Rural Health Information Hub Latest News

Informal Caregiving and Technology in Rural America

As people are living longer and trying to find solutions to delay the expense of long-term care or nursing facilities, family members, including adult children, are increasingly becoming informal, unpaid caregivers. Learn how technology may be a solution to help rural caregivers, what some of the challenges and opportunities are, and read about a current model that has the potential to change the landscape. Read more here.

Telemedicine and Pregnancy Care

This article explores the role telemedicine can play in providing prenatal and postpartum care to women in rural areas. It highlights the types of specialized care that can be delivered via telemedicine to support maternal care in rural areas. It also discusses some of the barriers to telemedicine implementation, including state-level Medicaid reimbursement policy. Read more here.

Social Isolation and Loneliness in Older Adults: Opportunities for the Health Care System

This research examines how social isolation and loneliness affect health and quality of life in adults aged 50 and older, with a focus on vulnerable populations, including those living in rural areas. It makes recommendations for clinical settings on screening for negative health impacts related to social isolation and developing interventions to help address this issue. To read it online, click here.

Medicare: Information on Medicare-Dependent Hospitals

This resource provides an overview of the Medicare-dependent hospital (MDH) program, how the MDH designation differs from other rural hospital designations, and how MDH hospitals have changed over time. It discusses the decrease in the number of MDHs over time and examines a variety of operational and financial metrics across MDHs over time. Read the overview here.
For the full report: Full Report

How HIEs are Promoting Interoperability for Rural Providers

Health Information Exchanges (HIEs) can allow health organizations to share patient medical records and increase efficiency of practice, but rural hospitals are less likely to participate. This article describes how HIEs could be useful to rural communities during natural disasters and discusses the importance of investing in rural areas so they can expand electronic health record utilization. Read more here.

VA Centers Use Telehealth to Give Vets Access to Creative Arts Therapy

This article highlights the Rural Veterans TeleRehabilitation Initiative (RVTRI) program which gives rural veterans living with traumatic brain injuries access to rehabilitation treatments through art, music, dance, and creative writing. The U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) also launched The Creative Forces: National Endowment of the Arts Military Arts Healing Network which expanded the therapy program across the country. Read more here.