Rural Health
Research Gateway

Pharmacy and prescription drugs

Completed Projects

Listed by project completion date. You can also view these projects alphabetically.

2022

  • Continuous Services in the Absence of Retail Pharmacies in Rural Communities
    This project identified communities with and without pharmacies by rurality and described the differences in population and market characteristics of communities with and without any pharmacies. Research findings regarding "pharmacy deserts" informed alternative methods of securing services based on community characteristics.
    Research center: RUPRI Center for Rural Health Policy Analysis
    Topics: Health services, Healthcare access, Medicare Part D, Pharmacy and prescription drugs

2021

  • Rural Variation in Access to Naloxone for Opioid Overdose Prevention
    This project examined variability in access to naloxone-based metropolitan/nonmetropolitan dispensing counts from a representative sample of outpatient pharmacies across the U.S.
    Research center: Rural and Underserved Health Research Center
    Topics: Health disparities and health equity, Healthcare access, Pharmacy and prescription drugs, Substance use and treatment
  • Trends and Predictors of Human Immunodeficiency Virus (HIV) in Light of the Opioid Crisis Along the Urban-Rural Continuum
    This project explored trends in the burden of HIV and predictors of HIV-related mortality and morbidity. The study examined how the opioid crisis has changed the nature of the burden of HIV, especially considering differential disease burdens between residents of rural areas relative to their urban counterparts.
    Research center: Southwest Rural Health Research Center
    Topics: Chronic diseases and conditions, Pharmacy and prescription drugs, Substance use and treatment

2019

  • Predictors of Buprenorphine Prescribing by Family Physicians in Rural Areas Nationally
    This project examined how physician and practice-level characteristics are associated with family physicians prescribing buprenorphine for opioid use disorder across rural and urban areas. The study made use of a unique dataset collected among family physicians nationally in 2017.
    Research center: Rural and Underserved Health Research Center
    Topics: Health disparities and health equity, Health services, Mental and behavioral health, Pharmacy and prescription drugs, Physicians, Substance use and treatment

2017

  • Assessing the Stability of Rural Pharmacy Services
    This project's goals include deepening our understanding of economic forces beyond the immediate control of local pharmacies that are affecting their ability to remain in business, assessing the future of sole community retail pharmacies in rural places, and exploring alternative modalities for delivering pharmacy services in the absence of retail pharmacy businesses.
    Research center: RUPRI Center for Rural Health Policy Analysis
    Topics: Health services, Pharmacy and prescription drugs, Telehealth
  • Identifying Adverse Drug Events and Improving Patient Safety in Rural Hospitals
    This study identifies rates of adverse drug events (ADEs) and opportunities to improve patient safety in Critical Access Hospitals (CAHs) and non‐CAH rural hospitals.
    Research center: University of Minnesota Rural Health Research Center
    Topics: Critical Access Hospitals (CAHs), Hospitals and clinics, Pharmacy and prescription drugs, Quality
  • Who Treats Opioid Addiction in Rural America? Quantifying the Availability of Buprenorphine Services in Rural Areas
    This study will investigate the extent to which physicians who practice in rural areas and have a Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) waiver to prescribe buprenorphine as an office-based outpatient treatment for opioid use disorder are providing this treatment to their patients. This study will also estimate the need for office-based opioid disorder treatment in rural locations.
    Research center: WWAMI Rural Health Research Center
    Topics: Chronic diseases and conditions, Mental and behavioral health, Pharmacy and prescription drugs, Substance use and treatment

2015

  • Are Part D Plans Meeting the Needs of Rural Medicare Beneficiaries?
    The purpose of this project is to assess whether the Medicare Part D prescription drug plans available in rural counties are sufficient to meet the needs of rural Medicare beneficiaries.
    Research center: University of Minnesota Rural Health Research Center
    Topics: Medicare, Medicare Part D, Pharmacy and prescription drugs

2013

  • Has the Medicare Part D Program Improved Medication Access and the Health Status of Rural Beneficiaries?
    This project will use Medicare Current Beneficiary Survey data to assess the impact of the Medicare Part D Program on medication access and the health status of rural Medicare beneficiaries.
    Research center: University of Minnesota Rural Health Research Center
    Topics: Medicare Advantage (MA), Medicare Part D, Pharmacy and prescription drugs
  • Pharmacy Services in Communities After the Only Local Pharmacy Closes
    This project will investigate patterns of utilization of prescription drug and other health care services in rural communities in the years since the only local pharmacy closed. We will also examine changes in local economies and Medicare spending, trended to include time before closure through as many years possible after closure.
    Research center: RUPRI Center for Rural Health Policy Analysis
    Topic: Pharmacy and prescription drugs

2012

2009

  • Evaluation of an Outpatient Modified Paper Prescription Form
    This project will evaluate a modified paper prescription form that may be implemented in rural primary care settings cheaply and quickly with the goal of outpatient prescription error reduction.
    Research center: FORHP-funded Individual Grantees
    Topics: Pharmacy and prescription drugs, Quality

2008

  • Assessing the Impact of Transfer of Pharmacy Services for Dual Eligible Beneficiaries to Medicare Part D
    This project will focus on the implementation of the new Part D benefit for those dually eligible for Medicare and Medicaid. The study will examine the impact on rural dual eligibles and their local pharmacies of the transfer to Part D coverage. The project is a joint undertaking with the RUPRI Center, taking advantage of unique data sets held at each center, the analytical and programming resources of both centers, and the ability to conduct qualitative analysis in multiple states efficiently.
    Research center: North Carolina Rural Health Research and Policy Analysis Center
    Topics: Medicaid and CHIP, Medicare Part D, Pharmacy and prescription drugs
  • Differences In Antipsychotic Medication Prescribing Patterns Between Rural And Urban Prescribers
    Second-generation antipsychotics have become the treatment of choice for persons with schizophrenia and other serious mental illnesses. Compared to first generation antipsychotics, many second generation medications reduce symptoms with fewer problematic side-effects and related major health problems. However, one aspect that has seen little empirical attention is how longitudinal trends, benefits, and costs may differ between urban and rural areas.
    Research center: WICHE Center for Rural Mental Health Research
    Topics: Diabetes, Mental and behavioral health, Pharmacy and prescription drugs
  • Differences in Prescribing Patterns of Psychotropic Medication for Children and Adolescents between Rural and Urban Prescribers
    This is an investigation of the extent to which psychotropic medication is prescribed to youth (17 and under) by primary care physicians, psychiatrists, or other prescribers in rural versus urban areas. It will also look at the particular types of medications being prescribed by age, sex, and other demographic variables.
    Research center: WICHE Center for Rural Mental Health Research
    Topics: Mental and behavioral health, Pharmacy and prescription drugs
  • Implementation of Telepharmacy in Rural Hospitals: Potential for Improving Medication Safety
    The purpose of this project is to describe successful telepharmacy activities and to analyze policy issues related to the implementation of telepharmacy projects in rural hospitals. These policy issues include the potential impact of telepharmacy use on the quality of pharmaceutical services and medication safety for rural patients.
    Research center: Upper Midwest Rural Health Research Center
    Topics: Hospitals and clinics, Pharmacy and prescription drugs, Quality, Telehealth

2007

  • Assessment of Small Rural Hospital Activities to Report Medication Errors
    This research will determine how small rural hospitals have responded to the environmental pressure to improve patient safety and quality by implementing safe medication practices and by reporting and monitoring medication errors.
    Research center: RUPRI Center for Rural Health Policy Analysis
    Topics: Hospitals and clinics, Pharmacy and prescription drugs, Quality
  • Locating Community Pharmacies (Independent and Chain) in Rural America
    A comprehensive database of all rural U.S. pharmacies including pharmacy name, pharmacy type (chain or independent), town, ZIP code, county, state, RUCA code, and Federal Information Processing Standards will be developed. The databases will be usable in most widely used statistics and geographic information systems software packages.
    Research center: RUPRI Center for Rural Health Policy Analysis
    Topics: Health services, Pharmacy and prescription drugs
  • Rural Hospital Participation in the 340B Drug Discount Program
    The 340B drug discount program enables certain types of safety net organizations to obtain deeply discounted medications, at prices below the 'best price' typically offered to Medicaid agencies. This study used telephone interviews and mail surveys to explore the experiences that rural hospitals have had in seeking 340B eligibility status.
    Research centers: NORC Walsh Center for Rural Health Analysis, North Carolina Rural Health Research and Policy Analysis Center
    Topics: Hospitals and clinics, Pharmacy and prescription drugs

2006

  • Pharmaceutical Data Validity in Estimating Rural Population Health
    This project will allow for the quantification of variation in morbidity (via prescription use) across rural areas; identify locations that might be at risk for stunted economic development due to high levels of chronic illness in the working population; and potentially lead to the development of a valid and reliable measure of county-level rates of chronic illness using prescription data as a proxy.
    Research center: FORHP-funded Individual Grantees
    Topics: Cancer, Chronic diseases and conditions, Diabetes, Pharmacy and prescription drugs, Public health, Rural statistics and demographics

2005

2004

2003

2002