Rural Health
News by Topic: Healthcare facilities
Mar 24, 2026 - Announces the National Rural Health Association's (NRHA) top 20 rural and community hospitals. The winners will be recognized at NRHA's Annual Rural Health Conference in May 2026.
Source: National Rural Health Association
Mar 18, 2026 - Describes proposed legislation aiming to increase access to healthcare for veterans in rural areas. A 5-year pilot program would create a preauthorization pathway for outpatient services for veterans within 35 miles of a Critical Access Hospital.
Source: Office of Senator Kevin Cramer
Mar 18, 2026 - Offers lessons for implementing large-scale state-based programs like the Rural Health Transformation Program based on a California program investing in primary care for small independent practices, tribal practices, and community health centers. Discusses technical assistance, timing of payments, tracking success, and collaboration to overcome measurement barriers.
Source: Health Affairs Forefront
Mar 17, 2026 - Announces more than $5 million in funding for 26 teaching health centers offering primary care medical and dental residency programs in rural and other communities through the Teaching Health Center Graduate Medical Education program. The program supports training in community-based outpatient facilities and is a strategy for increasing workforce in rural and underserved communities.
Source: Health Resources & Services Administration
Mar 16, 2026 - Notice from the Health Resources and Services Administration (HRSA) seeking comments on proposed revisions to an information collection request titled "Bureau of Health Workforce Health Workforce Connector OMB No. 0906-0031-Revision." The Health Workforce Connector (HWC) provides a central platform to connect participants, including but not limited to those in the National Health Service Corps (NHSC), Nurse Corps Scholarship and Loan Repayment Programs (Nurse Corps), Substance Use Disorder Treatment and Recovery (STAR) Loan Repayment Program, Pediatric Specialty (PS) Loan Repayment Program, Nursing Training, and Teaching Health Center Graduate Medical Education (THCGME) programs with facilities that are approved for their programs. Comments are due by April 15, 2026.
Source: Federal Register
Mar 12, 2026 - Notice from the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) making technical corrections to the November 5, 2025, final rule. This correction is effective March 12, 2026.
Source: Federal Register
Mar 12, 2026 - Describes state-level legislation in Mississippi creating a pilot program that changes certificate of needs (CON) laws. The program would loosen CON regulations for small communities with extra exemptions for the Mississippi Delta. Discusses the potential impact on rural hospitals.
Source: Mississippi Today
Mar 10, 2026 - Highlights a pilot program in a rural Missouri community offering a coordinated response to health and social needs for Medicaid patients. The program allows hospitals and other organizations to refer patients to service providers and track whether their needs are getting addressed. Describes how the program was started, the federal waiver that allows the program to run, and the technology used for it. Discusses sustainability challenges common for rural service providers.
Source: The Beacon: Missouri
Mar 10, 2026 - Announcement from the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) of the approval of the American Association for Accreditation of Ambulatory Surgery Facilities, dba QUAD A, for continued recognition as a national accrediting organization for Rural Health Clinics that wish to participate in the Medicare or Medicaid programs. This approval is applicable from March 23, 2026, through March 23, 2032.
Source: Federal Register
Mar 10, 2026 - Describes a hospital renovation project in rural Iowa. Includes discussion of how U.S. Department of Agriculture Community Facilities Direct Loans and Guaranteed Loans will be used for the project.
Source: U.S. Department of Agriculture