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Rural Pharmacy and Prescription Drugs – Resources

Selected recent or important resources focusing on Rural Pharmacy and Prescription Drugs.

Pharmacy Vaccination Service Availability in Nonmetropolitan Counties
Data brief exploring the availability of pharmacies that might be able to provide vaccinations in rural areas. Features statistics and county-level maps showing availability in nonmetropolitan areas of all retail pharmacies, partner chain/franchise pharmacies, and pharmacies offering immunization services.
Author(s): Fred Ullrich, Keith Mueller
Date: 02/2021
Type: Document
Sponsoring organization: RUPRI Center for Rural Health Policy Analysis
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Opioids in Medicaid: Concerns About Opioid Use Among Beneficiaries in Six Appalachian States in 2018
Examines the rates of opioid use of Medicaid beneficiaries in 6 Appalachian states in 2018. Discusses the amount of the prescriptions issued, the amounts of opioids received, and the amount of providers with questionable prescribing practices, among other opioid-related measures.
Date: 12/2020
Type: Document
Sponsoring organization: Office of Inspector General (HHS)
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Few Patients Received High Amounts of Opioids from IHS-Run Pharmacies
Presents an evaluation of the opioid prescribing practices of the Indian Health Service (IHS). Bases analysis on IHS opioid prescribing data, discusses the role of electronic health records (EHRs) in monitoring opioid prescriptions, and makes recommendations to improve monitoring.
Date: 12/2020
Type: Document
Sponsoring organization: Office of Inspector General (HHS)
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Drug Pricing Program: HHS Uses Multiple Mechanisms to Help Ensure Compliance with 340B Requirements
Examines the Health Services and Research Administration's (HRSA) oversight of covered entities' compliance with 340B Program requirements. Describes the 340B Program, the HRSA audit process, and findings from audits conducted between 2012-2019. Discusses additional efforts by HRSA to promote compliance and identify noncompliance.
Additional links: Full Report
Date: 12/2020
Type: Document
Sponsoring organization: Government Accountability Office
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PharmD Concentration Helps Pharmacy Students Prepare for a Career in Rural America
Features the Rural Pharmacy Practice program, a concentration for PharmD students at the University of Wisconsin–Madison School of Pharmacy who are interested in working in rural communities. Describes how the program was created. Discusses the experiences students have, including conducting community needs assessments and related population health projects.
Author(s): Allee Mead
Citation: Rural Monitor
Date: 10/2020
Type: Document
Sponsoring organization: Rural Health Information Hub
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Rural Variation of Medicaid Expansion on Access to Naloxone
Poster examining the rate of naloxone prescriptions dispensed by retail pharmacies between 2011 and 2017. Compares the rate of naloxone prescriptions before and after Medicaid expansion and as the rural population increased.
Author(s): Yue Cheng, Minji Sohn, Patricia R. Freeman, Eugene Shin, Chris Delcher
Date: 09/2020
Type: Document
Sponsoring organization: Rural and Underserved Health Research Center
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Telepharmacy and Quality of Medication Use in Rural Areas, 2013–2019
Uses dispensing records from traditional pharmacies and telepharmacies in the Midwest to compare patients' adherence to and inappropriate use of prescription medications between 2013 and 2019. Includes data and statistics on medication adherence and use, with information broken down by patient characteristics, such as age, rurality, payer, risk, and more.
Author(s): Shweta Pathak, Mitchell Haynes, Dima Qato, Benjamin Urick
Citation: Preventing Chronic Disease, 17
Date: 09/2020
Type: Document
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Telepharmacy Rules and Statutes: A 3-Year Update for all 50 States
Surveys the legislative and administrative activity authorizing community-based telepharmacy. Includes a table identifying states that have permitted telepharmacy services through legislation, regulation, or waiver or pilot programs, and states with limitations, prohibitions, or no guidance on these services. Provides an overview of state rules and regulations that limit aspects of telepharmacy implementation. Explores areas for further research and evaluation, including the relationship between telepharmacy and rural pharmacy closures.
Author(s): Jason Semprini, Fred Ullrich, Keith J. Mueller
Date: 07/2020
Type: Document
Sponsoring organization: RUPRI Center for Rural Health Policy Analysis
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Exploring Opportunities to Leverage Pharmacists in Rural Areas to Promote Administration of Human Papillomavirus Vaccine
Describes the role of rural pharmacists in promoting and administering the human papillomavirus (HPV) vaccine using information gathered from interviews of 11 pharmacists at independently owned pharmacies in Iowa. Identifies factors facilitating the administration and accessibility of the vaccine and reports on personal barriers regarding safety, lack of information, and staff capacity.
Author(s): Grace Ryan, Eliza Daly, Natoshia Askelson, et al.
Citation: Preventing Chronic Disease, 17
Date: 03/2020
Type: Document
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Buyback Program of Unused Prescription Opioids in US Rural Communities, 2017–2018
Describes a buyback intervention that was designed to encourage rural, ambulatory surgery patients to return unused prescription opioids to a U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) hospital. Provides data on patient characteristics as well as percent of opioids prescribed and returned during 2017 and 2018. Includes implications for public health.
Author(s): Jean Liu, Julie Franklin, Frank Gesek, Joseph Anderson
Citation: American Journal of Public Health, 110(9), 1318-1324
Date: 2020
Type: Document
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Last Updated: 4/29/2024