Medicine and Health Sciences Commons^™

Diabetes Prevalence And Monitoring In Nonmetropolitan And Metropolitan Areas Within A Commercially Insured U.S. Population, Lindsey R. Hammerslag, Jeffery Talbert

Rural & Underserved Health Research Center Publications

Overview of Key Findings

• Enrollees living in nonmetropolitan areas had 22% higher likelihood of having diabetes, even after controlling for factors like age and region.
• The prevalence of diabetes in 2019-2020 was 7.9% in nonmetropolitan areas and 6.2% in metropolitan areas.
• Annual hemoglobin A1c (HbA1c) testing occurred for 85.1% of nonmetropolitan and 85.7% of metropolitan enrollees with diabetes. After controlling for other factors, we found significantly lower testing for those in nonmetropolitan areas.
• For diabetic enrollees, having an HbA1c test in 2019 was associated with an 8% decrease in the likelihood of non-cardiovascular complications related to diabetes and a 6% …

Increased Rates Of Death From Unintentional Injury Among Non-Hispanic White, American Indian/Alaska Native, And Non-Metropolitan Communities, Lindsey R. Hammerslag, Jeffery Talbert, Tyrone F. Borders

Rural & Underserved Health Research Center Publications

Overview of Key Findings

• Living in a nonmetropolitan area is associated with an increase in the age-adjusted death rate from unintentional injuries, from 46.2 in metropolitan areas to 59.2 in nonmetropolitan areas in 2018, with all races/ethnicity groups affected except for non-Hispanic Black.
• The ratio of unintentional injury deaths in nonmetropolitan areas, compared to metropolitan areas, was 1.28 overall, ranging from 1.05 to 1.56 depending on race and ethnicity.
• American Indians and Alaska Natives have the highest rate of living in nonmetropolitan areas (39.5%), and this group has the greatest increase in death from unintentional injury associated with living in …

The Racial And Ethnic Diversity Of The Family Physician Workforce In Non-Metropolitan And Metropolitan Counties, Lars E. Peterson, Zachary J. Morgan

Rural & Underserved Health Research Center Publications

Overview of Key Findings

• The family physician workforce is becoming more racially diverse; however, non-metropolitan family physicians are not.
• Using data from over 24,000 family physicians who either registered to continue their American Board of Family Medicine (ABFM) certification or completed the graduate survey from 2017 to 2019, we found that early career family physicians are more diverse than later career physicians (66.9% vs. 72.8% White; 58.3% vs. 44.0% female) but, in both groups, the percentage of White non-metropolitan family physicians was even higher (82.7% to 90.5%).
• Minority non-metropolitan family physicians, particularly Black and Native American/Alaska Native physicians, are more …

Non-Metropolitan And Metropolitan Trends In Mental Health Treatment Availability In Community Health And Community Mental Health Centers, Tyrone F. Borders, Timothy Williams, Katherine Youngen, Julia Cecil

Rural & Underserved Health Research Center Publications

Key Findings

The supply of community mental health centers (CMHCs) decreased substantially from 2000 to 2019 and became nearly non-existent in non-metropolitan counties.

• The number of CMHCs in non-metropolitan counties declined from 182 to 15.
• The number of CMHCs in metropolitan counties declined from 582 to 104.

The supply of community health centers (CHCs) offering mental health services increased substantially over the same time period, or from 2000 to 2019.

• The number of CHCs in non-metropolitan counties increased from 184 to 573.
• The number of CHCs in metropolitan counties increased from 126 to 797.

Serious Mental Illness And Mental Health Treatment Utilization Among Adults Residing In Non-Metropolitan And Metropolitan Counties, Tyrone F. Borders, Timothy Williams

Rural & Underserved Health Research Center Publications

Key Findings

The past year prevalence of serious mental illness (SMI) was significantly higher among non-metropolitan than metropolitan (5.90% vs. 5.18%, P < .03) adults.

Only 67.58% of non-metropolitan and 64.29% of metropolitan adults with SMI received any mental health (MH) treatment in the past year.

Additional analyses revealed the following non-metropolitan/metropolitan treatment differences:

• A higher percentage of non-metropolitan than metropolitan adults with SMI received only medication for MH treatment (24.50% vs. 18.53%, P < .02).
• A higher percentage of metropolitan than non-metropolitan adults with SMI received inpatient, outpatient, and medication (5.42% vs. 2.63%, P < .02).
• A significantly higher percentage of non-metropolitan than metropolitan adults with …

Medicare-Paid Naloxone: Trends In Non-Metropolitan And Metropolitan Areas, Chris Delcher, Yue Cheng, Minji Sohn, Jeffery C. Talbert, Patricia R. Freeman

Rural & Underserved Health Research Center Publications

Overview of Key Findings

• Medicare pays for the largest share (> 30%) of naloxone dispensed from retail pharmacies in non-metropolitan areas.
• Medicare-paid dispensing has grown since 2013, but from 2017-2018 dispensing growth in non-metropolitan areas slowed considerably compared to metropolitan areas (42% v 121%, respectively).
• As of 2018, the rate of naloxone dispensing to Medicare enrollees in metropolitan areas was approximately double that in non-metropolitan areas (4.9 v 2.9 per 1,000 enrollees, respectively).

Spatial Analysis Of Health Care Utilization Among Medicare Beneficiaries With Coal Workers’ Pneumoconiosis And Other Related Pneumoconiosis, Ahmed A. Arif, Claudio Owusu, Rajib Paul, Christopher M. Blanchette, Ripsi P. Patel, Tyrone F. Borders

Rural & Underserved Health Research Center Publications

Overview of Key Findings

• The states with the highest number of Medicare beneficiaries with coal workers’ pneumoconiosis (CWP) were Kentucky, West Virginia, Virginia, and Pennsylvania.
• Significant clustering of health care utilization rates for Medicare beneficiaries with CWP was observed in the central Appalachian states of Kentucky, West Virginia, and Virginia.
• Significant clustering of health care utilization rates for Medicare beneficiaries with Other Related Pneumoconiosis was observed in Appalachia and the southeast parts of Texas and Louisiana. This clustering merits additional research to understand underlying disease etiology.

Risky Substance Use Behaviors Among Adults Residing In Non-Metropolitan And Metropolitan Counties In The United States, 2017-2018, Tyrone F. Borders, Michael D. Singleton, Katherine Youngen

Rural & Underserved Health Research Center Publications

Overview of Key Findings

Tobacco Use. Non-metropolitan adults had significantly higher prevalence rates of past year tobacco use (34.7% vs. 27.9%), daily cigarette use in the past 30 days (16.5% vs. 10.3%), and smoking at least 1 pack of cigarettes per day in the past 30 days (46.9% vs. 39.1%) than metropolitan adults.

Alcohol Use. Non-metropolitan adults had a lower prevalence rate of past year alcohol use (64.0% vs. 71.0%), past 30-day alcohol use (48.7% vs. 56.6%), and past 30-day binge drinking (24.5% vs. 26.7%) than metropolitan adults.

Illicit Drug Use. Overall illicit drug use was significantly …

Risky Substance Use Behaviors Among Adolescents Residing In Non-Metropolitan And Metropolitan Counties In The United States, 2017-2018, Tyrone F. Borders, Michael D. Singleton, Katherine Youngen

Rural & Underserved Health Research Center Publications

Overview of Key Findings

Tobacco Use. The prevalence of any past year tobacco use was significantly higher among non-metropolitan than metropolitan adolescents (13.9% vs. 8.3%). Daily cigarette use in the past 30 days was more than 3 times more prevalent among non-metropolitan than metropolitan adolescents (1.0% vs. 0.3%) and the difference was also statistically significant.

Alcohol Use. Alcohol was the most commonly used substance among both non-metropolitan and metropolitan adolescents, although the differences in prevalence rates for past year and past 30-day alcohol use were not statistically significant. In the past year, 21.8% of non-metropolitan and 21.7% of …

Rural/Urban Disparities In The Utilization Of Health And Behavioral Assessments/Interventions In The Fee-For-Service Medicare Population, Christian Rhudy, Eugene Shin, Jeffery C. Talbert

Rural & Underserved Health Research Center Publications

Overview of Key Findings

• In 2016, rural county residents represented 21.8% of the fee-for-service (FFS) Medicare population, but only 1.6% of rural FFS beneficiaries live in a county with local utilization of Health and Behavioral Assessments and Interventions (HBAI) services.
• Utilization of HBAI services in 2016 occurred in 19 (9.7%) rural counties and 176 (90.3%) urban counties.
• Average utilization rates of HBAI services were higher in rural counties than urban counties (0.7% vs. 0.4%).

Rural/Urban Disparities In Utilization Of Diabetes Self-Management Training To The Fee-For-Service Medicare Population, Christian Rhudy, Aric Schadler, Jeffery C. Talbert

Rural & Underserved Health Research Center Publications

Overview of Key Findings

• In 2016, rural fee-for-service (FFS) Medicare beneficiaries represented 21.7% of the population diagnosed with diabetes, but only 2.7% of the population utilizing Diabetes Self-Management Training.
• Utilization of DSMT services in 2016 occurred in 76 rural counties and 309 urban counties.
• Average utilization rates of DSMT services were greater in rural counties than urban counties (5.5% vs. 2.5%).

Major Depression, Treatment Receipt, And Treatment Sources Among Non-Metropolitan And Metropolitan Adults, Tyrone F. Borders

Rural & Underserved Health Research Center Publications

Overview of Key Findings

• 7.8% of non-metropolitan (weighted number of persons=2,755,020) and 7.1% of metropolitan (weighted number of persons=14,868,655) adults had past year major depression.
• Treatment receipt (seeing a health professional or using prescription medication for depressive feelings) was similar among non-metropolitan (68.0%) and metropolitan (64.6%) adults.
• A closer examination of the type and source of treatment revealed the following:

• Rates of seeing a health professional were similar among non-metropolitan (60.8%) and metropolitan (58.4%) adults, but rates of using prescription medication for depressive feelings were higher among non-metropolitan (58.2%) than metropolitan (48.6%) adults.
• Rates of visiting a general practice/family doctor …

Rural/Urban Disparities In Utilization Of Medical Nutrition Therapy To The Fee-For-Service Medicare Population, Christian Rhudy, Eugene Shin, Jeffery C. Talbert

Rural & Underserved Health Research Center Publications

Overview of Key Findings

• In 2016, 21.8% of the fee-for-service (FFS) Medicare population resided in a rural county, but only 3.7% of enrollees residing in a county with utilization of Medical Nutrition Therapy (MNT) services were rural county residents.
• Utilization of MNT services in 2016 occurred in 92 rural counties and 388 urban counties.
• Average utilization rates of MNT services were greater in rural counties than urban counties (3.1% vs. 1.9%).

Partial Psychiatric Hospitalization Program Availability In Non-Metropolitan And Metropolitan Hospitals Nationally, Timothy Williams, Tyrone F. Borders, Lindsey Jasinski

Rural & Underserved Health Research Center Publications

Overview of Key Findings

Partial psychiatric hospitalization programs (PPHPs) are intended to reduce or avoid inpatient stays by allowing patients to reside at home while receiving intensive psychiatric services in outpatient settings.

A significantly smaller proportion of non-metropolitan than metropolitan hospitals offer PPHPs.

• 11.4% of non-metropolitan compared to 38.7% of metropolitan hospitals offer PPHPs.
• Regardless of location, hospitals that offer PPHPs have higher patient volumes and more beds than hospitals that offer PPHPs through affiliated providers or do not offer PPHPs at all.

Hospital Closures And Short-Run Change In Ambulance Call Times, Sookti Chaudhary, Alison F. Davis, Kenneth R. Troske, Suzanne Troske

Rural & Underserved Health Research Center Publications

We measure one aspect of how access to emergency care through ambulance services changes for patients when a hospital closes. We empirically estimate the time needed to transport a patient to an emergency department in an ambulance in the period immediately after the hospital closes. We find urban patients in zip codes where a hospital closes have a small change in transportation time, where rural patients average an estimated 15.7 additional minutes – a 46% increase compared to the year before the closure. This increase is primarily the result of an almost 100 percent increase in the time it takes …

Suicidal Thoughts, Plans, And Attempts By Non-Metropolitan And Metropolitan Residence, Kathi Harp, Tyrone F. Borders

Rural & Underserved Health Research Center Publications

Key Findings

• Mean prevalence rates for suicidal thoughts, plans, and attempts were significantly higher (P < .05) among residents of non-metropolitan than large metropolitan counties.
• The adjusted odds of suicidal thoughts, plans, and attempts did not improve significantly from 2010 to 2016 among residents of any county type.
• The study findings suggest that suicide prevention interventions should be further targeted toward non-metropolitan counties. However, new interventions may need to be specifically developed to meet the unique needs of residents in non-metropolitan counties.

Do Hospital Closures Affect Patient Time In An Ambulance?, Suzanne Troske, Alison Davis

Rural & Underserved Health Research Center Publications

When a hospital closes in a community, patients needing emergency care may spend more time in an ambulance to receive care in an emergency department (ED). We explore how hospital closures affect the time a patient travels from an incident location where 9-1-1 was called to the ED in an ambulance.

• Rural patients average an estimated 11 additional minutes in an ambulance the year after a hospital closure in their zip code, a 76% increase compared to before the closure.
• Urban and suburban patients have no change in transportation time in zip codes where a hospital closes.
• Patients over 64 …

Update: Rural/Urban Disparities In Pneumococcal Vaccine Service Delivery Among The Fee-For-Service Medicare Population, 2012-2015, Joseph C. Vanghelof, Aric Schadler, Patricia R. Freeman, Jeffery C. Talbert

Rural & Underserved Health Research Center Publications

Overview of Key Findings

• Between 2014 and 2015, the number of pneumococcal vaccine services delivered to fee-for-service (FFS) Medicare beneficiaries increased by 380% as a result of uptake of PCV13 vaccine.
• Continued disparities in delivery of pneumococcal vaccine services to FFS Medicare beneficiaries in rural and urban communities are noted, with a 63% higher vaccination rate observed in urban areas.
• The majority of pneumococcal vaccine services delivered to FFS Medicare beneficiaries were provided by primary care providers, although pharmacy providers delivered close to one-fourth (24.2%) of these services.
• Pharmacy providers in rural communities play an increasing role in pneumococcal vaccine …

Rural Family Physicians In Patient Centered Medical Homes Have A Broader Scope Of Practice, Lars E. Peterson, Bo Fang

Rural & Underserved Health Research Center Publications

Overview

• Rural family physicians often have a broader scope of practice, defined as the range of clinical and procedural services that they provide, than urban family physicians. The Patient Centered Medical Home (PCMH) model of care is intended to provide accessible and comprehensive care, but little is known about how practicing in a PCMH is associated with rural family physicians’ scope of practice.
• Using data from 18,846 family physicians nationally, we found that rural family physicians working in PCMH practices generally provide a wider scope of clinical and procedural services than those not working in PCMH practices.

Rural Family Physicians Have A Broader Scope Of Practice Than Urban Family Physicians, Lars E. Peterson, Bo Fang

Rural & Underserved Health Research Center Publications

Overview of Key Findings

• Little is known about whether rural family physicians provide a broader scope of practice, defined as the range of clinical and procedural services that they provide, than metropolitan family physicians.
• Using data from 18,846 family physicians, we examined variations in the provision of 21 clinical services (e.g., inpatient care, home visits, and obstetrics) and 18 procedural services (e.g., prenatal ultrasound, endoscopy, and office skin procedures) across metropolitan, large rural, small rural, and frontier areas.
• We found that the percentage of family physicians providing each type of clinical and procedural service rises with increasing rurality.

Rural/Urban Disparities In Pneumococcal Vaccine Service Delivery Among The Fee-For-Service Medicare Population, Jeffery C. Talbert, Aric Schadler, Patricia R. Freeman

Rural & Underserved Health Research Center Publications

Overview of Key Findings

• In 2014, the overall mean vaccination rate in urban areas was 4.66 compared to a mean vaccination rate of 2.81 in rural areas, indicating a 40% lower mean vaccination rate in rural communities.
• The majority of pneumococcal vaccine services delivered to fee-for-service Medicare beneficiaries were provided by primary care providers, although pharmacy providers delivered close to one-fourth (22.2%) of these services.
• The proportion of pneumococcal vaccine services delivered by pharmacy providers was significantly greater in rural versus urban counties (29.4% vs. 21.1%).
• Consistent with previous literature, county characteristics positively associated with pneumococcal vaccine service delivery include …

Perceived Treatment Need And Utilization For Illicit Drug And Opioid Use Disorders In Non-Metropolitan Areas, Tyrone F. Borders, Hefei Wen

Rural & Underserved Health Research Center Publications

The policy brief provides nationally representative estimates of perceived treatment need and utilization for illicit drug and prescription pain reliever use disorders among non-metropolitan and metropolitan adults ages 18-64.

Illicit Drug And Opioid Use Disorders Among Non-Metropolitan Residents, Tyrone F. Borders, Hefei Wen

Rural & Underserved Health Research Center Publications

Illicit drug use disorder rates are similar across metropolitan and non-metropolitan areas and did not decline from 2011-2013 to 2014-2015 despite the implementation of major substance use treatment policies over this time period.

Ambulance Services For Medicare Beneficiaries: State Differences In Usage, 2012-2014, Suzanne Troske, Alison Davis

Rural & Underserved Health Research Center Publications

Ambulance services are at risk of scaling back or dissolving in some places. We analyzed Medicare beneficiaries’ use of ambulance services across the U.S. Improved understanding of how beneficiaries, most of whom are elderly, use these services provides vital information for policymakers who set rules and regulations about access to the services.