National Healthcare Quality and Disparities Report
Latest available findings on quality of and access to health care
Data
- Data Infographics
- Data Visualizations
- Data Tools
- Data Innovations
- All-Payer Claims Database
- Healthcare Cost and Utilization Project (HCUP)
- Medical Expenditure Panel Survey (MEPS)
- AHRQ Quality Indicator Tools for Data Analytics
- State Snapshots
- United States Health Information Knowledgebase (USHIK)
- Data Sources Available from AHRQ
Search All Research Studies
AHRQ Research Studies Date
Topics
- (-) Access to Care (8)
- Behavioral Health (2)
- Breast Feeding (1)
- Cancer (1)
- Cancer: Cervical Cancer (2)
- Care Management (1)
- Community-Based Practice (1)
- Community Partnerships (1)
- Disparities (2)
- Emergency Department (1)
- Evidence-Based Practice (1)
- Healthcare Delivery (3)
- Healthcare Utilization (1)
- Health Information Technology (HIT) (1)
- Implementation (2)
- Medicaid (2)
- Medical Expenditure Panel Survey (MEPS) (1)
- Medication (2)
- Newborns/Infants (1)
- Opioids (2)
- Outcomes (1)
- Primary Care (2)
- (-) Rural Health (8)
- Substance Abuse (2)
- Telehealth (1)
- Urban Health (2)
- Workforce (1)
AHRQ Research Studies
Sign up: AHRQ Research Studies Email updates
Research Studies is a compilation of published research articles funded by AHRQ or authored by AHRQ researchers.
Results
1 to 8 of 8 Research Studies DisplayedKirby JB, Zuvekas SH, Borsky AE
AHRQ Author: Kirby JB, Zuvekas SH, Borsky AE, Ngo-Metzger Q.
Rural residents with mental health needs have fewer care visits than urban counterparts.
This analysis compared the number of adults with mental health needs living in rural areas compared to those in urban areas. A nationally representative sample of adults showed that there were fewer ambulatory mental health visits for rural residents, even with those already on prescription medications for mental health conditions.
AHRQ-authored.
Citation: Kirby JB, Zuvekas SH, Borsky AE .
Rural residents with mental health needs have fewer care visits than urban counterparts.
Health Aff 2019 Dec;38(12):2057-60. doi: 10.1377/hlthaff.2019.00369..
Keywords: Medical Expenditure Panel Survey (MEPS), Behavioral Health, Rural Health, Access to Care, Healthcare Utilization
Vakkalanka JP, Harland KK, Wittrock A
Telemedicine is associated with rapid transfer and fewer involuntary holds among patients presenting with suicidal ideation in rural hospitals: a propensity matched cohort study.
The purpose of this retrospective propensity-matched cohort study was to evaluate the impact of telemedicine in clinical management and patient outcomes of patients presenting to rural critical access hospital emergency departments (EDs) with suicidal ideation or attempt. The authors suggest that the role of telemedicine in influencing access, quality and efficiency of care in underserved rural hospitals is critically important as these networks become more prevalent in rural healthcare environments.
AHRQ-funded; HS025753.
Citation: Vakkalanka JP, Harland KK, Wittrock A .
Telemedicine is associated with rapid transfer and fewer involuntary holds among patients presenting with suicidal ideation in rural hospitals: a propensity matched cohort study.
J Epidemiol Community Health 2019 Nov;73(11):1033-39. doi: 10.1136/jech-2019-212623..
Keywords: Telehealth, Rural Health, Access to Care, Behavioral Health, Health Information Technology (HIT), Healthcare Delivery, Care Management, Outcomes, Emergency Department
Cochran G, Cole ES, Warwick J
Rural access to MAT in Pennsylvania (RAMP): a hybrid implementation study protocol for medication assisted treatment adoption among rural primary care providers.
This paper reports the design and protocol of an implementation study seeking to advance availability of medication-assisted treatment (MAT) for opioid use disorder (OUD) in rural Pennsylvania counties for patients insured by Medicaid in primary care settings. Results showed an urgent need in the US to expand access to high quality, evidence-based OUD treatment, particularly in rural areas where capacity is limited for service delivery, in order to improve patient health and protect lives. Further, results of this study will provide needed evidence in the field for appropriate methods for implementing MAT among a large number of rural primary care providers.
AHRQ-funded; HS025072.
Citation: Cochran G, Cole ES, Warwick J .
Rural access to MAT in Pennsylvania (RAMP): a hybrid implementation study protocol for medication assisted treatment adoption among rural primary care providers.
Addict Sci Clin Pract 2019 Aug 1;14(1):25. doi: 10.1186/s13722-019-0154-4..
Keywords: Opioids, Substance Abuse, Rural Health, Medication, Access to Care, Implementation, Primary Care, Healthcare Delivery, Medicaid
Cole ES, DiDomenico E, Cochran G
The role of primary care in improving access to medication-assisted treatment for rural Medicaid enrollees with opioid use disorder.
The authors examined the degree to which rural residents with opioid use disorder (OUD) are engaged with primary care providers (PCPs); they also described the role of rural PCPs in medication-assisted treatment (MAT) delivery, and estimated the association between enrollee distance to MAT prescribers and MAT utilization. They concluded that PCP utilization among rural Medicaid enrollees diagnosed with OUD is high, presenting a potential intervention point to treat OUD, particularly if the enrollee's PCP is located nearer than their MAT prescriber.
AHRQ-funded; HS025072.
Citation: Cole ES, DiDomenico E, Cochran G .
The role of primary care in improving access to medication-assisted treatment for rural Medicaid enrollees with opioid use disorder.
J Gen Intern Med 2019 Jun;34(6):936-43. doi: 10.1007/s11606-019-04943-6..
Keywords: Opioids, Substance Abuse, Rural Health, Medication, Access to Care, Implementation, Primary Care, Healthcare Delivery, Medicaid
Spees LP, Brewster WR, Varia MA
Examining urban and rural differences in how distance to care influences the initiation and completion of treatment among insured cervical cancer patients.
Although rural cancer patients encounter substantial barriers to care, they more often report receiving timely care than urban patients. In this study, the investigators examined whether geographic distance, a contributor to urban-rural health disparities, differentially influenced treatment initiation and completion among insured urban and rural cervical cancer patients. The investigators found that geographic distance differentially influenced the initiation and completion of treatment among urban and rural cervical cancer patients.
AHRQ-funded; HS000032.
Citation: Spees LP, Brewster WR, Varia MA .
Examining urban and rural differences in how distance to care influences the initiation and completion of treatment among insured cervical cancer patients.
Cancer Epidemiol Biomarkers Prev 2019 May;28(5):882-89. doi: 10.1158/1055-9965.Epi-18-0945..
Keywords: Rural Health, Urban Health, Disparities, Access to Care, Cancer: Cervical Cancer, Cancer
Reid R, Rising E, Kaufman A
The influence of a place-based foundation and a public university in growing a rural health workforce.
This article describes a partnership between a private, place-based foundation and the University of New Mexico's Office for Community Health. The university’s resources and the JF Maddox Foundation’s entrepreneurial nature, discretionary grant-making, and local convening capabilities combined to an innovative approach for addressing an acute shortage in the local health care delivery workforce in an isolated, rural setting in New Mexico. Results included a significant increase in recruitment of key health care professionals, a more cohesive medical community, a school-based clinic, and support for other community challenges such as the prevention of teen pregnancy.
AHRQ-funded; HS023904.
Citation: Reid R, Rising E, Kaufman A .
The influence of a place-based foundation and a public university in growing a rural health workforce.
J Community Health 2019 Apr;44(2):292-96. doi: 10.1007/s10900-018-0585-y..
Keywords: Access to Care, Community-Based Practice, Community Partnerships, Rural Health, Workforce
Ray KN, Demirci JR, Uscher-Pines L
Geographic access to international board-certified lactation consultants in Pennsylvania.
The goals of this study were to assess geographic access to international board-certified lactation consultants in Pennsylvania, to compare access in rural vs. urban counties, and to compare access by county-level breastfeeding initiation rates. Researchers used geographic information systems methodology and a cross-sectional observational design to calculate the proportion of all young children, children in urban and rural counties, children in counties with low, medium, and high breastfeeding initiation rates who lived within specific distances of board-certified lactation consultants in Pennsylvania. Comparisons were made to answer the research goals. While the results indicate that most Pennsylvania children live in proximity to a board-certified lactation consultant, a lower percentage of children in rural counties and in counties with lower breastfeeding rates do.
AHRQ-funded; HS022989.
Citation: Ray KN, Demirci JR, Uscher-Pines L .
Geographic access to international board-certified lactation consultants in Pennsylvania.
J Hum Lact 2019 Feb;35(1):90-99. doi: 10.1177/0890334418768458..
Keywords: Access to Care, Breast Feeding, Newborns/Infants, Rural Health
Spees LP, Wheeler SB, Varia M
Evaluating the urban-rural paradox: the complicated relationship between distance and the receipt of guideline-concordant care among cervical cancer patients.
A recent study suggests that the distance to reach care may affect urban and rural cancer patients differentially; the authors of this article examined whether or not this urban-rural paradox exists among cervical cancer patients. Patients diagnosed with cervical cancer from 2004 to 2013 were identified via a statewide cancer registry linked to multi-payer insurance claims. 62% of the cervical cancer patients received guideline-concordant care. The association between distance and receipt of care differed by type of treatment. The authors conclude that there is evidence supporting the urban-rural paradox.
AHRQ-funded; HS000032.
Citation: Spees LP, Wheeler SB, Varia M .
Evaluating the urban-rural paradox: the complicated relationship between distance and the receipt of guideline-concordant care among cervical cancer patients.
Gynecol Oncol 2019 Jan;152(1):112-18. doi: 10.1016/j.ygyno.2018.11.010.
.
.
Keywords: Access to Care, Cancer: Cervical Cancer, Disparities, Evidence-Based Practice, Rural Health, Urban Health