Maine Rural Health Research Center

Current Projects

• Differences in Trauma Outcomes for Patients Residing in Ambulance Deserts
  Rural residents are 14% more likely to die after traumatic injury compared with urban residents, with distance from trauma centers and travel time likely significant contributors to this disparity. This project will use the State Emergency Department Databases and State Inpatient Database to examine differences in trauma outcomes for patients residing in ambulance deserts.
  Topics: Emergency medical services (EMS) and trauma, Healthcare access, Hospitals and clinics
  
• Health Care Use and Access Among Rural and Urban Elderly Medicare Beneficiaries
  This project will examine rural-urban differences in healthcare use and access to healthcare services among elderly Medicare enrollees using the 2011-2013 Medicare Current Beneficiary Survey. We also will identify the socioeconomic and health factors that may place rural seniors at risk for poor healthcare access.
  Topics: Aging, Medicare
  
• Medical and Mental Health Service Provision Amongst Rural Health Clinics
  This study will provide a descriptive analysis of differences in Rural Health Clinic (RHC) type, clinic size, and geographic location of RHCs providing same day medical and mental health visits, compared to RHCs that are only providing one or the other type of visits on the same day.
  Topics: Health services, Mental and behavioral health, Rural Health Clinics (RHCs)
  
• Mortality Risks Associated With Living in Ambulance Deserts
  This project will use ambulance data from the Maine Rural Health Research Center and from CDC WONDER to assess whether living in an ambulance desert is associated with higher mortality rates among rural and urban populations.
  Topics: Emergency medical services (EMS) and trauma, Healthcare access
  
• Understanding Rural Health Clinic Services, Use, and Reimbursement
  This study describes the scope and intensity of services provided to Medicare beneficiaries by independent and provider-based Rural Health Clinics. It will also assess the adequacy of the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services' changes to the outpatient evaluation and management codes in 2021 compared to the 2021 per-visit reimbursement cap.
  Topics: Health services, Healthcare financing, Hospitals and clinics, Medicare, Rural Health Clinics (RHCs)
  
• Unmet Health and Social Needs of Rural Residents with Disability
  We will assess rural-urban differences in access to health care and social well-being for rural residents with a disability. Disability rates are often higher in rural areas and, given growing evidence of COVID-related disability, this study will provide critical information about the pre-pandemic status of unmet health and social needs among disabled persons to enable future planning.
  Topics: Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-19), Disabilities, Healthcare access
  
• Use of Z Codes by Rural and Urban Providers to Capture Data on the Social Determinants of Health Impacting Medicare Beneficiaries
  Using a mixed methods approach, we will examine the use of Z codes by rural and urban providers to better capture information on the social determinants of health experienced by Medicare beneficiaries across the rural continuum.
  Topics: Health services, Medicare, Physicians, Social determinants of health