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Rural Health
Research Gateway

2014 Research Publications

Browse the full list of research publications from the Rural Health Research Centers.

Products – Freely accessible products include policy briefs, fact sheets, full reports, chartbooks, and interactive data websites.

Journal Articles – Articles in peer-reviewed journals may require a subscription or affiliation with a subscribing library. For these publications, Gateway lists the article citation, a brief summary, a link to additional information and access to the full-text of the article, if available.

  • Rural-Urban Disparities in Heart Disease
    Policy Brief
    North Dakota and NORC Rural Health Reform Policy Research Center
    Date: 10/2014
    The Department of Health and Human Services' report Health, United States, 2001: With Urban and Rural Health Chartbook illustrated trends and highlighted priorities in urban/rural health. The Rural Health Reform Policy Research Center replicated the analyses using the most recent data available. This brief highlights key heart disease findings.
  • Rural Implications of the Blueprints for State-Based Health Insurance Marketplaces
    Report
    RUPRI Center for Rural Health Policy Analysis
    Date: 09/2014
    This report presents various states' approaches to the Health Insurance Marketplace, including service and rating areas, network adequacy requirements, rural consumer outreach, rural representation on the marketplace governing board, certification and oversight of Qualified Health Plans, and design of the Small Business Health Options Program.
  • Geographic Variation in Premiums in Health Insurance Marketplaces
    Policy Brief
    RUPRI Center for Rural Health Policy Analysis
    Date: 08/2014
    This policy brief analyzes the 2014 premiums of health insurance plans available in the new marketplaces created by the Affordable Care Act.
  • Health Information Technology Workforce Needs of Rural Primary Care Practices
    Journal Article
    WWAMI Rural Health Research Center
    Date: 07/2014
    Assesses electronic health records and heath information technology workforce resources that are needed by rural primary care practices to manage the increasing patient populations.
  • Facilitating the Formation of Accountable Care Organizations in Rural Areas
    Policy Brief
    RUPRI Center for Rural Health Policy Analysis
    Date: 07/2014
    This brief shows characteristics contributing to the formation of four accountable care organizations (ACOs) that serve rural Medicare beneficiaries, one each of the four census regions. The findings can help rural providers interested in forming/participating in an ACO assess the status and potential gaps of their core structures and capabilities.
  • The Effect of Medicare Payment Policy Changes on Rural Primary Care Practice Revenue
    Policy Brief
    RUPRI Center for Rural Health Policy Analysis
    Date: 07/2014
    This policy brief describes the impact of recent Medicare payment updates to the Geographic Practice Cost Indices portion of the Medicare Physician Fee Schedule on rural primary care providers' practice revenue from Medicare.
  • Update: Independently Owned Pharmacy Closures in Rural America
    Policy Brief
    RUPRI Center for Rural Health Policy Analysis
    Date: 06/2014
    This brief examines the closure of independently owned rural pharmacies in the United States from 2003 to 2013 and its effects on rural Americans' access to medications and other pharmacy services. This report is an update to past publications from RUPRI.
  • The Contribution of Physicians, Physician Assistants, and Nurse Practitioners Toward Rural Primary Care: Findings From a 13-state Survey
    Journal Article
    WWAMI Rural Health Research Center
    Date: 06/2014
    Evaluates a questionnaire that measures weekly outpatient visits and services provided in a rural setting.
  • Support for Rural Recruitment and Practice Among U.S. Nurse Practitioner Education Programs
    Policy Brief
    WWAMI Rural Health Research Center
    Date: 05/2014
    This brief details nurse practitioner (NP) education programs across the United States to identify those actively promoting NP practice in rural areas. It also describes the use of education methods that may promote rural practice and identifies barriers to recruiting rural students and providing rural NP clinical training.
  • A Guide to Understanding the Variation in Premiums in Rural Health Insurance Marketplaces
    Policy Brief
    RUPRI Center for Rural Health Policy Analysis
    Date: 05/2014
    This brief provides a framework for assessing variations in the premiums of plans offered in the Health Insurance Marketplaces across geography.
  • Profile of Rural Residential Care Facilities: A Chartbook
    Chartbook
    Maine Rural Health Research Center
    Date: 05/2014
    This chartbook offers information on part of the rural long-term services and supports (LTSS) continuum—the residential care facility (RCF). Survey results identify national/regional differences between rural and urban RCFs, focusing on facilities, resident and service characteristics of RCFs, and the ability to meet the LTSS needs of residents.
  • Implications of Rurality and Psychiatric Status for Diabetic Preventive Care Use Among Adults With Diabetes
    Policy Brief
    Maine Rural Health Research Center
    Date: 05/2014
    This brief examines patterns of diabetic preventive care use among adults with diabetes to determine whether these patterns vary according to respondents' rural/urban residence or the presence/absence of a mental health diagnosis.
  • High Deductible Health Insurance Plans in Rural Areas
    Maine Rural Health Research Center
    Date: 05/2014
    Using the 2007-2010 National Health Interview Survey, this study examines rural residents' enrollment in high deductible health plans and the implications for evolving Affordable Care Act Health Insurance Marketplaces.
  • Integrated Care Management in Rural Communities
    Maine Rural Health Research Center
    Date: 05/2014
    This study reviews the opportunities and challenges reform initiatives under the Affordable Care Act present for rural communities. The study assesses four types of organizational models for delivering integrated care management. Each model has different strengths and drawbacks, weighing for and against implementation in rural areas.
  • From Health Care Volume to Health Care Value - Success Strategies for Rural Health Care Providers
    Journal Article
    RUPRI Center for Rural Health Policy Analysis
    Date: 04/2014
    Examines strategies that rural healthcare providers can use to improve healthcare quality for patients.
  • Extent of Telehealth Use in Rural and Urban Hospitals
    Policy Brief
    RUPRI Center for Rural Health Policy Analysis
    Date: 04/2014
    This brief provides discussion with statistics on the use of telehealth in rural hospitals and the opportunities telehealth can bring to supporting healthcare in rural communities.
  • Medicare Accountable Care Organizations: Program Eligibility, Beneficiary Assignment, and Quality Measures
    Policy Brief
    RUPRI Center for Rural Health Policy Analysis
    Date: 04/2014
    This brief discusses Medicare Shared Savings Program eligibility, participation requirements, and quality measures relative to accountable care organization formation.
  • Health Insurance Coverage of Low-Income Rural Children Increases and Is More Continuous Following CHIP Implementation
    Policy Brief
    Maine Rural Health Research Center
    Date: 03/2014
    This study found that following the Children's Health Insurance Program's (CHIP) implementation, health insurance coverage and continuity increased among low-income children, particularly for those living in rural areas. By CHIP's maturity, coverage for rural children improved so much that their uninsured rate dropped below that of urban children.
  • The Uninsured: An Analysis by Age, Income, and Geography
    Policy Brief
    RUPRI Center for Rural Health Policy Analysis
    Date: 02/2014
    This brief analyzes the rural/urban uninsured populations by age. Furthermore, we discuss the potential for age differences between rural and urban uninsured populations to drive Health Insurance Marketplace premiums upward, an effect which may be mitigated or compounded by various other factors.
  • Do Rural Patients With Early-Stage Prostate Cancer Gain Access to All Treatment Choices? (Final Report)
    Report
    WWAMI Rural Health Research Center
    Date: 02/2014
    This report compares rates of receipt of prostate cancer treatments and of the treatment options between early-stage prostate cancer patients living in urban and four levels of rural counties.
  • Meaningful Use of the Electronic Health Records by Rural Health Clinics
    Maine Rural Health Research Center
    Date: 02/2014
    This paper identifies the rates of electronic health record adoption among a random national sample of rural health clinics (RHCs) and the extent to which RHCs that have adopted an EHR are likely to achieve Stage 1 meaningful use.
  • 2012 Rural Medicare Advantage Quality Ratings and Bonus Payments
    Policy Brief
    RUPRI Center for Rural Health Policy Analysis
    Date: 01/2014
    This brief analyzes differences in rural Medicare Advantage (MA) quality ratings and payments and suggests reasons why quality ratings vary by geography. Overall, the quality rating of MA plans in rural areas is lower than in urban areas, a result of the availability of, and enrollment in, different types of MA plans.
  • Trends in Hospital Network Participation and System Affiliation, 2007-2012
    Policy Brief
    RUPRI Center for Rural Health Policy Analysis
    Date: 2014
    Network participation and system affiliation are two ways for hospitals to build and/or access necessary capacities to engage in the transformation to an integrated, patient-centered, pay-for-value care delivery model. This brief tracks trends in network participation and system affiliation among U.S. general community hospitals from 2007 to 2012.