Casey Balio, PhD

• Current Projects - (5)
• Completed Projects - (2)
• Publications - (1)

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Current Projects - (5)

• Comparing Across Health Indices: Differences by Rurality, Missingness, and Associations With Health Outcomes
  The purpose of this study is to describe and compare existing area-level indices of vulnerability by rurality and to examine associations between indices and health outcomes of interest by area-level measures of rurality.
  Research center: ETSU/NORC Rural Health Research Center
  Topics: Healthcare access, Poverty, Rural statistics and demographics, Social determinants of health, Uninsured and underinsured
  
• Considerations for the Use of Area-Level Vulnerability and Resilience Indices and Rurality in Funding Formulas
  The purpose of this study is to model potential funding formulas within states to understand how structural elements in formulas (i.e., inclusion of the Social Vulnerability Index, use of rural carve-outs or floor amounts, and other factors) affect county-level allocations compared to simple, population-based formulas.
  Research center: ETSU/NORC Rural Health Research Center
  Topics: Healthcare financing, Public health, Social determinants of health
  
• Going Beyond Hospital Closures: Estimating Rural and Urban Changes in Access to Hospital Service Lines
  Rural hospital closures have been prominent in the last decade and are an important reflection of decreases in access to essential healthcare services. However, hospital closures alone may overlook other decreases to access through service line closures. This study estimates hospital service line closures over time and by rurality.
  Research center: ETSU/NORC Rural Health Research Center
  Topics: Critical Access Hospitals (CAHs), Health services, Healthcare access, Hospitals and clinics
  
• State Use of Medicaid Funding Mechanisms for Community Health Workers: Implications for Rural Populations
  Community health workers (CHWs) serve on the front lines of health care, with states increasingly leveraging various funding mechanisms for their services. This project will describe and compare state use of two Medicaid mechanisms – Section 1115 demonstration waivers and state plan amendments – to support CHW services, focusing on potential implications for rural populations.
  Research center: ETSU/NORC Rural Health Research Center
  Topics: Allied health professionals, Health services, Healthcare financing, Medicaid and CHIP
  
• Understanding Rural Health Data Challenges through Analysis of Peer-Reviewed Publication Limitations
  This project will quantify and characterize health data-related limitations commonly identified in published studies on rural health and ways in which researchers overcome these challenges. Findings will provide a rigorous description of rural health data challenges, which may be used by researchers, policymakers, and rural health data collectors to improve rural data and research using rural data.
  Research center: ETSU/NORC Rural Health Research Center
  Topic: Rural statistics and demographics
  

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Completed Projects - (2)

• Assessment of the Area Deprivation Index in Rural Areas
  The Area Deprivation Index (ADI) was created by University of Wisconsin researchers to provide a score for neighborhoods based on their level of disadvantage. This study characterized differences in ADI in rural vs urban areas, summarized the existing literature on ADI, and described expert considerations for utilizing the ADI for future policy.
  Research center: ETSU/NORC Rural Health Research Center
  Topics: Frontier health, Poverty, Rural statistics and demographics, Social determinants of health
  
• Following the Money: Do Block Grant Resources Reach Rural Communities?
  This project applied a mixed methods design to describe the distribution of block grant resources from federal agencies through states to the local level in rural and non-rural communities in the United States. Findings could guide federal agencies and policy makers to develop strategies to more effectively target block grant resources to ensure that the needs of rural populations are addressed.
  Research center: ETSU/NORC Rural Health Research Center
  Topics: Health services, Healthcare financing, Public health, Rural statistics and demographics
  

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Publications - (1)