointments, not having access to clinic or provider hours, difficulty finding provider match for insurance, and length of time to get to provider's office. Utilizes 2022 National Health Interview Survey to break down healthcare access barriers according to sex, age, race/ethnicity, family income, education, employment, insurance status, and urbanization level, including large central metropolitan, large fringe metropolitan, medium and small metropolitan, or nonmetropolitan.
Author(s): Amanda E. Ng, Dzifa Adjaye-Gbewonyo, James M. Dahlhamer
Date: 08/2024
Sponsoring organization: National Center for Health Statistics
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Geographic Variation in Shortfalls of Dementia Specialists in the United States
Reports on distribution of dementia specialists to identify potential dementia care shortage areas for the older adult population. Discusses the impact on rural residents.
Author(s): Jodi L. Liu, Lawrence Baker, Annie Yu-An Chen, Jue (Jessie) Wang
Citation: Health Affairs Scholar, 2(7)
Date: 07/2024
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Reports on distribution of dementia specialists to identify potential dementia care shortage areas for the older adult population. Discusses the impact on rural residents.
Author(s): Jodi L. Liu, Lawrence Baker, Annie Yu-An Chen, Jue (Jessie) Wang
Citation: Health Affairs Scholar, 2(7)
Date: 07/2024
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Disruptors, Essential Services, and Reflections on a Career in Rural Health, with John Supplitt
An episode of the Exploring Rural Health podcast featuring John Supplitt, Senior Director of Rural Health Services for the American Hospital Association. Focuses on the importance of maintaining rural essential services, along with insights from Supplitt's long career in rural health.
Date: 07/2024
Sponsoring organization: Rural Health Information Hub
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An episode of the Exploring Rural Health podcast featuring John Supplitt, Senior Director of Rural Health Services for the American Hospital Association. Focuses on the importance of maintaining rural essential services, along with insights from Supplitt's long career in rural health.
Date: 07/2024
Sponsoring organization: Rural Health Information Hub
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Distance as an Obstacle to Clinical Trial Access: Who Is Affected and Why It Matters
Evaluates factors associated with geographic remoteness of 60 miles or more from the nearest phase 2 or 3 clinical trial for a variety of health conditions. Discusses American Indian reservations and rural areas, and provides data on demographic factors associated with remoteness including race and ethnicity, educational attainment, and poverty. Includes a county-level interactive map of clinical trial remoteness for health conditions including cancers, substance use disorder, diabetes, obesity, COPD, stroke, and more. Requires the creation of a free account to view.
Author(s): Andrew Friedson, Bumyang Kim, Maggie Switek, Lawson Mansell
Date: 06/2024
Sponsoring organization: The Milken Institute
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Evaluates factors associated with geographic remoteness of 60 miles or more from the nearest phase 2 or 3 clinical trial for a variety of health conditions. Discusses American Indian reservations and rural areas, and provides data on demographic factors associated with remoteness including race and ethnicity, educational attainment, and poverty. Includes a county-level interactive map of clinical trial remoteness for health conditions including cancers, substance use disorder, diabetes, obesity, COPD, stroke, and more. Requires the creation of a free account to view.
Author(s): Andrew Friedson, Bumyang Kim, Maggie Switek, Lawson Mansell
Date: 06/2024
Sponsoring organization: The Milken Institute
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Updated Analysis: Using Population-Based Outcome Measures to Assess the Impact of Telehealth Expansion on Medicare Beneficiaries' Access to Care and Quality of Care
Explores the association between telehealth use, quality of care, and access to care when both telehealth and in-person visits are available to fee-for-service (FFS) Medicare beneficiaries. Compares data from the second half of 2018 and 2019 to the second half of 2022 by the level of telehealth utilization in Hospital Service Areas (HSAs). Describes the effects of telehealth for urban and rural beneficiaries and differentiates between telehealth utilization for behavioral and non-behavioral health services. Updates a June 2023 report that analyzed data from 2021.
Author(s): Tanvi Rao, Angshuman Gooptu, Karin Johnson, Guido Cataife, Steven Susana-Castillo
Date: 06/2024
Sponsoring organizations: American Institutes for Research, Medicare Payment Advisory Commission
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Explores the association between telehealth use, quality of care, and access to care when both telehealth and in-person visits are available to fee-for-service (FFS) Medicare beneficiaries. Compares data from the second half of 2018 and 2019 to the second half of 2022 by the level of telehealth utilization in Hospital Service Areas (HSAs). Describes the effects of telehealth for urban and rural beneficiaries and differentiates between telehealth utilization for behavioral and non-behavioral health services. Updates a June 2023 report that analyzed data from 2021.
Author(s): Tanvi Rao, Angshuman Gooptu, Karin Johnson, Guido Cataife, Steven Susana-Castillo
Date: 06/2024
Sponsoring organizations: American Institutes for Research, Medicare Payment Advisory Commission
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