The Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality (AHRQ) within HHS is seeking scientific information submissions from the public. Scientific information is being solicited to inform our review on Improving Rural Health Through Telehealth-Guided Provider-to-Provider Communication, which is currently being conducted by the AHRQ’s Evidence-based Practice Centers (EPC) Program. Access to published and unpublished pertinent scientific information will improve the quality of this review.
Sources of Insurance Coverage in Nonmetropolitan Areas: The Role of Public and Private Insurance Since 2009
This brief from the RUPRI Center for Rural Health Policy Analysis uses the American Community Survey five-estimates to compare types of health insurance coverage for the nonelderly in metropolitan and nonmetropolitan areas.
ONC Reports on Interoperability of Electronic Health Records
The Office of the National Coordinator for Health Information Technology (ONC) published a data brief examining rates of interoperability by hospital size, type, method of interoperability, and suburban-urban status.
ERS on COVID-19 and Rural America
The Economic Research Service (ERS) at the U.S. Department of Agriculture analyzes county-level data on the prevalence of COVID-19 and local employment rates. A second report takes a closer look at the impact on counties where meatpacking accounts for more than 20 percent of employment.
AHRQ Data Request: Improving Rural Health Through Telehealth-Guided Provider-to-Provider Communication.
The Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality (AHRQ) is seeking published and unpublished scientific information to inform their review of this subject. Key questions in the review include those about the effectiveness of provider-to-provider telehealth and about effective implementation strategies. Submit information to AHRQ’s Evidence-Based Practice Centers Program on or before April 1.
Research Finds Little Advancement in Physician Workforce Diversity
University of Pennsylvania researchers have found that notable progress has not happened since 2009, when the Liaison Committee on Medical Education set forth new diversity accreditation guidelines. This is particularly true for Black, Hispanic and American Indian/Native Alaskan (AIAN) physicians. Absolute numbers of Black, Hispanic and AIAN physicians have increased but so have the number of all physicians. Therefore, the percentage of physicians in underrepresented groups has not increased appreciably. Read the Fortune magazine article or check out the research on JAMA Network Open.
94% of Medicaid-Covered Children Are in Managed Care Plans
News Medical Life Sciences reported on March 1, 2021, that the proportion of Medicaid-eligible children enrolled in managed care plans increased from 65 percent in 2000 to 94 percent in 2017, according to a study published in the journal Academic Pediatrics. The study also pointed to opportunities for Medicaid plans to improve quality by encouraging more preventive care visits for children. Read More.
Q&A: How to Attract Young People to a Rural Region
By Tim Marema
In the Adirondacks of New York, the loss of young people and working families has hollowed out the economy and local institutions. A report from a regional nonprofit suggests how communities can begin to reverse that process. Public-lands communities around the U.S. will recognize the questions the report seeks to address.
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New research: Nursing Home Closures in the U.S.
New research from the HRSA-funded RUPRI Center for Rural Health Policy Analysis shows that a higher percentage of nursing homes closed in nonmetropolitan counties in the U.S.
The report shows that between 2008 and 2018, 1,255 nursing homes closed across the country. As of 2018, almost 8 percent of U.S. counties had no nursing home, with 10 percent of nonmetro counties and less than 4 percent of metro counties lacking nursing homes. Of the 243 counties with no nursing homes, 44 were newly created “nursing home deserts” (counties with no nursing home) because of nursing home closures between 2008 and 2018; about 91 percent of these new nursing home deserts were in nonmetropolitan counties.
Nursing Education and Training in the United States
HRSA has published a new report on the education and training of the U.S. nursing workforce based on data from the 2018 National Sample Survey of Registered Nurses (NSSRN). Did you know that the proportion of nurses who graduated with a bachelor’s degree rose to 54.5 percent in the years between 2012 and 2016, compared to only 22.9 percent before 1971? Check out other highlights from the report (PDF – 524 KB).