• Current Projects - (3)
• Completed Projects - (3)
• Publications - (12)

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Current Projects - (3)

• Malpractice Claims Among Rural and Urban Providers: Do State Telehealth Laws Make a Difference?
  This project examines trends in state telehealth laws and whether they have affected the rural and urban malpractice environments differentially. Data from the National Practitioner Data Bank are used to determine whether changes in telehealth laws are associated with increased malpractice claims and other adverse actions against providers.
  Research center: Southwest Rural Health Research Center
  Topics: Allied health professionals, Legislation and regulation, Nurses and nurse practitioners, Telehealth, Workforce
  
• Trends and Predictors of Human Immunodeficiency Virus (HIV) in Light of the Opioid Crisis Along the Urban-Rural Continuum
  This project will explore trends in the burden of HIV and predictors of HIV-related mortality and morbidity. The study will examine how the opioid crisis has changed the nature of the burden of HIV, especially considering differential disease burdens between residents of rural areas relative to their urban counterparts.
  Research center: Southwest Rural Health Research Center
  Topics: Chronic diseases and conditions, Pharmacy and prescription drugs, Substance use and treatment
  
• Variations in Travel Burdens Associated with Access to Care Between Rural and Urban Residents
  This project will focus on geographic access to medical and dental care, recognizing that travel time and distances can hinder individuals from obtaining necessary care. The study will explore the travel time and distances to care for specific sub-populations and in specific geographic settings, particularly urban versus rural residence and region.
  Research center: Southwest Rural Health Research Center
  Topics: Health services, Healthcare access, Transportation
  

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Completed Projects - (3)

• Examining the Legal Landscape in Rural America: Implications for the Healthcare Workforce, Access to Care, and Population Health
  This project explores potential rural/urban differences in the prevalence of malpractice claims, clinical privilege actions, and state licensure actions among health care providers. We will also examine whether variations in nurse practitioner scope of practice laws affect rural residents differentially, especially with respect to preventive care.
  Research center: Southwest Rural Health Research Center
  Topics: Allied health professionals, Health services, Legislation and regulation, Nurses and nurse practitioners, Workforce
  
• How Well are We Doing Meeting Healthy People 2020 Mortality Objectives at Midterm? Rural v. Urban Differences
  The purpose of this project is to conduct a midterm examination of urban versus rural disparities in meeting Healthy People 2020 mortality objectives for the top 10 leading causes of death in the U.S. utilizing existing secondary databases.
  Research center: Southwest Rural Health Research Center
  Topics: Chronic diseases and conditions, Health disparities and health equity
  
• The Burden of Diabetes in Rural America
  The purpose of this project was to determine rural versus urban differences in type 2 diabetes prevalence, morbidity and mortality in the U.S. Diabetes complications, disparities and associated demographics were reported. A comparison of Mexican-American border versus non-border states was also included.
  Research center: Southwest Rural Health Research Center
  Topics: Chronic diseases and conditions, Diabetes, Health disparities and health equity, Minority health
  

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Publications - (12)

• Assessing Diabetes and Factors Associated with Foregoing Medical Care Among Persons with Diabetes: Disparities Facing American Indian/Alaska Native, Black, Hispanic, Low Income, and Southern Adults in the U.S. (2011-2015)
  Southwest Rural Health Research Center
  Date: 04/2017
  The purpose of this project was to identify individual- and place-based factors associated with diagnosed diabetes and foregone medical care among those diagnosed with diabetes. Diabetes prevalence and foregone medical care were found to be higher for those with lower incomes, for several racial/ethnic groups, and in the South versus other regions.
• Cancer Mortality in Rural America: 1999-2016
  Policy Brief
  Southwest Rural Health Research Center
  Date: 11/2018
  This policy brief details the differences in mortality from cancer at various levels of rurality in America. The primary aim of this study was to understand the scope of cancer mortality in urban and rural areas of the U.S. Common cancer types—breast, cervical, lung, prostate, and colon—were analyzed over an 18-year period from 1999-2016.
• The Changing Landscape of Diabetes Mortality in the United States Across Region and Rurality, 1999-2016
  Southwest Rural Health Research Center
  Date: 02/2019
  This brief report examines place-based differences in diabetes mortality to understand whether disparities in diabetes mortality have changed across U.S. Census regions and levels of rurality over time. Reductions in diabetes mortality are lagging in rural areas, and the rural South in particular, relative to other areas of the country.
• Congestive Heart Failure-Related Hospital Deaths Across the Urban-Rural Continuum in the United States
  Southwest Rural Health Research Center
  Date: 12/2019
  This study examines congestive heart failure (CHF)-related, in-hospital mortality across six levels of rurality and four census regions. Results indicated CHF-related hospital admissions in small metropolitan, micropolitan, and noncore areas, compared to large central metropolitan areas, were more likely to result in death.
• The Development of Telehealth Laws in the U.S. from 2008 to 2015: A Legal Landscape
  Policy Brief
  Southwest Rural Health Research Center
  Date: 11/2019
  This study examines the scope and evolving nature of telehealth statutes and regulations in the U.S. Our research aims to understand changes in telehealth laws over time (2008-2015), variations in legal frameworks established across the U.S., and the extent that state laws regulate the primary care delivery through the use of telehealth.
• Diabetes and Forgone Medical Care due to Cost in the U.S. (2011-2015): Individual-level and Place-based Disparities
  Policy Brief
  Southwest Rural Health Research Center
  Date: 08/2017
  This brief is the first in a series prepared by the Southwest Rural Health Research Center on the topic of diabetes. The two aims of this study were to identify trends in diabetes rates and forgone medical care among persons with diabetes in the U.S. and to identify geographic determinants and other social determinants of health disparities.
• Diabetes Mortality in Rural America: 1999-2015
  Policy Brief
  Southwest Rural Health Research Center
  Date: 08/2017
  This brief is the second in a series prepared by the Southwest Rural Health Research Center on the topic of diabetes. The primary aim of this study was to understand the scope of diabetes-related mortality in urban and rural America. We analyzed mortality caused by diabetes over a 16-year period and explored the roles played by rurality and race.
• Diabetes-Related Hospital Mortality in Rural America: A Significant Cause for Concern
  Policy Brief
  Southwest Rural Health Research Center
  Date: 03/2018
  This brief is the third in a series prepared by the Southwest Rural Health Research Center on the topic of diabetes. The aim of this study was to examine trends and rates of diabetes-related deaths for persons hospitalized in the U.S., with emphasis on differences across the urban-rural continuum and across census regions.
• Diabetes-Related Hospital Mortality in the U.S.: A Pooled Cross-Sectional Study of the National Inpatient Sample
  Southwest Rural Health Research Center
  Date: 02/2019
  This study examined place-based and individual-level variations in diabetes-related hospital deaths using the 2009-2015 National Inpatient Sample. Results show that place-based disparities exist. Targeted focus should be placed on the control of diabetic complications in the South, West, and Midwest census regions and among rural residents.
• Healthy People 2020 Progress for Leading Causes of Death in Rural and Urban America: A Chartbook
  Chartbook
  Southwest Rural Health Research Center
  Date: 03/2020
  The purpose of this project is to conduct a midterm examination of urban versus rural disparities in meeting Healthy People 2020 mortality objectives for the top 10 leading causes of death in the U.S.
• Healthy People 2020: Rural Areas Lag in Achieving Targets for Major Causes of Death
  Southwest Rural Health Research Center
  Date: 12/2019
  For the period 2007-2017 rural death rates were higher than urban rates for the seven major causes of death analyzed, and disparities widened for five of the seven. In 2017 urban areas had met national targets for three of the seven causes, while rural areas had met none of the targets.
• Prevalence and Mortality of Heart Disease and Related Conditions: Disparities Affecting the South, Rural Areas, and American Indian and Alaska Natives
  Policy Brief
  Southwest Rural Health Research Center
  Date: 11/2019
  This policy brief identifies trends in the prevalence of stroke, heart disease, and heart attack while also assessing trends in mortality for heart disease and related conditions across the nation. The study examined whether disease-related mortality and prevalence varied across place and time.