Rural Health
Resources by Topic: Emergency medical services
Oregon Areas of Unmet Health Care Need Report, 2025
Covers nine variables that describe areas of unmet healthcare need in Oregon and measure access to primary care, mental, and oral healthcare services. Areas of unmet need are scored based on variables within the following categories: availability of providers, ability to afford care, and utilization. Includes statistics and county-level information by service areas.
Date: 09/2025
Sponsoring organization: Oregon Office of Rural Health
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Covers nine variables that describe areas of unmet healthcare need in Oregon and measure access to primary care, mental, and oral healthcare services. Areas of unmet need are scored based on variables within the following categories: availability of providers, ability to afford care, and utilization. Includes statistics and county-level information by service areas.
Date: 09/2025
Sponsoring organization: Oregon Office of Rural Health
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Expiring Health Provisions of the 119th Congress
Outlines the healthcare-related funding and governmental authorities that will expire during the 119th Congress, calendars year 2025-2026, if not extended through congressional action. Highlights similar provisions that expired during the 118th Congress (2023-2024). Includes rural references throughout.
Date: 09/2025
Sponsoring organization: Congressional Research Service
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Outlines the healthcare-related funding and governmental authorities that will expire during the 119th Congress, calendars year 2025-2026, if not extended through congressional action. Highlights similar provisions that expired during the 118th Congress (2023-2024). Includes rural references throughout.
Date: 09/2025
Sponsoring organization: Congressional Research Service
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Rural EMS Regionalization - Opportunities and Policy Considerations
Explores models of emergency medical services (EMS) at the state level. Includes a case study exploring successes in Minnesota and offers policy recommendations to overcome common rural EMS challenges.
Author(s): Eli Steenhoek, Lauren Lavin, Keith Mueller
Date: 08/2025
Sponsoring organization: Rural Policy Research Institute Rural Health Panel
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Explores models of emergency medical services (EMS) at the state level. Includes a case study exploring successes in Minnesota and offers policy recommendations to overcome common rural EMS challenges.
Author(s): Eli Steenhoek, Lauren Lavin, Keith Mueller
Date: 08/2025
Sponsoring organization: Rural Policy Research Institute Rural Health Panel
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Quantitative Effects of Mechanical Cardiopulmonary Resuscitation Devices in Rural American Emergency Medical Services: A Retrospective Cohort Study
Examines the effect of mechanical cardiopulmonary resuscitation on out-of-hospital cardiac arrest incidents in rural areas and the usefulness of new technologies on rural emergency medical services (EMS). Utilizes 2017–2019 National Emergency Medical Services Information System data to analyze 585 rural cardiac arrests and the impact of mechanical cardiopulmonary resuscitation on EMS care quality.
Author(s): Peter H. King, Esmaeil Bahalkeh
Citation: International Journal of Emergency Medicine, 18, 151
Date: 08/2025
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Examines the effect of mechanical cardiopulmonary resuscitation on out-of-hospital cardiac arrest incidents in rural areas and the usefulness of new technologies on rural emergency medical services (EMS). Utilizes 2017–2019 National Emergency Medical Services Information System data to analyze 585 rural cardiac arrests and the impact of mechanical cardiopulmonary resuscitation on EMS care quality.
Author(s): Peter H. King, Esmaeil Bahalkeh
Citation: International Journal of Emergency Medicine, 18, 151
Date: 08/2025
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Rural Hospitals and the Rural Health Transformation Program: What Comes Next
Blog post discussing the rural health transformation program established in the July 2025 budget reconciliation law. Describes potential priorities for states' use of the rural health transformation program funding. Outlines additional steps Congress could take to help rural hospitals serve their communities.
Author(s): Emma Sheffert, Maya Sandalow
Date: 07/2025
Sponsoring organization: Bipartisan Policy Center
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Blog post discussing the rural health transformation program established in the July 2025 budget reconciliation law. Describes potential priorities for states' use of the rural health transformation program funding. Outlines additional steps Congress could take to help rural hospitals serve their communities.
Author(s): Emma Sheffert, Maya Sandalow
Date: 07/2025
Sponsoring organization: Bipartisan Policy Center
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How Should Rural EMS Funding Streams Be Improved?
Discusses the need and mechanisms for funding rural EMS systems more robustly. Offers suggestions for finding funding and discusses the decline in volunteerism.
Author(s): James Small
Citation: AMA Journal of Ethics, 27(7), E518-524
Date: 07/2025
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Discusses the need and mechanisms for funding rural EMS systems more robustly. Offers suggestions for finding funding and discusses the decline in volunteerism.
Author(s): James Small
Citation: AMA Journal of Ethics, 27(7), E518-524
Date: 07/2025
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Inadequate EMS in Rural Wisconsin: Strategies to Improve Reliability
Examines emergency medical services (EMS) in rural Wisconsin and provides a comparative analysis of EMS across rural counties and in other states. Focuses on policy interventions, recruitment and retention, training barriers, EMS infrastructure, financial constraints, and more. Includes data from an EMS reliability survey and interview feedback from EMS professionals.
Additional links: Brief
Author(s): Francis Amedoadzi, Anthony Carreno, Sammy Rothman, Lisa Severini, Gatiosso Traore
Date: 05/2025
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Examines emergency medical services (EMS) in rural Wisconsin and provides a comparative analysis of EMS across rural counties and in other states. Focuses on policy interventions, recruitment and retention, training barriers, EMS infrastructure, financial constraints, and more. Includes data from an EMS reliability survey and interview feedback from EMS professionals.
Additional links: Brief
Author(s): Francis Amedoadzi, Anthony Carreno, Sammy Rothman, Lisa Severini, Gatiosso Traore
Date: 05/2025
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Characteristics and Trends of Critical Access Hospitals That Own or Operate Ambulance Services
Explores trends in the number of Critical Access Hospital (CAH)-based ambulance services between 2017 and 2022. Analyzes Medicare Cost Report data to compare the characteristics of of CAHs that own and operate ambulance services to CAHs that do not. Presents findings from interviews with eight CAH-based ambulance services regarding the challenges of operating these services, including workforce recruitment and retention issues, the role of partnerships and community involvement, and lessons learned.
Author(s): John Gale, Karen Pearson, Rebecca Stearns, Zachariah Croll
Date: 05/2025
Sponsoring organization: Flex Monitoring Team
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Explores trends in the number of Critical Access Hospital (CAH)-based ambulance services between 2017 and 2022. Analyzes Medicare Cost Report data to compare the characteristics of of CAHs that own and operate ambulance services to CAHs that do not. Presents findings from interviews with eight CAH-based ambulance services regarding the challenges of operating these services, including workforce recruitment and retention issues, the role of partnerships and community involvement, and lessons learned.
Author(s): John Gale, Karen Pearson, Rebecca Stearns, Zachariah Croll
Date: 05/2025
Sponsoring organization: Flex Monitoring Team
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Impact of Hospital Closure on Rural Communities: A Qualitative Study
Examines the impact of rural hospital closure on access to care, and identifies ways that rural communities adapt to hospital closures. Utilizes interview excerpts from 25 informants examining themes related to pre-closure conditions, impacts on communities and health systems, and actions by communities, states, health systems, and emergency medical services.
Author(s): Redwan Bin Abdul Baten, Mina Shrestha, Fred Ullrich, Whitney Zahnd, Keith J. Mueller
Date: 05/2025
Sponsoring organization: RUPRI Center for Rural Health Policy Analysis
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Examines the impact of rural hospital closure on access to care, and identifies ways that rural communities adapt to hospital closures. Utilizes interview excerpts from 25 informants examining themes related to pre-closure conditions, impacts on communities and health systems, and actions by communities, states, health systems, and emergency medical services.
Author(s): Redwan Bin Abdul Baten, Mina Shrestha, Fred Ullrich, Whitney Zahnd, Keith J. Mueller
Date: 05/2025
Sponsoring organization: RUPRI Center for Rural Health Policy Analysis
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Sustaining Rural Hospital Access: Adjustments to Medicare Rural Hospital Designations
Describes the history of Medicare rural hospital designations. Discusses how traditional Medicare, Medicare Advantage, and Medicaid impact hospital finances. Outlines policy recommendations to the Secretary of Health and Human Services (HHS) and Congress regarding rural hospitals designations, payment adjustments, Medicare Advantage, and rural ambulance and emergency services.
Author(s): Emma Sheffert, Maya Sandalow
Date: 04/2025
Sponsoring organization: Bipartisan Policy Center
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Describes the history of Medicare rural hospital designations. Discusses how traditional Medicare, Medicare Advantage, and Medicaid impact hospital finances. Outlines policy recommendations to the Secretary of Health and Human Services (HHS) and Congress regarding rural hospitals designations, payment adjustments, Medicare Advantage, and rural ambulance and emergency services.
Author(s): Emma Sheffert, Maya Sandalow
Date: 04/2025
Sponsoring organization: Bipartisan Policy Center
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