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Rural Health Information Hub
Rural Health Information Hub

Rural Health
News by Topic: Statistics and data

Jul 20, 2026 - Notice from the U.S. Census Bureau seeking comments on the proposed extension of an information collection titled "Generic Clearance for Internet Panel Pretesting and Qualitative Survey Methods Testing." The clearance will be used to conduct pretesting of decennial and demographic census and survey questionnaires, as well as communications and marketing strategies and data dissemination tools for the Census Bureau, prior to fielding them. Comments are due by September 18, 2026.
Source: Federal Register
Jul 16, 2026 - The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services is seeking comments on the following information collections: 1) Consumer Assessment of Healthcare Providers and Systems (CAHPS) Survey for Merit-based Incentive Payment Systems (MIPS); and 2) Hospice Survey and Deficiencies Report Form and Supporting Regulations. Comments are due August 17, 2026.
Source: Federal Register
Jul 16, 2026 - The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services is seeking comments on the following information collections: 1) CHIP State Plan Eligibility; 2) Model Application Template and Instructions for State Child Health Plan Under Title XXI of the Social Security Act, State Children's Health Insurance Program; 3) Home and Community Based Services (HCBS) Quality Measure Set (QMS) Reporting; 4) Medicaid State Plan Eligibility; 5) Health Home State Plan Amendment (SPA); 6) Child and Adult Core Set Measures; and 7) Health Home Core Sets. Comments are due July 30, 2026.
Source: Federal Register
Jul 15, 2026 - Announces the new Indigenous Data Sovereignty Policy, believed to be the first in the nation to formalize how tribal health data is managed between the government and tribal nations. Describes how the policy will be rolled out in phases as well as how the policy was created collaboratively between the state and tribal nations.
Source: KVOA
Jul 13, 2026 - Describes how Delaware is using Rural Health Transformation Program funds to improve information technology infrastructure for improved healthcare data exchange. The goal is to streamline workflows to reduce time spent on administrative tasks and increase time available for physicians and their patients. Notes that other states are also focusing on infrastructure and technology.
Source: Healthcare IT News
Jul 9, 2026 - Highlights recent research discussing the impact of where a person lives on health and how 8 data sets assess social risk across health conditions, populations, and geographies.
Source: U.S. Census Bureau
Jun 26, 2026 - Notice from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) allowing an additional 30 days for comment on the March 9, 2026, notice regarding the reinstatement of an information collection titled "Collaborating Center for Questionnaire Design and Evaluation for the National Center for Health Statistics (CCQDER)." The information collected by the CCQDER is used to evaluate questions for optimal design as well as to provide documentation supporting the validity of NCHS and other agencies' information collections. Comments are due within 30 days of this notice.
Source: Federal Register
Jun 23, 2026 - Highlights the Maternal, Infant, and Early Childhood Home Visiting Program (MIECHV) from the Health Resources and Services Administration. Discusses new data showing an increase in access for rural counties across the country.
Source: Health Resources & Services Administration
Jun 22, 2026 - Highlights new data showing increasing drive times to labor and delivery services for rural Arkansans. Discusses labor and delivery department closures in the state and how the population distribution makes offering the service challenging.
Source: Arkansas Advocate
Jun 16, 2026 - Notice from the Health Resources and Services Administration (HRSA) seeking comments on proposed updates to the Uniform Data System (UDS) for performance year 2026. Summarizes and responds to comments received in response to the related December 10, 2025, notice. Comments are due by July 16, 2026.
Source: Federal Register