Research Alert: December 30, 2019

2 New Briefs from UMNRHRC

This research alert contains two policy briefs from the University of Minnesota Rural Health Research Center.

• Access and Capacity to Care for Medicare Beneficiaries in Rural Health Clinics
  
  Access to timely, high-quality healthcare is essential for health, but rural areas face particular barriers to access, including for primary care. However, there is limited information on access to primary care for Medicare beneficiaries in rural areas, specifically care received in Rural Health Clinics (RHCs), which are safety net clinics designed to increase access to care for rural residents. This policy brief presents findings from an online survey of RHCs describing clinic data and characteristics related to healthcare access and capacity for Medicare beneficiaries in rural areas.

• Access to Specialty Care for Medicare Beneficiaries in Rural Communities
  
  Access to care is a challenge in many rural communities and can be an issue for primary care services but also for specialty care services. However, there is limited information on access to specialty care providers in rural areas and the barriers rural Medicare beneficiaries may face in obtaining these services. This policy brief presents findings from an online survey of RHCs describing access issues for rural Medicare beneficiaries in seeking care from specialty care providers.

Additional Resources of Interest:

• More information about the University of Minnesota Rural Health Research Center
• More information from the Rural Health Information Hub's topic guides: Healthcare Access, Rural Health Clinics