Study faults rural medical referral system in Ind.

A new study at the University of Indiana points to significant problems with the state's rural medical referral system. "The findings of this study demonstrate inefficiencies in our public health care system and our inability to link people easily to a range of health care providers in rural areas," said Michael Reece, lead investigator in the study and director of The Center for Sexual Health Promotion in the School of Health, Physical Education and Recreation.

"This also has an important economic impact given that our investments in the public health system may not be achieving the outcomes we need, such as improvements in health status," Reece says. The study is also significant because, he adds, "As the incidence of new HIV infections continues to increase in more diverse areas of the country, researchers can make incredible contributions to public health by focusing some of their attention to what is happening in the backyards of their own universities."(Read more)