Pharmacy and prescription drugs

Current Projects

• 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
  
• Evaluating the Impact of Inflation Reduction Act Provisions on Medicare Advantage Prescription Drug Costs
  Using Merative MarketScan data, this study will evaluate changes in the affordability of prescription drugs for urban and rural Medicare beneficiaries before and after the recent Inflation Reduction Act (IRA). The primary outcome will be an assessment of whether the IRA succeeded in reducing costs and identifying any remaining health disparities.
  Research center: Rural and Underserved Health Research Center
  Topics: Health disparities and health equity, Healthcare financing, Medicare Advantage (MA), Pharmacy and prescription drugs
  
• Prevalence of Opioid Prescribing, Diagnoses of Opioid Use Disorder, Treatment Patterns, and Costs Among Rural Medicare Beneficiaries
  Opioid use disorder (OUD) diagnoses among the aged and disabled are among the highest and fastest growing. This study uses the 2010-2017 Medicare Current Beneficiary Survey to examine opioid prescribing rates and explore risk factors associated with OUDs and associated treatment patterns and costs within rural and urban Medicare populations.
  Research center: Maine Rural Health Research Center
  Topics: Medicare, Pharmacy and prescription drugs, Substance use and treatment
  
• Rural-Urban Differences in Out-of-Pocket Prescription Drug Spending
  Using data from the 2014-17 Medical Expenditure Panel Survey, this study will examine rural-urban differences in out-of-pocket costs for prescription drugs. Additional analyses will examine rural-urban differences in out-of-pocket costs by type of medication and third party payer.
  Research center: Maine Rural Health Research Center
  Topics: Pharmacy and prescription drugs, Uninsured and underinsured
  
• 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
  
• 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