Davis Patterson, PhD
WWAMI Rural Health Research Center
Phone: 206.543.1892
Email: davisp@uw.edu
Department of Family Medicine
University of Washington
4311 Eleventh Ave NE, Suite 210
Seattle, WA 98105
- Current Projects - (12)
- Completed Projects - (11)
- Publications - (50)
Current Projects - (12)
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Access to and Provision of Child and Youth Behavioral Health Services in the Rural and Urban U.S.
The need for behavioral health treatment for youth has been exacerbated by the COVID-19 pandemic. Little is known about the availability of youth behavioral health providers in rural areas. This study will investigate who provides behavioral health services to youth, how equitably the workforce is distributed, and gaps in service availability.
Research center: WWAMI Rural Health Research Center
Topics: Allied health professionals, Children and adolescents, Health disparities and health equity, Health services, Healthcare access, Mental and behavioral health, Nurses and nurse practitioners, Pharmacy and prescription drugs, Physician assistants, Physicians, Substance use and treatment, Workforce
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Barriers and Facilitators to Providing Rural Clinical Training for Health Professions Students and Residents
Scarce rural clinical training sites are the top barrier preventing medical schools, residencies, and nurse practitioner and physician assistant education programs, among other health professional training programs, from providing rural training to their students. This study aims to describe the barriers to offering rural clinical training and the potential solutions for establishing and sustaining interdisciplinary rural clinical training.
Research center: WWAMI Rural Health Research Center
Topics: Allied health professionals, Healthcare access, Nurses and nurse practitioners, Physician assistants, Physicians, Workforce
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Comparing Utilization and Quality of Home Health Care Between Medicare Fee-for-Service and Medicare Advantage Beneficiaries by Rural-Urban Status
This project examines differences in home health use and quality by enrollment in Medicare Fee-for-Service (FFS) versus Medicare Advantage (MA) plans. Findings will include information on rural-urban and intra-rural variation in home health care to inform policies on access, payment, and quality for Medicare FFS and MA plans.
Research center: WWAMI Rural Health Research Center
Topics: Aging, Allied health professionals, Health disparities and health equity, Health services, Healthcare access, Healthcare financing, Home health, Medicare, Medicare Advantage (MA), Post-acute care, Quality
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Dentist Supply, Dental Care Utilization, and Oral Health Among Rural and Urban U.S. Residents: Exploring Changes in the Past 15 Years
This project will describe the national supply of the rural and urban dental workforce and investigate whether rural adults, compared to urban adults, report lower dental care utilization, higher prevalence of dental disease or both. This study will also look at whether disparities in oral health care and supply have changed over the past 15 years.
Research center: WWAMI Rural Health Research Center
Topics: Allied health professionals, Health disparities and health equity, Health services, Healthcare access, Oral health, Workforce
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Disparities in Family Physician Burnout Before and During the COVID-19 Pandemic
High levels of burnout during the COVID-19 pandemic have been documented among health professionals, particularly women and persons from underrepresented groups. This study examines how burnout has changed from 2019 through 2021 among family physicians as well as variation by rural/urban geography, other sociodemographics, and practice characteristics to identify physicians most in need of interventions to foster resilience and alleviate burnout.
Research center: WWAMI Rural Health Research Center
Topics: Mental and behavioral health, Physicians, Workforce
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Methamphetamine Use, Mental Health Comorbidities, and Treatment in Rural and Urban Areas
This study will investigate methamphetamine (meth) use in rural versus urban areas - including meth use in combination with opioids and alcohol, mental health comorbidities, and perceived need for and receipt of treatment by meth users and those with meth use disorder - to identify hotspots for targeting of prevention and treatment resources.
Research center: WWAMI Rural Health Research Center
Topics: Mental and behavioral health, Substance use and treatment
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Specialist Physicians in the Rural and Urban U.S.: Supply, Distribution, and Access
This project will describe the geographic distribution (rural/urban, regional, and intra-rural) of specialist physicians who care for patients experiencing conditions that account for the top four leading causes of rural mortality. It will also explore how patients in rural communities that lack these specialists obtain needed care.
Research center: WWAMI Rural Health Research Center
Topics: Cancer, Care management, Chronic diseases and conditions, Frontier health, Health disparities and health equity, Health services, Healthcare access, Physicians, Social determinants of health, Telehealth, Workforce
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The Emerging Landscape of Rural Family Medicine Residency Training: Defining Models and Assessing Their Value
Rural residency training options for family physicians are growing, as is the evidence for rural training in promoting rural practice choice. This study aims to use a new classification of six residency program types to describe and quantify programs and positions by type and compare relative effectiveness in producing rural physicians.
Research center: WWAMI Rural Health Research Center
Topics: Health disparities and health equity, Health services, Healthcare access, Physicians, Workforce
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The Impact of Rural Surgery Training on General Surgeon Supply in Rural Communities
A growing number of general surgery programs offer rural training that aims to address the dwindling supply of rural surgeons. This study aims to describe program models for providing rural general surgery training; quantify the availability of programs; and compare the models' effectiveness in producing rural surgeons.
Research center: WWAMI Rural Health Research Center
Topics: Health disparities and health equity, Health services, Healthcare access, Physicians, Workforce
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Treatment, Provider, and Cost Differences for Rural and Urban Patients with Opioid Use Disorder Across the U.S.
This study describes and compares the treatment that rural and urban patients with opioid use disorder (OUD) receive, documenting the workforce providing care, distance that patients travel to receive care, and cost of care. Findings will inform policies to ensure that rural patients with OUD have access to care from local healthcare providers.
Research center: WWAMI Rural Health Research Center
Topics: Health services, Healthcare access, Healthcare financing, Mental and behavioral health, Nurses and nurse practitioners, Pharmacy and prescription drugs, Physician assistants, Physicians, Substance use and treatment, Telehealth
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Treatment, Provider, and Cost Differences for Rural and Urban Patients with Opioid Use Disorder and Medicaid Insurance Across the U.S.
This project will analyze Medicaid claims data to compare the treatment that rural and urban patients with opioid use disorder receive, documenting the workforce providing care, the distance that patients travel to receive care, and the cost of care. Findings from this study can be used to improve policies regarding opioid use disorder treatment.
Research center: WWAMI Rural Health Research Center
Topics: Health disparities and health equity, Health services, Healthcare access, Healthcare financing, Legislation and regulation, Medicaid and CHIP, Mental and behavioral health, Nurses and nurse practitioners, Pharmacy and prescription drugs, Physician assistants, Physicians, Substance use and treatment, Telehealth, Workforce
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Trends in Health Workforce Supply in the Rural U.S.
Rural communities in the U.S. have struggled to recruit and sustain sufficient health professionals to ensure adequate access to care. This study uses multiple sources of data to describe the geographic distribution (rural/urban, regional, and intra-rural) of numerous types of health professionals.
Research center: WWAMI Rural Health Research Center
Topics: Allied health professionals, Healthcare access, Mental and behavioral health, Nurses and nurse practitioners, Oral health, Physician assistants, Physicians
Completed Projects - (11)
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Family Medicine Rural Training Track Graduates: Determinants of Rural and Urban Practice
This project will survey physicians trained in "1-2" Rural Training Track (RTT) family medicine residencies to understand the characteristics, experiences, and attitudes that influenced their rural or urban practice choices.
Research center: WWAMI Rural Health Research Center
Topic: Workforce
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Influence of State Policies and Practices on J-1 Visa Waiver Physicians Service in Rural Areas
This study will collect information from all states regarding their efforts to track IMG practice after their Conrad 30 program waiver obligations are satisfied, quantify long-term retention for states with available data, and assess how state policies shape IMG practice and long-term retention.
Research center: WWAMI Rural Health Research Center
Topics: International Medical Graduates (IMGs), Physicians, Workforce
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Novel Master File of Rural Family Medicine Residency Training: Program Models and Graduate Outcomes
This study expands current work by the WWAMI RHRC to establish a comprehensive database of rural-focused family medicine residency training programs. We will use this database to (1) create a typology of rural-focused family medicine training and (2) evaluate program graduates' outcomes and the success of different program models.
Research center: WWAMI Rural Health Research Center
Topics: Physicians, Workforce
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Overcoming Barriers to Providing Rural Obstetrical Training for Physicians
Rural communities struggle to maintain obstetrical (OB) services, due in part to scarce rural training opportunities for obstetricians and family physicians. This study described the availability, characteristics, and output of residency and fellowship programs offering rural OB training and identified solutions to support this training.
Research center: WWAMI Rural Health Research Center
Topics: Healthcare access, Maternal health, Physicians, Women, Workforce
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Palliative Care in the Rural U.S.
This project described the availability of palliative care services in rural hospitals and community settings using data from the American Hospital Association Annual Survey, interviews with palliative care providers, and a survey of rural hospitals without palliative care services.
Research center: WWAMI Rural Health Research Center
Topics: Health disparities and health equity, Health services, Healthcare access, Hospice and palliative care, Hospitals and clinics
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Pre-hospital Emergency Medical Services Personnel in Rural and Urban Areas: Results from a Survey in Nine States
This study uses a survey of all ground-based pre-hospital emergency medical services (EMS) agencies in nine states (AR, FL, KS, MA, MT, NM, OR, SC, WI) to examine supply and demand for emergency response personnel, the involvement of medical directors, and the availability of medical consultation, in rural and urban agencies.
Research center: WWAMI Rural Health Research Center
Topics: Emergency medical services (EMS) and trauma, Workforce
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Prehospital Emergency Medical Services Personnel: Comparing Rural and Urban Provider Experience and Provision of Evidence-based Care
This study described the relationship between prehospital emergency medical services (EMS) providers' accumulated experience and provision of evidence-based care for rural and urban populations using newly available data on EMS agencies, personnel, and patient care.
Research center: WWAMI Rural Health Research Center
Topics: Allied health professionals, Emergency medical services (EMS) and trauma, Health services, Workforce
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Rural Training Track Technical Assistance Program
This project looks into the Rural Training Track Technical Assistance (RTT-TA) Program which is a recognized model for addressing rural primary care physician shortages. The WWAMI RHRC has led the research component to investigate RTT program characteristics, graduate outcomes, and factors affecting RTT sustainability and resilience.
Research center: WWAMI Rural Health Research Center
Topics: Physicians, Workforce
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The Supply and Rural-Urban Distribution of the Obstetrical Care Workforce in the U.S.
This project will use multiple data sources to characterize the distribution of the obstetrical care workforce in the U.S., comparing health professional-to-population ratios in rural and urban areas. Health professionals examined in this study include obstetricians, family physicians, and certified nurse midwives.
Research center: WWAMI Rural Health Research Center
Topics: Healthcare access, Maternal health, Physicians, Workforce
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What Impact Will Unified GME Accreditation Have on Rural-focused Physician Residencies
The impending unification of allopathic and osteopathic graduate medical education (GME) under a single accreditation system has uncertain implications for small and rural-focused residency programs. This study aimed to (1) quantify the rural practice outcomes of residencies in rurally-relevant specialties such as pediatrics, internal medicine, obstetrics/gynecology, emergency medicine, surgery, anesthesia, and psychiatry, and (2) interview key stakeholders to identify anticipated challenges of the accreditation merger and potential policies to strengthen vulnerable rural-focused residencies during the transition.
Research center: WWAMI Rural Health Research Center
Topic: Physicians
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What Is the Potential of Community Paramedicine to Fill Rural Healthcare Gaps?
Community paramedicine (CP) has been promoted as a strategy to help communities achieve the Triple Aim of improving healthcare and population health while lowering costs. This study proposes to collect descriptive information on CP programs that can be identified in the U.S., and for those programs with outcome data, compare rural with urban programs in terms of their goals, services offered, outcomes measured, and results, where available.
Research center: WWAMI Rural Health Research Center
Topics: Allied health professionals, Emergency medical services (EMS) and trauma
Publications - (50)
2024
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Palliative Care Challenges and Solutions in Rural U.S. Communities
Policy Brief
WWAMI Rural Health Research Center
Date: 09/2024
This study describes palliative care in rural communities. -
Estimated Impacts of Multiple Payment Policies on Rural-Serving Home Health Agencies
Policy Brief
WWAMI Rural Health Research Center
Date: 07/2024
This brief examines the estimated impact of three Medicare payment policy changes on home health agency (HHA) reimbursement by rural-serving status, geographic location, and select HHA characteristics.
2023
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Understanding and Overcoming Barriers to Rural Training in Family Medicine Obstetrics Fellowships
Policy Brief
WWAMI Rural Health Research Center
Date: 06/2023
This policy brief describes the results of a survey on the characteristics and challenges faced by rurally oriented family medicine obstetrics fellowship programs. All survey respondents reported their programs had a mission to train family physicians for rural practice, yet less than one-third of programs reported they required rural training. -
Understanding and Overcoming Barriers to Rural Obstetric Training for Family Physicians
Journal Article
WWAMI Rural Health Research Center
Date: 03/2023
Family physicians are the most common health professional providing rural obstetric (OB) care, but the number of family physicians practicing OB is declining. This mixed-methods study aimed to inform policy and practice solutions to address the training landscape and inform sustainable initiatives for rural family medicine obstetrical training.
2022
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Changes in the Supply and Rural-Urban Distribution of Counselors in the U.S., 2014-2021
Fact Sheet
WWAMI Rural Health Research Center
Date: 10/2022
There are rural vs. urban disparities and unequal distribution of behavioral health providers across U.S. Census Divisions. This study examined the trends in the supply of counselors by rural-urban status and Census Division. -
Changes in the Supply and Rural-Urban Distribution of Psychiatric Nurse Practitioners in the U.S., 2014-2021
Fact Sheet
WWAMI Rural Health Research Center
Date: 10/2022
There are rural vs. urban disparities and unequal distribution of behavioral health providers across U.S. Census Divisions. This study examined the trends in the supply of psychiatric nurse practitioners by rural-urban status and Census Division. -
Changes in the Supply and Rural-Urban Distribution of Psychiatrists in the U.S., 1995-2019
Fact Sheet
WWAMI Rural Health Research Center
Date: 10/2022
There are rural vs. urban disparities and unequal distribution of behavioral health providers across U.S. Census Divisions. This study examined the trends in the supply of psychiatrists by rural-urban status and Census Division. -
Changes in the Supply and Rural-Urban Distribution of Psychologists in the U.S., 2014-2021
Fact Sheet
WWAMI Rural Health Research Center
Date: 10/2022
There are rural vs. urban disparities and unequal distribution of behavioral health providers across U.S. Census Divisions. This study examined the trends in the supply of psychologists by rural-urban status and Census Division. -
Changes in the Supply and Rural-Urban Distribution of Social Workers in the U.S., 2014-2021
Fact Sheet
WWAMI Rural Health Research Center
Date: 10/2022
There are rural vs. urban disparities and unequal distribution of behavioral health providers across U.S. Census Divisions. This study examined the trends in the supply of social workers by rural-urban status and Census Division. -
Prehospital Emergency Medical Services Personnel: Comparing Rural and Urban Professional Experience and Provision of Evidence-Based Care
Policy Brief
WWAMI Rural Health Research Center
Date: 05/2022
This policy brief examines the effects of emergency medical services (EMS) personnel level of experience and agency rurality on the provision of evidenced-based care. Compared with urban-serving EMS agencies, rural-serving agencies provided evidence-based care less often for stroke, hypoglycemia, and trauma but more often for seizures. -
Quality of Home Health Agencies Serving Rural Medicare Beneficiaries
Policy Brief
WWAMI Rural Health Research Center
Date: 02/2022
This policy brief describes the quality of home health agencies (HHAs) by rural-serving status. While quality of patient care star ratings were not associated with rural-serving status, rural HHAs and urban HHAs that serve rural patients had higher patient experience star ratings than urban HHAs that do not serve rural patients. -
Quality of Skilled Nursing Facilities Serving Rural Medicare Beneficiaries
Policy Brief
WWAMI Rural Health Research Center
Date: 02/2022
This policy brief describes the quality of skilled nursing facilities (SNFs) by rural-serving status. While overall star ratings and staffing star ratings were not associated with rural-serving status, rural SNFs and urban SNFs that serve rural patients had lower quality star ratings compared to urban SNFs that do not serve rural patients.
2021
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The Distribution of the General Surgery Workforce in Rural and Urban America in 2019
Policy Brief
WWAMI Rural Health Research Center
Date: 03/2021
Researchers examined the 2019 per capita supply of general surgeons in rural and urban areas of the U.S. and compared those results to a similar study of general surgeon supply conducted in 2001. Researchers also examined change in the regional distribution and age and gender characteristics of general surgeons since 2001. -
Post-acute Care Trajectories for Rural Medicare Beneficiaries: Planned Versus Actual Hospital Discharges to Skilled Nursing Facilities and Home Health Agencies
Policy Brief
WWAMI Rural Health Research Center
Date: 03/2021
This policy brief describes trajectories for rural Medicare beneficiaries following hospital discharge, including differences between planned and actual discharge to skilled nursing facilities and home health agencies. More than 40% of beneficiaries for whom home health care was indicated did not receive care from a home health agency. -
Tracking the Geographic Distribution and Growth of Clinicians With a DEA Waiver to Prescribe Buprenorphine to Treat Opioid Use Disorder
Journal Article
WWAMI Rural Health Research Center
Date: 03/2021
The increase in clinicians who can prescribe buprenorphine improves access to treatment for opioid use disorder. Small remote rural communities continue to experience access challenges. 63.1% of all rural counties had at least one clinician with a Drug Enforcement Administration waiver, but more than half of small remote rural counties did not.
2020
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Comparing the Health Workforce Provider Mix and the Distance Travelled for Mental Health Services by Rural and Urban Medicare Beneficiaries
Journal Article
WWAMI Rural Health Research Center
Date: 08/2020
This study used 2014 administrative Medicare claims data to describe the mix of health professionals who care for rural and urban patients with mood and/or anxiety disorders. It further describes where these beneficiaries received care and the one-way distance (miles) and time (minutes) they travelled to receive it. -
The Supply and Rural-Urban Distribution of the Obstetrical Care Workforce in the U.S.
Policy Brief
WWAMI Rural Health Research Center
Date: 06/2020
Monitoring the supply of the obstetrical (OB) care workforce is important for identifying areas that may lack OB care access. This brief describes the supply and geographic distribution of obstetricians, advanced practice midwives, midwives (not advanced practice), and family physicians in rural versus urban counties. -
The Supply and Rural-Urban Distribution of the Obstetrical Care Workforce in the U.S. - A State-Level Analysis
Report
WWAMI Rural Health Research Center
Date: 06/2020
Monitoring the supply of the obstetrical (OB) care workforce is important for identifying areas that may lack OB care access. This set of data briefs describes the supply and geographic distribution of obstetricians, advanced practice midwives, midwives (not advanced practice), and family physicians in rural versus urban counties for every state. -
Variation in Use of Home Health Care Among Fee-for-Service Medicare Beneficiaries by Rural-Urban Status and Geographic Region: Assessing the Potential for Unmet Need
Policy Brief
WWAMI Rural Health Research Center
Date: 02/2020
This study describes use of home healthcare by rural-urban status and geographic region. Findings suggest geographic region drives variation more than rural-urban status. Unmet need may be highest in the most remote rural counties and rural counties within the West North Central, East North Central, Mountain, and Pacific Census Divisions.
2019
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Preparing Physicians for Rural Practice: Availability of Rural Training in Rural-Centric Residency Programs
Journal Article
WWAMI Rural Health Research Center
Date: 10/2019
This study surveyed physician residency programs in anesthesiology, emergency medicine, general surgery, internal medicine, obstetrics and gynecology, pediatrics, and psychiatry to describe training locations and rural-specific content of rural-centric residency programs (those requiring at least eight weeks of rurally located training). -
Prescribing Practices of Nurse Practitioners and Physician Assistants Waivered to Prescribe Buprenorphine and the Barriers They Experience Prescribing Buprenorphine
Journal Article
WWAMI Rural Health Research Center
Date: 10/2019
This study surveyed rural and urban nurse practitioners (NPs) and physician assistants (PAs) with Drug Enforcement Agency waivers to provide medication treatment for opioid use disorder by prescribing buprenorphine. Rural NPs and PAs reported facing many of the same barriers to providing buprenorphine as rural physicians have reported. -
Differences in Care Processes Between Community-Entry Versus Post-Acute Home Health for Rural Medicare Beneficiaries
Policy Brief
WWAMI Rural Health Research Center
Date: 04/2019
This study describes home healthcare processes for rural Medicare beneficiaries who are admitted from the community (community-entry) versus those who are admitted following an inpatient stay (post-acute). Care processes include timely initiation of care, length of stay, and services provided (e.g., physical therapy, medical social work).
2018
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Overcoming Barriers to Prescribing Buprenorphine for the Treatment of Opioid Use Disorder: Recommendations From Rural Physicians
Journal Article
WWAMI Rural Health Research Center
Date: 10/2018
Rural physicians with a Drug Enforcement Administration waiver to prescribe buprenorphine who were treating a higher than average number of opioid use disorder patients were interviewed about strategies and best practices for overcoming commonly cited barriers to incorporating and providing medication assisted treatment into their practices. -
Projected Contributions of Nurse Practitioners and Physicians Assistants to Buprenorphine Treatment Services for Opioid Use Disorder in Rural Areas
Journal Article
WWAMI Rural Health Research Center
Date: 08/2018
This study projected the potential increase in medication assisted treatment availability for opioid use disorder (OUD) provided by nurse practitioners (NPs) and physician assistants (PAs) for rural patients under the Comprehensive Addiction and Recovery Act, which allows NPs and PAs to obtain a waiver to prescribe buprenorphine for OUD. -
Different Populations Served by the Medicare Home Health Benefit: Comparison of Post-Acute Versus Community-Entry Home Health in Rural Areas
Policy Brief
WWAMI Rural Health Research Center
Date: 07/2018
This study describes differences between rural, fee-for-service Medicare beneficiaries who are admitted to home health from the community (community-entry) and those who are admitted to home health following an inpatient stay (post-acute) in terms of their clinical and non-clinical characteristics as well as the communities in which they live. -
Geographic Distribution of Providers With a DEA Waiver to Prescribe Buprenorphine for the Treatment of Opioid Use Disorder: A 5‐Year Update
Journal Article
WWAMI Rural Health Research Center
Date: 06/2018
This study compares the geographic distribution of physicians, physician assistants, and nurse practitioners waivered to prescribe buprenorphine in 2012 and 2017. -
Geographic Variation in the Supply of Selected Behavioral Health Providers
Journal Article
WWAMI Rural Health Research Center
Date: 06/2018
This study examined the supply of select behavioral health providers by metropolitan, micropolitan, and non-core county and Census Division. Psychiatrists, psychologists, and psychiatric nurse practitioners are unequally distributed throughout the U.S., with disparities between Census Divisions and rural vs. urban areas. -
Prescribing Practices of Rural Physicians Waivered to Prescribe Buprenorphine
Journal Article
WWAMI Rural Health Research Center
Date: 06/2018
This study finds more than 60% of rural counties don't have a physician waivered to prescribe buprenorphine, which is used to treat opioid use disorder. -
Service Provision and Quality Outcomes in Home Health for Rural Medicare Beneficiaries at High Risk for Unplanned Care
Journal Article
WWAMI Rural Health Research Center
Date: 06/2018
This study examined service provision and quality outcomes among rural Medicare beneficiaries who used home health from 2011-2013 and were at high risk for unplanned care. More skilled nursing visits and visits by more types of providers were associated with higher hospital readmission and emergency department use and lower community discharge.
2016
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What Is the Potential of Community Paramedicine to Fill Rural Healthcare Gaps?
Journal Article
WWAMI Rural Health Research Center
Date: 11/2016
This study collected information on rural community paramedicine in the U.S. programs to describe their goals, target populations, services offered, connections with local community providers and resources, outcomes measured, and results, where available. -
Community Factors and Outcomes of Home Health Care for High-Risk Rural Medicare Beneficiaries
Policy Brief
WWAMI Rural Health Research Center
Date: 10/2016
Outcomes of care vary by region of the country for rural Medicare beneficiaries receiving home health services for high-risk conditions such as heart failure. Those in the East South Central and West South Central Census Divisions had lower rates of community discharge and higher rates of hospital readmission and emergency department use. -
Do Residencies That Aim to Produce Rural Family Physicians Offer Relevant Training?
Journal Article
WWAMI Rural Health Research Center
Date: 09/2016
Examines the rural-centric family medicine residencies, their training locations, and rurally relevant skills training provided. Rural training can promote rural practice, but the number of family medicine residencies with a rural focus, geographic distribution of training, and training content are poorly understood. -
Supply and Distribution of the Behavioral Health Workforce in Rural America
Policy Brief
WWAMI Rural Health Research Center
Date: 09/2016
This brief uses National Provider Identifier (NPI) data to report on the variability of the supply and provider to population ratios of five types of behavioral health workforce providers (psychiatrists, psychologists, social workers, psychiatric nurse practitioners, counselors) in Metropolitan, Micropolitan and Non-core rural areas across the U.S. -
Graduates of Rural-centric Family Medicine Residencies: Determinants of Rural and Urban Practice
Policy Brief
WWAMI Rural Health Research Center
Date: 07/2016
This study of graduates of family medicine residencies seeking to produce rural physicians identified influences on rural practice choice, including significant others, residency, and practice communities. Findings point to the need to sustain the preferences of physicians interested in rural practice and encourage this interest in others. -
Conrad 30 Waivers for Physicians on J-1 Visas: State Policies, Practices, and Perspectives
Report
WWAMI Rural Health Research Center
Date: 03/2016
States rely on international medical graduates (IMGs) to fill workforce gaps in rural and urban underserved areas. This study collected quantitative and qualitative information from states to assess how state policies and practices shape IMG recruitment and practice in underserved areas. -
How Could Nurse Practitioners and Physician Assistants Be Deployed to Provide Rural Primary Care?
Policy Brief
WWAMI Rural Health Research Center
Date: 03/2016
New (2014) rural enrollees in the insurance plans on federal and state exchanges are expected to generate about 1.39 million primary care visits per year. At a national level, it would require 345 full-time equivalent physicians to provide those visits. This study examines how different mixes of physicians, PAs, and NPs might meet the increase. -
Outcomes of Rural-Centric Residency Training to Prepare Family Medicine Physicians for Rural Practice
Policy Brief
WWAMI Rural Health Research Center
Date: 03/2016
Among those with eight or more weeks of rural training, no single program characteristic or model offered sustained advantages over any other type in producing high yields to rural practice. -
Access to Rural Home Health Services: Views From the Field
Report
WWAMI Rural Health Research Center
Date: 02/2016
Access to home health care can be challenging for rural Medicare clients. Key informants for this study detailed obstacles, including financial, regulatory, workforce, and geographic issues. Rural communities will likely benefit from payment reforms that reward quality services while providing incentives to use best practices in home health care. -
Family Medicine Rural Training Track Residencies: 2008-2015 Graduate Outcomes
Policy Brief
WWAMI Rural Health Research Center
Date: 02/2016
This policy brief is the latest in a series tracking the rural practice outcomes of family physicians who have completed graduate medical education in Rural Training Track (RTT) residency programs.
2015
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Access to Health Information Technology Training Programs at the Community College Level
Policy Brief
WWAMI Rural Health Research Center
Date: 11/2015
Successful implementation of health information technology (HIT) in rural areas depends on a well-trained HIT workforce, and community colleges are key in producing this workforce. This study examined HIT workforce development programs in community colleges to find their strengths and needs. -
Prehospital Emergency Medical Services Personnel in Rural Areas: Results From a Survey in Nine States
Report
WWAMI Rural Health Research Center
Date: 08/2015
This study examines supply and demand for emergency response personnel, the involvement of medical directors, and the availability of medical consultation in rural and urban emergency service personnel (EMS) agencies in nine states. -
Recruitment of Non-U.S. Citizen Physicians to Rural and Underserved Areas Through Conrad State 30 J-1 Visa Waiver Programs
Report
WWAMI Rural Health Research Center
Date: 07/2015
Conrad 30 programs allow international medical graduates (IMGs) on J-1 visas to remain in the U.S. after their residencies to provide healthcare for medically underserved populations. Information from state health department personnel was used to characterize national trends in waivers and factors related to states' successful recruitment of IMGs. -
Graduate Medical Education Financing: Sustaining Medical Education in Rural Places
Policy Brief
WWAMI Rural Health Research Center
Date: 05/2015
Rural Training Track (RTT) graduate medical education programs have shown success at preparing family physicians for rural practice, but financial difficulties have contributed to program closures. This policy brief reports on a survey of RTT directors and administrators across the U.S. to understand their finances.
2014
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Health Information Technology Workforce Needs of Rural Primary Care Practices
Journal Article
WWAMI Rural Health Research Center
Date: 07/2014
Assesses electronic health records and heath information technology workforce resources that are needed by rural primary care practices to manage the increasing patient populations. -
Support for Rural Recruitment and Practice Among U.S. Nurse Practitioner Education Programs
Policy Brief
WWAMI Rural Health Research Center
Date: 05/2014
This brief details nurse practitioner (NP) education programs across the United States to identify those actively promoting NP practice in rural areas. It also describes the use of education methods that may promote rural practice and identifies barriers to recruiting rural students and providing rural NP clinical training.
2013
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Rural Residency Training for Family Medicine Physicians: Graduate Early-Career Outcomes, 2008-2012
WWAMI Rural Health Research Center
Date: 01/2013
This policy brief provides an update on the rural and shortage area practice outcomes of family physicians who have completed graduate medical education in Rural Training Track (RTT) residency programs.
2012
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The Contributions of Community Colleges to the Education of Allied Health Professionals in Rural Areas of the United States
Policy Brief
WWAMI Rural Health Research Center
Date: 10/2012
This policy brief describes where community college allied health education programs (of those most relevant to rural healthcare delivery) are located in relation to rural populations and small rural hospitals. -
The Contributions of Community Colleges to the Education of Allied Health Professionals in Rural Areas of the United States (Final Report)
WWAMI Rural Health Research Center
Date: 10/2012
Community colleges educate a significant portion of the nation's allied health workforce, and because they have a history of educating residents of their communities for local jobs, they are important to the economies of many rural communities. -
Rural Residency Training for Family Medicine Physicians: Graduate Early-Career Outcomes
WWAMI Rural Health Research Center
Date: 01/2012
This policy brief describes the characteristics of family physicians who have completed graduate medical education in Rural Training Track residency programs and their outcomes in terms of practice in rural communities, health professional shortage areas, and safety net facilities.
2011
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Training Physicians for Rural Practice: Capitalizing on Local Expertise to Strengthen Rural Primary Care
Policy Brief
WWAMI Rural Health Research Center
Date: 01/2011
This policy brief explains the challenges of ensuring sufficient numbers of well-prepared family physicians for rural communities and describes the Rural Training Track (RTT) Technical Assistance Program, a strategy to utilize local expertise in sustaining the "1-2" RTT as a national model for training physicians for rural practice.