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Rural Health Information Hub
Rural Health Information Hub

Rural Health
News by Topic: Physicians

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
Mar 23, 2026 - Profiles a rural Arizona doctor preparing for retirement. Describes the impact on a rural community when the only doctor stops practicing, discussing health professional shortage areas, recruitment challenges, and distance to healthcare.
Source: Cronkite News
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 6, 2026 - Profiles a labor and delivery department in a rural North Carolina Critical Access Hospital. Maternity services were re-started in 2020 using family physicians after closing the department in 1991. Describes maternity care access across North Carolina, challenges with sustaining the service for rural communities, and how they can be a model to other rural communities.
Source: North Carolina Health News
Mar 2, 2026 - The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) is seeking comments on an information collection titled "Medicare Enrollment Application for Physician and Non-Physician Practitioners." The Form CMS-855I is the enrollment application submitted by physicians and non-physician practitioners to ensure the applicant has the necessary credentials to provide the healthcare services for which they intend to bill Medicare. Comments are due by April 1, 2026.
Source: Federal Register
Feb 24, 2026 - Describes workforce shortages in rural Colorado and a rural-focused program in the University of Colorado Denver Anschutz School of Medicine aiming to reduce those shortages. Highlights the programs attention to rural training and preparing students for family medicine.
Source: The Grand Junction Daily Sentinel
Feb 19, 2026 - Discusses the work of resident physicians in rural Missouri. A new rural residency program has placed 2 residents in rural communities, improving access for those in the area.
Source: KRCG