Among the findings in this brief from the Rural & Minority Health Research Center: Hispanic adults had the lowest health insurance rates; non-Hispanic Black individuals reported higher levels of forgoing medical care due to cost; non-metropolitan individuals ages 18-64 were more likely to report forgoing medication due to cost.

Title:  Prevalence of Meeting Aerobic, Muscle-Strengthening, and Combined Physical Activity Guidelines During Leisure Time Among Adults, by Rural-Urban Classification and Region — United States, 2020

Summary: Physical activity is important in health promotion and disease prevention; rural-urban and regional disparities among adults in meeting the combined leisure time physical activity guidelines exist. Analysis of 2020 National Health Interview Survey data found a low proportion of U.S. adults met leisure-time aerobic, muscle-strengthening, and combined physical activity guidelines. Residents in larger metropolitan areas and in the West U.S. Census Bureau region were more likely than were those in less populated urban and rural areas or other regions to meet these guidelines. Rural residents might benefit from investments in structural capacity and policy, systems, and environment change to support leisure-time physical activity.

Suggested Citation: Abildso CG, Daily SM, Umstattd Meyer MR, Perry CK, Eyler A. Prevalence of Meeting Aerobic, Muscle-Strengthening, and Combined Physical Activity Guidelines During Leisure Time Among Adults, by Rural-Urban Classification and Region — United States, 2020. MMWR Morb Mortal Wkly Rep 2023;72:85–89. DOI: http://dx.doi.org/10.15585/mmwr.mm7204a1.

During the 90th meeting of the National Advisory Committee on Rural Health & Human Services (NACRHHS), members explored two topics of importance to rural areas. The first was access to emergency medical services in rural areas. The second was the integration of behavioral health and primary care services. This 75-minute webinar will highlight the rural context related to these topics, and discuss the policy brief and recommendations submitted to the Secretary of Health & Human Services. Update coming Tuesday, January 24 at 1:00 pm ET.

Early in the Pandemic, Private Insurers Paid Similarly for In-Person and Telemedicine Services, Including for Mental Health Therapy

Telehealth use surged as the COVID-19 pandemic hit, though the shift toward virtual physician and mental health care did not materially affect how much insurers paid for each patient encounter in 2020, a new KFF analysis finds.

Using data from the Health Care Cost Institute, the analysis examines nearly 100 million claims to compare the average paid amount for in-person and telehealth evaluation and management services and mental health therapies.

In each case, the average payments were similar in 2020.

The analysis suggests that the expanded use of telehealth services did not lead to significant cost savings early in the pandemic though likely provided other benefits by making services more convenient and accessible for patients. Whether insurers have continued to pay similar rates for telehealth and in-person services is not yet clear. The analysis also does not assess the extent to which the availability of telehealth substitutes for in-person services or leads to greater use of health care overall.

The analysis is available through the Peterson-KFF Health System Tracker, an online information hub that monitors and assesses the performance of the U.S. health system or by clicking here.

Check out our data webpage to access recent Pennsylvania KIDS COUNT® Data Center updates! We have updated information from various sources across the Economic Well-Being, Education & Health categories, including data from the American Community Survey, Small Area Income and Poverty Estimates, and Pennsylvania Departments of Education, Health and Labor & Industry.

 Researchers interviewed administrators and participants in 20 rural nurse practitioner residency programs to determine the effect of federal- and state-based programs on rural placement post-training.  Though nurse practitioners make up one-quarter of the rural primary care workforce, few studies have investigated factors supporting their transition from training to practice.

A new policy brief is available on the Flex Monitoring Team (FMT) website: Impacts of Critical Access Hospital Independence and System Ownership during the COVID-19 Pandemic. In this brief, the FMT describes findings from a survey of CAH CEOs about their response to COVID-19, with a specific focus on advantages and disadvantages of system ownership or independence as described by survey participants.

Additionally, a new webinar recording is available on the FMT website: COVID-19 Response in System-Owned and Independent CAHs. In this webinar, the FMT presents findings from their survey of CAHs including advantages and disadvantages of system ownership or independent status, support received from State Flex Programs, staff recruiting challenges, partnerships, and patient transfers.

The Bradbury-Sullivan LGBT Community Center has announced that the 2022 PA LGBTQ Health Needs Assessment Report is now available.  The report and the reports for previous years can be accessed at bradburysullivancenter.org/health_needs_assessment.

For media inquiries, please contact the Community Center’s Communications Associate, Braden Hudak, MA at Braden@BradburySullivanCenter.org.

For more information about this report or if you are interested in utilizing the findings from the PA LGBTQ Health Needs Assessment, please contact Christina Graham, MPH at Christina@BradburySullivanCenter.org.