Rural Project Examples Addressing Service delivery models

Updated/reviewed April 2026

Need: To increase access and quality of care for patients in rural Maine.
Intervention: Community hospitals and Federally Qualified Health Centers in Maine formed the Community Care Partnership of Maine Accountable Care Organization (CCPM ACO).
Results: CCPM serves about 250,000 patients in Maine every year. In addition, it has implemented shared savings arrangements/contracts with different Medicare Advantage and other private health payers.

Updated/reviewed March 2026

Need: Population health approach to decrease cardiovascular disease deaths in a rural Ohio healthcare delivery system's service area.
Intervention: A rural health system's investment in level II cardiac catheterization services and the required specialized cardiology workforce.
Results: In August 2018, Avita Health System started their cardiovascular service offerings in rural north central Ohio. Early results included decreased tertiary care hospital transfers. Building on the success of their increased ability to provide acute care, care coordination for patients with significant cardiovascular risks, preventive education with risk factor identification and modification, the health system continues to expand its local cardiovascular care.

Updated/reviewed March 2026

Need: The results of a 2013 county need assessment revealed that increased healthcare access would benefit the low resource areas of rural Hardin County, Ohio.
Intervention: With grant awards that included a 2015-2018 federal grant and in collaboration with local healthcare delivery systems, a rurally-located university pharmacy program's faculty and doctoral learners brought regularly scheduled pharmacist-led mobile clinic health services — ONU HealthWise Mobile Clinic — to the low resource areas of Hardin County, Ohio.
Results: In the decade since the original grant award, pharmacist-led mobile healthcare services' continued success has led to an expanded operation with a dual focus of providing both rural healthcare services and a setting to train rural practice-ready pharmacists. Additionally, interprofessional experiences for other healthcare profession learners have been added. In 2025, state-granted financial support allowed growth to include the purchase of a second vehicle expanding community pharmacy and telehealth services in surrounding rural counties.

Added February 2026

Need: To improve hypertension in rural Iowa patients.
Intervention: Promise Community Health Center offers team-based care to help patients manage hypertension.
Results: The center increased its hypertension control rate from 73% in 2022 to 84% in 2024.

Updated/reviewed November 2025

Need: To bring preventive care and other services to rural Missouri patients with chronic illnesses and difficulties accessing primary care.
Intervention: Community paramedics make home visits and provide basic care, home assessments, and medication reconciliation and facilitate telehealth visits.
Results: Patients experienced improved access to care, health status, and compliance with medication regimens along with increased patient engagement, satisfaction, and access to community resources.

Updated/reviewed October 2025

Need: To increase access to healthcare throughout Alabama.
Intervention: The Alabama Department of Public Health (ADPH) has created telehealth communications at county health departments.
Results: ADPH telehealth services are currently available in 65 of 67 county health departments.

Updated/reviewed August 2025

Need: To provide healthcare for children and adults at-risk for genetic conditions from the rural, uninsured Amish and Mennonite communities in southern Pennsylvania.
Intervention: A clinic that serves as a comprehensive medical practice for children and adults (primarily from the Amish and Mennonite communities) with rare, inherited, or complex disorders.
Results: In 2024, about 1,700 active patients with more than 480 unique genetic mutations were treated at the Clinic for Special Children.

Updated/reviewed August 2025

Need: Organized focus on COPD patients' medical needs to decrease hospital readmissions in a rural Ohio healthcare system.
Intervention: Creation of an integrated system model with nurse navigators central to evidence-based chronic disease care management approaches to COPD care.
Results: Since its creation in 2014, the model continues to mature its comprehensive approach to provide optimized acute and chronic care for the area's COPD patients.

Updated/reviewed July 2025

Need: Clinicians in rural and underserved areas are often unprepared to provide comprehensive medical-forensic examinations for patients who present for care following a sexual assault.
Intervention: The MDPH TeleSANE Center uses secure telehealth software to connect sexual assault nurse examiners to clinicians and patients in hospitals across Massachusetts — including five in rural counties — offering expert clinical guidance and support before, during, and after examinations.
Results: Clinicians report that the service gives them increased confidence throughout the examination process. To date, the MDPH TeleSANE Center has assisted in the care of over 1,234 patients.

Updated/reviewed April 2025

Need: Lack of access to oral healthcare for children from limited-income families in the rural and urban areas of South Dakota.
Intervention: Delta Dental of South Dakota launched the Delta Dental Mobile Program in 2004 to expand access to oral healthcare services to children throughout the rural state.
Results: The Delta Dental Mobile Program has provided over $44 million in dental care to more than 73,000 South Dakota children.

Rural Project Examples: Service delivery models