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Rural Health Information Hub

Telehealth and Health Information Technology in Rural Healthcare – Resources

Selected recent or important resources focusing on Telehealth and Health Information Technology in Rural Healthcare.

Telemedicine Use and Quality of Opioid Use Disorder Treatment in the US During the COVID-19 Pandemic
Results of a study of 1,768 clinicians treating 11,801 patients with opioid use disorder (OUD), to examine the association between telemedicine adoption during the COVID-19 pandemic and indicators of OUD treatment quality. Explores medications for OUD (MOUD) prescribing and OUD-related clinical events, including drug overdose, inpatient detoxification, and rehabilitation center stay. Features statistics including patient and clinician characteristics, with breakdowns by metropolitan, micropolitan, small town, and rural location.
Author(s): Ruth Hailu, Ateev Mehrotra, Haiden A. Huskamp, Alisa B. Busch, Michael L. Barnett
Citation: JAMA Network Open, 6(1)
Date: 01/2023
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Examining Rural Telehealth During the Public Health Emergency
Examines the use of telehealth visits for rural and urban fee-for-service Medicare enrollees between January 2018 and June 2021. Compares telehealth utilization before the COVID-19 pandemic (2018-2019) with telehealth utilization from January 2020 to June 2021. Describes the demographic, geographical, and technological characteristics of telehealth services that were associated with increased telehealth use. Explores the extent to which the increased implementation and utilization of telehealth during the PHE impacted the cost of patient care and provider utilization.
Date: 01/2023
Sponsoring organizations: Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services, CMS Alliance to Modernize Healthcare
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Use of Telehealth During the COVID-19 Era
Presents a review of more than 300 studies on the use of telehealth published between March 11, 2020, and May 2, 2022. Explores the characteristics of the patients, providers, and health systems using telehealth during the COVID-19 era. Examines the benefits and harms of telehealth, what is considered a successful telehealth intervention, and strategies used to implement telehealth interventions.
Additional links: Executive Summary
Date: 01/2023
Sponsoring organizations: Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality, Johns Hopkins University Evidence-based Practice Center
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Telehealth in Rural Integrated Care Webinar Series
A 3-part webinar series on telehealth in rural integrated care. Part 1 discusses general issues and opportunities for telehealth in decreasing health disparities. Part 2 focuses on the unique challenges for rural children and rural schools. Part 3 focuses on the unique challenges for rural migrant workers and farmworkers.
Additional links: Part 2, Part 3
Date: 2023
Sponsoring organization: National Council for Mental Wellbeing
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School-Based Telehealth Playbook
Guides health centers through the design, implementation, and operation of a telehealth program that meets the needs of children and adolescents. Covers assessing needs and readiness, program models, business models, technology and equipment, program evaluation, partnerships, and implementation. Highlights examples from rural areas throughout.
Date: 2023
Sponsoring organization: School-Based Health Alliance
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National Institutes of Health Pathways to Prevention Workshop: Improving Rural Health Through Telehealth-Guided Provider-to-Provider Communication
Examines the effectiveness of rural provider-to-provider collaboration through the use of telehealth based on a systematic review of rural provider-to-provider telehealth (RPPT) and the results of a workshop of rural health experts. Discusses uptake of different types of telehealth, benefits of provider-to-provider telehealth for rural patients, barriers and facilitators to implementation and sustainability, and limitations of studies examining rural telehealth.
Author(s): Mary Wakefield, Jayashri Sankaranarayanan, Joanne Mather Conroy, et al.
Citation: Journal of Telemedicine and Telecare, 2022
Date: 12/2022
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Improving Rural Health Through Telehealth-Guided Provider-to-Provider Communication
Presents the results of a comprehensive literature review to identify, summarize, and evaluate available research on the contributions of rural provider-to-provider telehealth communication and collaboration in addressing health disparities, and improving the health of rural populations. Topics cover the specific applications, effectiveness, implementation, sustainability, and barriers and facilitators of provider-to-provider telehealth in rural areas.
Additional links: Executive Summary, Full Report, Telehealth's Potential To Benefit Rural Healthcare Delivery: Infographic 1, Telehealth's Potential To Benefit Rural Healthcare Delivery: Infographic 2
Author(s): Annette Totten, Dana M. Womack, Marian S. McDonagh, et al.
Date: 12/2022
Sponsoring organization: Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality
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Comparison of In-Person vs. Telebehavioral Health Outcomes from Rural Populations Across America
Examines the efficacy of 2 federal behavioral health grant programs in reducing depression and anxiety in patients, comparing telehealth and in-person modalities in rural areas. Analyzes data from 1,514 patients participating in grant programs between 2017 and 2021 and their associated behavioral health modality. Includes demographic breakdowns by age, sex, and insurance status, among other measures.
Author(s): Carly McCord, Fred Ullrich, Kimberly A.S. Merchant, et al.
Citation: BMC Psychiatry, 22, 778
Date: 12/2022
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Disparities in Virtual Cardiology Visits Among Veterans Health Administration Patients During the COVID-19 Pandemic
Presents the results of a study to determine how the COVID-19 pandemic, during the first year, influenced the digital divide for patients using virtual and video-based care in Veterans Health Administration (VA) cardiology clinics across the U.S. Study examined sociodemographic and clinical characteristics, drive time to care, geographic location – rural and urban – and encounter type to determine changes in access to care by video, phone, and face-to-face.
Author(s): Rebecca L. Tisdale, Jacqueline Ferguson, James Van Campen, et al.
Citation: JAMIA Open, 5(4)
Date: 12/2022
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Financial Impact of Telehealth: Rural Chief Financial Officer Perspectives
Explores how rural chief financial officers (CFOs) and hospital administrators perceive the financial impacts of telehealth in their facilities. Analyzes 30 interview responses from CFOs and administrators between October 2021 and January 2022 about the perceived benefits and challenges of telehealth programs. Discusses opportunities to improve telehealth infrastructure to make the modality more cost effective for hospitals.
Author(s): Lori Uscher-Pines, Jessica L. Sousa, Kori S. Zachrison, Lee Schwamm, Ateev Mehrotra
Citation: The American Journal of Managed Care, 28(12), e436-e443
Date: 12/2022
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