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Rural Health
Research Gateway

Chronic diseases and conditions

Current Projects

  • Rural-Urban Differences in the Prevalence and Impact of Chronic Pain
    Limited existing evidence suggests that chronic pain may be more widespread and disabling in rural than in urban populations, and that rural residents may lack access to adequate pain treatment resources. This study will explore rural-urban differences in chronic pain prevalence, impacts, and management, and inform policies to address any identified disparities.
    Research center: Maine Rural Health Research Center
    Topic: Chronic diseases and conditions
  • Screening, Brief Intervention and Referral to Treatment (SBIRT) Penetration in Rural vs. Urban Healthcare Settings in the U.S.
    This study will include an analysis of 2018/2019 Medicare, Medicaid and Commercial claims to compare the penetration of Screening, Brief Intervention and Referral to Treatment (SBIRT) and its different components in rural compared to urban healthcare settings. Within the overarching analysis, the study team will examine the type of interventions conducted within the SBIRT framework stratified by provider type, healthcare setting, and rural and urban provider ZIP codes. Findings will be analyzed within the context of county-level substance use rates, historical enactment of state SBIRT billing codes, overdoses, and alcohol poisoning-based hospital admissions contrasting trends in SBIRT administration with a proxy for community need.
    Research center: ETSU/NORC Rural Health Research Center
    Topics: Chronic diseases and conditions, Health promotion and disease prevention, Medicaid and CHIP, Medicare, Mental and behavioral health, Private health insurance, Public health, Substance use and treatment
  • Specialist Physicians in the Rural and Urban U.S.: Supply, Distribution, and Access
    This project will describe the geographic distribution (rural/urban, regional, and intra-rural) of specialist physicians who care for patients experiencing conditions that account for the top four leading causes of rural mortality. It will also explore how patients in rural communities that lack these specialists obtain needed care.
    Research center: WWAMI Rural Health Research Center
    Topics: Cancer, Care management, Chronic diseases and conditions, Frontier health, Health services, Healthcare access, Physicians, Social determinants of health, Telehealth, Workforce