Geographic Distribution Reports

This paper includes: new empirical research on rural versus urban, quality of care; new projections for rural Medicaid and insurance exchange 2014 coverage expansions; new state-by-state and county-level analysis of future pressure on primary care capacity; new models for rural care delivery and care coordination; and, new national consumer and primary care physician survey data.
 

"This literature review profiles 51 publications constituting the body of evidence-based research produced by the federally-funded Rural Health Research Centers (RHRCs) from 2000 to 2010 which is relevant to the rural primary care workforce."

"According to George Sheldon, the director of the Health Policy and Research Institute of the American College of Surgeons, as the physician-to-population ratio falls, current healthcare access issues will likely be exacerbated. Sheldon said that the shortage will be felt most acutely in rural communities, many of which already face healthcare access problems."

"A wide variety of federal programs designed to improve access to health care services rely on specific criteria to designate areas and populations eligible for funding and other types of aid. Two related yet distinct designations, the Health Professional Shortage Area (HPSA) and the Medically Underserved Area (MUA), are most commonly used to identify underserved people or places. This background paper reviews the methodologies currently utilized in these designations, identifies the federal programs that use these designations to allocate resources, describes proposals that have been advanced to consolidate and improve these designations, and discusses key issues and challenges for future effort."

"The County Health Rankings—the first set of reports to rank the overall health of every county in all 50 states—were released today by the University of Wisconsin's Population Health Institute and the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation at a briefing in Washington, D.C and on www.countyhealthrankings.org. The 50 state reports help public health and community leaders, policy-makers, consumers and others to see how healthy their county is, compare it with others within their state and find ways to improve the health of their community."

"This volume contains current, historical, and comparative data on the allopathic (MD) and osteopathic (DO) physician workforce in Nevada. The principal purpose of this and future editions is to improve health workforce planning and policy development in Nevada through the preparation and dissemination of accurate information on the physician workforce."

"Today the Center for Rural Affairs released a report entitled, Rural Health Care Workforce: Opportunities to Improve Care Delivery. The report examines the critical shortage of primary care providers in rural America, the importance of nurse practitioners as rural primary care providers, opportunities for rural nursing, and ultimately, how health care reform presents opportunities for nurses to improve access to and quality of health care for rural residents."

"Throughout rural America, there are nearly 50 million people who face challenges in accessing health care. The past several decades have consistently shown higher rates of poverty, mortality, uninsurance, and limited access to a primary health care provider in rural areas. With the recent economic downturn, there is potential for an increase in many of the health disparities and access concerns that are already elevated in rural communities. Hard Times in the Heartland provides insight into the current state of health care in rural areas and the critical need for health care reform."

"The health professional shortage in New Mexico is acute. Primary care physicians are on call 24 hours a day, seven days a week in a small community. They may not have anybody who can substitute for them."