Rural Health
Research Gateway

Telehealth

Completed Projects

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

2024

  • Medicare Advantage Plan Growth in Rural America: Opportunities for Beneficiaries?
    County Medicare Advantage enrollment data and plan characteristic data were used to create a model accounting for the availability of plans offering benefits addressing social determinants of health. Analyses compared rural and urban counties, and examined county characteristics to explore potential equitable opportunities for rural beneficiaries because of geography and other factors.
    Research center: RUPRI Center for Rural Health Policy Analysis
    Topics: Medicare, Medicare Advantage (MA), Medicare Part D, Social determinants of health, Telehealth, Transportation

2022

  • Northern Border Regional Commission State and Region Chartbooks: A Health-Focused Landscape Analysis
    The aim of this study was to compile the most recent publicly available data related to health and healthcare access at the county-level and state-level for the Norther Border Region and the individual states: ME, NH, VT, and NY. We highlighted counties with worse health outcomes, as compared to the rest of the counties in the region.
    Research center: Maine Rural Health Research Center
    Topics: Federally Qualified Health Centers (FQHCs), Rural Health Clinics (RHCs), Rural statistics and demographics, Social determinants of health, Substance use and treatment, Telehealth, Uninsured and underinsured, Workforce

2020

  • Continuing Data Collection on a Common Set of Measures for the School-Based TNGP Grantees
    The primary purpose of this project is to continue data collection from School-Based Telehealth Network Grant Program (SB TNGP) grantees to evaluate school-based telehealth using a common set of measures that will help build the evidence base and inform future policy changes and sustainability efforts.
    Research center: Rural Telehealth Research Center
    Topics: Healthcare access, Telehealth
  • Investigating Differences in School-Based Telehealth Implementation and Services in the School-Based TNGP Grantees
    The principal goal of this project is to gather contextual information from School-Based Telehealth Network Grant Program (SB TNGP) grantees regarding project design and implementation, and the practicalities of delivering telehealth services in school settings that will help explain the heterogeneity found in the data across the grantees.
    Research center: Rural Telehealth Research Center
    Topics: Healthcare access, Telehealth
  • Launching Data Collection on a Common Set of Measures for the EB THNP and SAT TNGP Grantees
    The primary purpose of this project is to launch data collection among Evidence-Based Tele-Behavioral Health Network Program (EB THNP) and Substance Abuse Treatment Telehealth Network Grant Program (SAT TNGP) grantees on a common set of measures.
    Research center: Rural Telehealth Research Center
    Topics: Mental and behavioral health, Telehealth
  • Malpractice Claims Among Rural and Urban Providers: Do State Telehealth Laws Make a Difference?
    This project examines trends in state telehealth laws and whether they have affected the rural and urban malpractice environments differentially. Data from the National Practitioner Data Bank are used to determine whether changes in telehealth laws are associated with increased malpractice claims and other adverse actions against providers.
    Research center: Southwest Rural Health Research Center
    Topics: Allied health professionals, Legislation and regulation, Nurses and nurse practitioners, Telehealth, Workforce
  • Rates of Telemental Health Use Among Rural Medicaid Enrollees: Associations with Telehealth Policy and Mental Health Access
    This study examined telemental health use among rural and urban Medicaid beneficiaries with mental illness. The goals were to: 1) compare rates and patterns of telemental health; 2) assess how use rates are associated with state-level Medicaid telehealth policies; and 3) determine the extent to which telemental health provides access to care.
    Research center: Rural Telehealth Research Center
    Topics: Medicaid and CHIP, Mental and behavioral health, Telehealth
  • Understanding Trends in Telehealth Use: An All-Payer Analysis in Maine
    This project's primary purpose was to use Maine's All-Payer Claims Database and key informant interviews to develop a descriptive overview of telehealth use in Maine, examining how telehealth use had changed over time (2008-2017) among rural and urban patients and providers.
    Research center: Rural Telehealth Research Center
    Topics: Medicare, Private health insurance, Telehealth

2019

2018

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
  • Collecting and Analyzing Data on a Uniform Set of Measures from the Evidence-Based Telehealth Network Grant Program Grantees
    The primary purpose of this project will be to routinely collect and analyze data on a uniform set of measures reported by the Evidence-Based Telehealth Network Grant Program grantees to help establish the evidence base for tele-ED.
    Research center: Rural Telehealth Research Center
    Topics: Critical Access Hospitals (CAHs), Telehealth
  • Provide Guidance on Measures for the School-Based Telehealth Network Grant Program Evaluation
    The primary purpose of this project was to provide guidance on a set of measures that could be used for a cross-grantee evaluation of the School-Based Telehealth Network Grant Program.
    Research center: Rural Telehealth Research Center
    Topics: Quality, Telehealth
  • State Policy Issues That May Impact HIMs' Success in Rural Places: A Regional Analysis
    Goals of this project include gathering detailed data and providing analysis and policy recommendations on issues relating to network adequacy and service areas for HIMs, with additional investigation of other state-level policy variables (such as the Medicaid expansion decision) which may have a confounding or moderating effect on the relationship between network adequacy and enrollees' choices and premiums.
    Research center: RUPRI Center for Rural Health Policy Analysis
    Topics: Health information technology, Legislation and regulation, Medicaid and CHIP, Private health insurance, Telehealth
  • Use of Telehealth Services Among Rural Medicaid Enrollees: A Baseline Inventory
    The goal of this project was to generate a multi-state, baseline description of telehealth services provided to Medicaid enrollees in rural and urban settings.
    Research center: Rural Telehealth Research Center
    Topics: Medicaid and CHIP, Telehealth

2015

  • Perspectives of Rural Hospice Directors
    Rural hospice care, as it is currently configured, is under pressure by a variety of factors (e.g., policy and regulation, economic and financial, and organizational and structural) which are reviewed in this document. However, a central core element of rural hospice remains the strong sense of community that is embodied in the system (i.e., typically a small non-profit arrangement) and design (i.e., a delivery system reliant on community connections and personal relationships) of care. This policy brief is the result of a national phone survey of rural hospice directors or key staff in 47 states. Fifty-three directors or key staff members were interviewed during a three-month period in 2013.
    Research center: North Dakota and NORC Rural Health Reform Policy Research Center
    Topics: Aging, Health services, Quality, Telehealth

2014

  • Use of Telehealth to Deliver Services to Rural People and Implications for Public Policy
    This project analyzes national datasets to examine the extent of use of inpatient telehealth services, organizational factors contributing to use, and payment and other policies that limit uptake. This project will identify approaches that could aid spread of this effective delivery approach throughout rural service areas.
    Research center: RUPRI Center for Rural Health Policy Analysis
    Topics: Health information technology, Networking and collaboration, Telehealth

2013

  • Rural E-Mental Health: Models That Enhance Access, Service Delivery, and Integration of Care
    E-mental health programs have been developed in rural areas as a promising approach to address the chronic challenges of low availability of mental health clinicians, long travel distances, and stigma surrounding mental health care. The literature has established the technical feasibility of these programs and interest remains strong in developing and implementing them more broadly. However, we lack a clear understanding of the viability of current rural e-mental health programs - both the business case for starting and sustaining them and the clinical case for what services and functions may be provided _ and what impact they have had. The current rural health environment is changing significantly and it is important to understand where and how e-mental health programs have been established and sustained, what impact they have had, and what value they may add to other initiatives. To address this gap we will conduct interviews with between 24-30 current rural e-mental health programs.
    Research center: Maine Rural Health Research Center
    Topics: Mental and behavioral health, Telehealth

2008

  • 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