Rural Health

Data, Maps and Other Resources

The Washington State Office of Community Health Systems, Rural Health section studies healthcare access and overall health in rural areas.

Maps

Healthcare Professional Shortage Area Maps

Medically Underserved Area and Population Map

MUA/P

Data

Rural Health systems Research

Rural/Urban Definitions – What is rural?

Rural is defined in many different ways. The Department of Health document Rural Urban Classification System (PDF) provides guidelines for using rural urban classification systems for public health assessment.

Sub-County Level: Zip Code and Census Tract

Rural-Urban Commuting Area (RUCA) codes are the current "state-of-the-art" tool for classifying rural areas. The spreadsheets contain secondary RUCA codes that are based on Census 2010.

County Level Rural-Urban Classification Systems

The county level definition combines classification systems from several state and federal agencies to determine rural-urban status:

Percent of population rural in Washington Counties (PDF)
Summary of Commonly Used Rural Urban Classifications for Washington Counties (PDF)
The UDS mapper is a tool that examines the health status of communities. State and local health officials, researchers and members of the public are able to identify how geographic or economic status hinders access to healthcare and who might benefit from expanded community health center programs, insurance subsidies in the newly formed insurance exchanges, or expanded Medicaid coverage.

Additional Health Data

Publications/Additional Information

Publications

Below are several resources and publications, focusing on health and health related profile of rural populations, available from internal and external sources.

More information

Contact the rural health epidemiologist at 360-236-2870 for more information about these reports and other rural health systems research.

Videos about working at a hospital or clinic, as a paramedic or volunteering in EMS and fire services

The Washington State Office of Rural Health and Primary Care Office support health systems planning and development in Washington's rural and underserved communities to improve health and healthcare across the life span.

Working at a hospital or clinic

Working as a paramedic

Emergency Medical and Fire Service volunteering - a volunteer by an ambulance

Volunteering in EMS and fire services

Financial Webinar Series: Rural Hospital and Rural Clinic

The State Office of Rural (SORH) at the Washington State Department of Health has partnered with Stroudwater Associates to offer to our rural hospitals and clinics a series of financial, operational, and strategic improvement topics in a Webinar format.

Webinar 1—Washington CAH – Revenue Cycle Management and Measurement

Revenue Cycle Management and Measure (PDF)

Webinar 2—Primary Care Options in Rural Healthcare

Primary Care Options in Rural Healthcare (PDF)

Webinar 3 — Market Analytics to Drive Decision Making

Market Analytics to Drive Decision Making (PDF)

Webinar 4 — Performance Improvement Program: Integration of Finance and Quality

Performance Improvement Program: Integration of Finance and Quality (PDF)

Webinar 5 — Washington RHC Legislative Update

Washington RHC Legislative Update (PDF)

Webinar 6 — Impact of Cost Report on CAH Decision Making

Impact of Cost Report on CAH Decision Making (PDF)

Webinar 7 — CAH Financial and Operational Best Practices

CAH Financial and Operational Best Practices (PDF)

Webinar 8 – Swing Bed Development

Swing Bed Development (PDF)

Critical Access and Rural Hospitals Annual Profiles

These snapshot profiles provide an understanding of each hospital and the services they offer.

Healthcare Access Reports

The healthcare access reports are informational reports collected as part of the Medicaid Provider Access Assessment. They are a snapshot overview of county-level workforce data, highlighting areas in Washington where a shortage of healthcare providers, servicing our undeserved, underprivileged populations, may exist. Reports are published as they are completed.

Rural counties