Visit the Research Articles and Papers page to find the latest in telehealth research. Browse and search research on telehealth-related topics including rural health, behavioral health, emergency health, workforce, health equity, and more.

The Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA) has released the results of their 2022 National Survey on Drug Use and Health and a companion infographic report (PDF). Findings include that more than 23% of adults aged 18 or older had any mental illness in the past year (59.3 million), with 6% suffering from serious mental illness (15.4 million). Among adolescents aged 12 to 17, nearly 20% (4.8 million) had a major depressive episode in the past year.

The 2018-2022 ACS Five-Year Estimates are now available from the U.S. Census Bureau. These estimates provide data for all Pennsylvania counties, municipalities, and other geographic areas regardless of population size. Our latest brief explores trends in language, poverty, and the foreign-born population. For instance, did you know that 50 percent or more of the population age 5 to 17 years old speak Spanish in twenty-two Pennsylvania counties? Click here to read the brief.

To read more about trends at the national level, click here to read the Bureau’s news release.

Additional Data Releases

The Census Bureau is set to release ACS, 5-year Public Use Microdata Sample (PUMS) files and Variance Replicate Estimate (VRE) tables on January 25, 2024. To view the complete release schedule, visit the data year 2022 release schedule. For more information on ACS topics, visit the Subjects Included in the Survey. To access the full set of statistics released today, visit data.census.gov.

Reminder: Proposed 2025 ACS and PRCS Content Changes 

The Census Bureau is inviting public feedback through a Federal Register notice on proposed changes to the 2025 American Community Survey (ACS) and Puerto Rico Community Survey (PRCS). The proposed content for the 2025 ACS and PRCS reflects changes to content and instructions that were recommended as a result of the 2022 Content Test. The Census Bureau periodically conducts tests of new and revised survey content to ensure the ACS and the PRCS meet the data needs of stakeholders.

The changes proposed for 2025 cover several topics: household roster, educational attainment, health insurance coverage, disability, and labor force questions. Additionally, three new questions are proposed to be added to the ACS and the PRCS on solar panels, electric vehicles, and sewage disposal.

The public may submit comments through 11:59pm ET on December 19, 2023.

A new report from the American Dental Association Health Policy Institute (HPI) found that dentists are taking on additional tasks as staffing shortages persist. HPI surveyed 1,000 dentists in October 2023 and found that more than one-third of respondents reported that workload division has changed between themselves and their teams since the beginning of the COVID-19 pandemic. Many dentists are taking on duties normally assigned to dental hygienists, dental assistants, and administrative team members.

Click here to read the full report.

PCOH is pleased to release the 2018-2023 Charitable Work Tracking Report which includes five years of data collected from free and charitable clinics in Pennsylvania. Special thanks to the Pennsylvania Department of Health and Free Clinic Association of Pennsylvania for their assistance in collecting and compiling the data.

Click here to read the report.

A review of data from the Behavioral Risk Factor Surveillance System showed the prevalence of COPD has remained stable overall, but with disparities based on rural residence.  Specifically, between the years 2011 and 2021, prevalence increased for adults 75 years and older, for those living in rural areas, and for those who smoked.  Researchers suggest the COPD National Action Plan provides a comprehensive framework for COPD prevention, treatment, and management strategies. These can be tailored to address risk factors specific to various populations. In rural areas, for example, there are higher rates of smoking, history of asthma, and exposure to lung irritants, but limited access to pulmonologists.  The Rural Health Information Hub recently updated the Rural Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease Toolkit, with models for effective COPD programs, issues to consider when implementing, and resources for funding and sustainability.

Read the full article here.

A new report from the National Center for Health Statistics at the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) examines how health insurance coverage varies by age, state, region, and urbanization level. Using data from the 2022 National Health Interview Survey, researchers found that the percentage of uninsured adults aged 18-64 was about 14 percent for those living in both nonmetropolitan counties and large central metropolitan counties. Within the same age range, the percentage of adults with public insurance (i.e., Medicaid, CHIP, Medicare, military plans, and other government-sponsored health plans at the state level) was highest in nonmetropolitan counties, at 30 percent. This new information corresponds with historical data showing higher rates of uninsurance in rural areas and a higher rate of enrollment in public sources of coverage.

Read the full report here.

The Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) outlined the critical actions HHS has taken, and the future work planned, to ensure access to affordable, whole-person primary health care across the country in a recent issue brief (PDF). HHS also expressed its commitment and highlighted its actions to strengthen primary care in a recent article in NAM perspectives. With these publications, HHS aims to share HRSA’s department-wide efforts to strengthen primary care and spark aligned actions from federal partners and external stakeholders.

The November 3 court decision regarding how a “patient” should be defined under 340B is continuing to reverberate through the 340B world. Some media reports are hailing it as a “major victory” for covered entities (CEs), and many CEs are re-examining their current policies to determine if/how they can safely fill more prescriptions with 340B drugs. On the other hand, manufacturers are reportedly very concerned about the decision, pointing to a recent study suggesting that it will cause the program to expand by 50 to 100 percent. It is expected that many manufacturers will respond by further tightening restrictions on the program (e.g., contract pharmacy restrictions) and increase their efforts to convince Congress to address the program. These slides will help explain the decision and its impacts on Community Health Centers. If your health center intends to review your 340B patient definition considering the ruling, this template policy and procedure will help you address what types of services qualify an individual as a patient and how recently an individual must be seen at the health center to retain their “patient” status.