Rural Health
Resources by Topic: Health systems
Keeping Care Close to Home: Rural Maternal Health Case Study - A Comprehensive System of Maternal Care in Mississippi
Profiles the Delta Health System in the rural Mississippi Delta and its role in providing healthcare access. Discusses maternal healthcare workforce challenges and strategies to improve the workforce through collaboration and doula care.
Date: 11/2026
Sponsoring organization: American Hospital Association
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Profiles the Delta Health System in the rural Mississippi Delta and its role in providing healthcare access. Discusses maternal healthcare workforce challenges and strategies to improve the workforce through collaboration and doula care.
Date: 11/2026
Sponsoring organization: American Hospital Association
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Solving Georgia's Healthcare Staffing Crisis Locally
A recorded podcast featuring Jim Matney, president and CEO of Colquitt Regional Health System in rural Georgia. Discusses workforce development and rural healthcare pathways, focusing on physician residency programs, a high school practical nursing program, and collaboration with local colleges.
Author(s): Tom Haederle, Elisa Arespacochaga, Jim Matney
Date: 11/2026
Sponsoring organization: American Hospital Association
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A recorded podcast featuring Jim Matney, president and CEO of Colquitt Regional Health System in rural Georgia. Discusses workforce development and rural healthcare pathways, focusing on physician residency programs, a high school practical nursing program, and collaboration with local colleges.
Author(s): Tom Haederle, Elisa Arespacochaga, Jim Matney
Date: 11/2026
Sponsoring organization: American Hospital Association
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Community Characteristics Associated With Health System Penetration
Examines the relationship between community-level characteristics and health system penetration. Analyzes the geographic healthcare market using 2020 Commuting Zones (CZs) and provides 2016-2023 data on health system penetration according to solo-hospital zones, multi-hospital zones, community sociodemographics, rurality, and region. Includes U.S. maps showing distribution of health system penetration by CZ in 2016 and 2023.
Author(s): Haoyu Bi, Mark Louie Ramos, Jeannette A. Rogowski, Charleen Hsuan
Citation: Medical Care Research and Review, 83(6)
Date: 09/2026
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Examines the relationship between community-level characteristics and health system penetration. Analyzes the geographic healthcare market using 2020 Commuting Zones (CZs) and provides 2016-2023 data on health system penetration according to solo-hospital zones, multi-hospital zones, community sociodemographics, rurality, and region. Includes U.S. maps showing distribution of health system penetration by CZ in 2016 and 2023.
Author(s): Haoyu Bi, Mark Louie Ramos, Jeannette A. Rogowski, Charleen Hsuan
Citation: Medical Care Research and Review, 83(6)
Date: 09/2026
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Frontiers: A Rural Maternal Health Podcast Series
A podcast series that examines strategies hospitals use to improve access to maternal healthcare and connect rural areas with clinical expertise.
Additional links: Episode 1 - Frontiers: Committing to Rural Maternal Care, Episode 2 - Frontiers: The People Powering Rural Maternal Care, Episode 3 - Connected Rural Maternal Care, Closer to Home
Date: 09/2026
Sponsoring organization: American Hospital Association
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A podcast series that examines strategies hospitals use to improve access to maternal healthcare and connect rural areas with clinical expertise.
Additional links: Episode 1 - Frontiers: Committing to Rural Maternal Care, Episode 2 - Frontiers: The People Powering Rural Maternal Care, Episode 3 - Connected Rural Maternal Care, Closer to Home
Date: 09/2026
Sponsoring organization: American Hospital Association
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Meeting Challenges of Staffing Rural Health Systems: Strategies and Actions in Eight Organizations
Summarizes key findings from conversations with health system leaders regarding workforce strategy and operations challenges. Describes initiatives used in rural healthcare settings to offset clinical, administrative, and technical support staffing constraints; accommodate evolving care needs; and address limitations unique to rural settings.
Author(s): Lauren Lavin, Alva O. Ferdinand, Mark Holmes, et al.
Date: 08/2026
Sponsoring organization: Rural Policy Research Institute Rural Health Panel
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Summarizes key findings from conversations with health system leaders regarding workforce strategy and operations challenges. Describes initiatives used in rural healthcare settings to offset clinical, administrative, and technical support staffing constraints; accommodate evolving care needs; and address limitations unique to rural settings.
Author(s): Lauren Lavin, Alva O. Ferdinand, Mark Holmes, et al.
Date: 08/2026
Sponsoring organization: Rural Policy Research Institute Rural Health Panel
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Rural Hospitals in Pennsylvania in the Context of Healthcare Market Consolidations
Provides an assessment of rural hospitals in Pennsylvania, comparing them to urban hospitals. Examines factors potentially associated with mergers, acquisitions, and health system affiliations, based on interviews and virtual site visits with selected hospitals from 2016-2023. Includes county-level data on available services, utilization, number of beds and more.
Author(s): Yunfeng Shi, Amy Yeung, Tess Wilson, Lisa Davis
Date: 08/2026
Sponsoring organization: Center for Rural Pennsylvania
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Provides an assessment of rural hospitals in Pennsylvania, comparing them to urban hospitals. Examines factors potentially associated with mergers, acquisitions, and health system affiliations, based on interviews and virtual site visits with selected hospitals from 2016-2023. Includes county-level data on available services, utilization, number of beds and more.
Author(s): Yunfeng Shi, Amy Yeung, Tess Wilson, Lisa Davis
Date: 08/2026
Sponsoring organization: Center for Rural Pennsylvania
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An Exploratory Analysis of U.S. Health System Workforce Trends
Examines the impact of hospital mergers and acquisitions (M&As) and changes in health system affiliations on workforce availability. Utilizes 2018 and 2020-2023 Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality (AHRQ) Compendium of U.S. Health Systems data to examine hospital system membership and system workforce characteristics. Provides breakdowns of primary care physician, all physician, nurse practitioner, and physician assistant workforce supply per bed according to hospital characteristics such as census region, ownership, operating margin, and rurality.
Author(s): Deborah Odihi, Tyler Malone
Date: 07/2026
Sponsoring organization: North Carolina Rural Health Research Program
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Examines the impact of hospital mergers and acquisitions (M&As) and changes in health system affiliations on workforce availability. Utilizes 2018 and 2020-2023 Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality (AHRQ) Compendium of U.S. Health Systems data to examine hospital system membership and system workforce characteristics. Provides breakdowns of primary care physician, all physician, nurse practitioner, and physician assistant workforce supply per bed according to hospital characteristics such as census region, ownership, operating margin, and rurality.
Author(s): Deborah Odihi, Tyler Malone
Date: 07/2026
Sponsoring organization: North Carolina Rural Health Research Program
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"You're the Person for Me:" Patient Perceptions of Cancer Care Team Selection and Experiences with Care Coordination Within a Rural Hub-and-Spoke Health System
Examines patient perceptions of cancer care team selection within a rural hub-and-spoke healthcare system. Utilizes interview feedback from breast, lung, and colorectal cancer patients receiving treatment within a large, rural academic health system and discusses patient preferences, experiences, interpersonal factors, practical choices, and more related to team-based care selection.
Author(s): Mia St. Angelo, Erika L. Moen, Laura B. Beidler, Christine M. Gunn
Citation: Cancer Causes & Control, 37(93)
Date: 05/2026
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Examines patient perceptions of cancer care team selection within a rural hub-and-spoke healthcare system. Utilizes interview feedback from breast, lung, and colorectal cancer patients receiving treatment within a large, rural academic health system and discusses patient preferences, experiences, interpersonal factors, practical choices, and more related to team-based care selection.
Author(s): Mia St. Angelo, Erika L. Moen, Laura B. Beidler, Christine M. Gunn
Citation: Cancer Causes & Control, 37(93)
Date: 05/2026
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One or Two Health Systems Controlled the Entire Market for Inpatient Hospital Care in Nearly Half of Metropolitan Areas in 2024
Examines the competitiveness of hospital markets in 2024 by analyzing RAND Hospital Data and American Hospital Association (AHA) survey data. Presents data on the share of metropolitan statistical areas (MSAs) controlled by a small number of health systems, the level of market concentration in MSAs, and the share of hospitals affiliated with health systems over time. Compares the share of hospitals affiliated with health systems in rural and non-rural areas.
Author(s): Jamie Godwin, Zachary Levinson, Tricia Neuman
Date: 03/2026
Sponsoring organization: KFF
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Examines the competitiveness of hospital markets in 2024 by analyzing RAND Hospital Data and American Hospital Association (AHA) survey data. Presents data on the share of metropolitan statistical areas (MSAs) controlled by a small number of health systems, the level of market concentration in MSAs, and the share of hospitals affiliated with health systems over time. Compares the share of hospitals affiliated with health systems in rural and non-rural areas.
Author(s): Jamie Godwin, Zachary Levinson, Tricia Neuman
Date: 03/2026
Sponsoring organization: KFF
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Community-Based Recruiting: Keeping Providers Close, with Joe Theine and Jen Gero
An episode of the Exploring Rural Health podcast featuring Joe Theine, CEO of Southwest Health System, based in Cortez, Colorado, and Jen Gero, MD, SHS Chief Medical Officer. Focuses on their health system's community-based recruiting activities and how these efforts help integrate new providers into the community. Part 1 in a 3-part series from the December 2025 Health Innovation Potluck held in Hutchinson, Kansas.
Date: 02/2026
Sponsoring organization: Rural Health Information Hub
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An episode of the Exploring Rural Health podcast featuring Joe Theine, CEO of Southwest Health System, based in Cortez, Colorado, and Jen Gero, MD, SHS Chief Medical Officer. Focuses on their health system's community-based recruiting activities and how these efforts help integrate new providers into the community. Part 1 in a 3-part series from the December 2025 Health Innovation Potluck held in Hutchinson, Kansas.
Date: 02/2026
Sponsoring organization: Rural Health Information Hub
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