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Rural Health Information Hub
Rural Health Information Hub

Rural Health
News by Topic: Physicians

May 19, 2026 - The Health Resources and Services Administration (HRSA) is establishing a new system of records, Graduate Medical Education (GME) Full-Time Equivalent (FTE) Resident Assessment Records. The system will contain records about medical and dental residents training in children's hospitals and teaching health centers, which are used to justify the number of residents counted in calculated GME payments to the hospitals and health centers and avoid duplicate reimbursements. This notice is effective May 19, 2026, except for routine uses described in detail in this notice. Comments on this notice and the routine uses are due by June 18, 2026.
Source: Federal Register
May 15, 2026 - The University of Nebraska Medical Center has opened a new $95 million building on the Rural Health Education Complex in Kearney, allowing the campus to offer medicine, pharmacy, and public health programs for the first time. The number of healthcare students on the Kearney campus is expected to double, to about 625.
May 10, 2026 - The University of Minnesota Medical School is partnering with Lakewood Health System to launch a residency in Staples, a small city in west-central Minnesota. Residents will have one year of training in Minneapolis, followed by two years in Staples. The aim of the program is to address the shortage of doctors in rural Minnesota.
Source: MPR News
May 5, 2026 - Announces the opening of the VA Specialty Education Loan Repayment Program (SELRP), providing loan repayment support to recent physician graduates in exchange for clinical service at a VA facility. Details program eligibility and application information. The SELRP application cycle will close May 31, 2026.
Source: VA News
Related funding: Veterans Affairs Specialty Education Loan Repayment Program (SELRP)
Apr 7, 2026 - Announces Health Resources & Services Administration (HRSA) funding for nutrition service expansion into primary care settings and for rural residency programs for high-need specialties to address rural workforce shortages.
Source: U.S. Department of Health and Human Services
Apr 1, 2026 - The Government Accountability Office (GAO) is accepting nominations for appointment to the Board of Governors of the Patient-Centered Outcomes Research Institute (PCORI). Specifically, GAO is accepting nominations in the following categories: a physician, a quality improvement or health services researcher, and a representative of private payers who represents employers who self-insure employee benefits. Nominations are due by May 1, 2026.
Source: Federal Register
Mar 29, 2026 - Describes long distances to cancer treatment common in rural areas and how one Texas medical facility added the service in a small community. Discusses challenges in attracting oncologists to rural facilities and offering access to more modern, advanced treatments.
Source: CNN