Rural Health
Resources by Topic: Health workforce
Where Have We Been and Where Are We Going? The State of the Hematology and Medical Oncologist Workforce in America
Examines the supply and distribution of medical oncologists and hematologists over time, utilizing 2014, 2019, and 2024 data sets from Medicare Care Compare. Includes data on associations between county-level rurality, oncologist availability, and oncologists close to retirement age, among other geographic and demographic analyses.
Author(s): M. Kelsey Kirkwood, Erin P. Balogh, Melissa K. Accordino, et al.
Citation: JCO Oncology Practice
Date: 10/2025
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Examines the supply and distribution of medical oncologists and hematologists over time, utilizing 2014, 2019, and 2024 data sets from Medicare Care Compare. Includes data on associations between county-level rurality, oncologist availability, and oncologists close to retirement age, among other geographic and demographic analyses.
Author(s): M. Kelsey Kirkwood, Erin P. Balogh, Melissa K. Accordino, et al.
Citation: JCO Oncology Practice
Date: 10/2025
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Affordability of Health Professional Education: Proceedings of a Workshop Series—In Brief
Summarizes presentations and discussions from the National Academies Global Forum on Innovation in Health Professional Education, convened in early 2025 to explore financial barriers, assess workforce effects, and consider ways to improve the value and accessibility of health professional education. Discusses primary care workforce shortages and lack of training opportunities in rural areas.
Date: 10/2025
Sponsoring organization: National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine
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Summarizes presentations and discussions from the National Academies Global Forum on Innovation in Health Professional Education, convened in early 2025 to explore financial barriers, assess workforce effects, and consider ways to improve the value and accessibility of health professional education. Discusses primary care workforce shortages and lack of training opportunities in rural areas.
Date: 10/2025
Sponsoring organization: National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine
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Investing in Primary Care: The Nurse Practitioner Will See You Now
Describes opportunities to support advancement of preparation and growth for nurse practitioners (NPs) to meet the population's primary care needs. Explores the importance of NPs in rural and underserved communities, and Health Professional Shortage Areas.
Author(s): Jessica McCann, Margaret Flinter
Date: 10/2025
Sponsoring organization: Milbank Memorial Fund
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Describes opportunities to support advancement of preparation and growth for nurse practitioners (NPs) to meet the population's primary care needs. Explores the importance of NPs in rural and underserved communities, and Health Professional Shortage Areas.
Author(s): Jessica McCann, Margaret Flinter
Date: 10/2025
Sponsoring organization: Milbank Memorial Fund
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The Latest Trends in Health Workforce Legislation
Summarizes an August 2025 discussion of the National Conference of State Legislatures' Health Workforce Peer Learning Group regarding state healthcare workforce policy trends. Covers state policy levers to recruit and retain members of the health workforce and promote access to care. Includes rural references throughout.
Author(s): Kelsie George
Date: 10/2025
Sponsoring organization: National Conference of State Legislatures
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Summarizes an August 2025 discussion of the National Conference of State Legislatures' Health Workforce Peer Learning Group regarding state healthcare workforce policy trends. Covers state policy levers to recruit and retain members of the health workforce and promote access to care. Includes rural references throughout.
Author(s): Kelsie George
Date: 10/2025
Sponsoring organization: National Conference of State Legislatures
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Many Medicare Advantage and Medicaid Managed Care Plans Have Limited Behavioral Health Provider Networks and Inactive Providers
Examines the availability of behavioral health providers in selected Medicare Advantage (MA) and Medicaid managed care networks in 2023. Analyzes provider network lists and MA and Medicaid encounter data for four MA and two Medicaid managed care plans from 10 selected urban and rural counties across five states. Describes the proportion of the behavioral health workforce in each county included in the plans' networks. Discusses the extent to which managed care plans had inactive providers in their network and why these providers did not deliver services to enrollees. Includes data on the percentage of inactive providers in rural and urban counties. Offers recommendations to monitor and improve the accuracy of provider networks.
Additional links: Report Highlights
Date: 10/2025
Sponsoring organization: Office of Inspector General (HHS)
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Examines the availability of behavioral health providers in selected Medicare Advantage (MA) and Medicaid managed care networks in 2023. Analyzes provider network lists and MA and Medicaid encounter data for four MA and two Medicaid managed care plans from 10 selected urban and rural counties across five states. Describes the proportion of the behavioral health workforce in each county included in the plans' networks. Discusses the extent to which managed care plans had inactive providers in their network and why these providers did not deliver services to enrollees. Includes data on the percentage of inactive providers in rural and urban counties. Offers recommendations to monitor and improve the accuracy of provider networks.
Additional links: Report Highlights
Date: 10/2025
Sponsoring organization: Office of Inspector General (HHS)
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Transforming Rural Health Care Through Medicaid Innovation: Tip Sheet Series
Informational tip sheets discussing the use of Medicaid innovations to assist states in creating their Rural Health Transformation (RHT) Program applications. Discusses behavioral health, school-based services, and integrated care access. Provides examples, strategies, Medicaid policy information, and resources.
Additional links: Improving Access to Integrated Care for Dually Eligible Individuals in Rural Areas, Leveraging Peers and Lay Counselors to Address Behavioral Health Care Workforce Shortages in Rural Areas, Using School-Based Services to Improve Access to Preventive Health Care for Children in Rural Areas
Author(s): Molly Knowles, Nancy Archibald, Karla Silverman, Lauren Scannelli Jacobs
Date: 10/2025
Sponsoring organization: Center for Health Care Strategies
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Informational tip sheets discussing the use of Medicaid innovations to assist states in creating their Rural Health Transformation (RHT) Program applications. Discusses behavioral health, school-based services, and integrated care access. Provides examples, strategies, Medicaid policy information, and resources.
Additional links: Improving Access to Integrated Care for Dually Eligible Individuals in Rural Areas, Leveraging Peers and Lay Counselors to Address Behavioral Health Care Workforce Shortages in Rural Areas, Using School-Based Services to Improve Access to Preventive Health Care for Children in Rural Areas
Author(s): Molly Knowles, Nancy Archibald, Karla Silverman, Lauren Scannelli Jacobs
Date: 10/2025
Sponsoring organization: Center for Health Care Strategies
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Using Propensity-Score Matched Cohorts to Evaluate Career Outcomes for Medical Students Completing the Underserved Pathway
Results of a study comparing career outcomes of medical students who completed the Underserved Pathway (UP) at the University of Washington School of Medicine to a cohort of peers who did not complete the UP. Examines whether UP participants were more likely to practice in rural communities and/or primary care than their peers. Features demographics and statistics on factors associated with rural family medicine and rural primary care practices.
Author(s): Genya Shimkin, Kimberly Kardonsky, Alisse Cassell, et al.
Citation: Family Medicine, 57(9), 627-633
Date: 10/2025
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Results of a study comparing career outcomes of medical students who completed the Underserved Pathway (UP) at the University of Washington School of Medicine to a cohort of peers who did not complete the UP. Examines whether UP participants were more likely to practice in rural communities and/or primary care than their peers. Features demographics and statistics on factors associated with rural family medicine and rural primary care practices.
Author(s): Genya Shimkin, Kimberly Kardonsky, Alisse Cassell, et al.
Citation: Family Medicine, 57(9), 627-633
Date: 10/2025
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University of Rhode Island: Independent Feasibility Study into a Medical School at the University of Rhode Island
Assesses the feasibility of establishing a public medical school at the University of Rhode Island with the goal of addressing current and projected physician shortages in the state. Includes 4 recommendations addressing statewide integration, sustainable funding, and recruiting local students. Discusses rural throughout.
Date: 09/2025
Sponsoring organization: Tripp Umbach
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Assesses the feasibility of establishing a public medical school at the University of Rhode Island with the goal of addressing current and projected physician shortages in the state. Includes 4 recommendations addressing statewide integration, sustainable funding, and recruiting local students. Discusses rural throughout.
Date: 09/2025
Sponsoring organization: Tripp Umbach
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Building a Sustainable Oral Health Workforce in Pennsylvania: Strategies for Reinvigorating Dental Careers and Strengthening the Pipeline
Features recommendations to guide efforts to build a strong and sustainable dental workforce pipeline for Pennsylvania, by increasing supply of providers and improving retention rates. Mentions rural throughout.
Date: 09/2025
Sponsoring organization: Pennsylvania Department of Health
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Features recommendations to guide efforts to build a strong and sustainable dental workforce pipeline for Pennsylvania, by increasing supply of providers and improving retention rates. Mentions rural throughout.
Date: 09/2025
Sponsoring organization: Pennsylvania Department of Health
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More Physician Assistants and Nurse Practitioners in Rural Pennsylvania Than a Decade Ago
Fact sheet describing the increase in number of rural physician assistants (PAs) and nurse practitioners (NPs) in Pennsylvania from 2013 to 2023. Features demographics and statistics with breakdowns by urban and rural areas, and a county-level map showing numbers of PAs and NPs as of 2023, with shadings showing urban and rural counties.
Date: 09/2025
Sponsoring organization: Center for Rural Pennsylvania
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Fact sheet describing the increase in number of rural physician assistants (PAs) and nurse practitioners (NPs) in Pennsylvania from 2013 to 2023. Features demographics and statistics with breakdowns by urban and rural areas, and a county-level map showing numbers of PAs and NPs as of 2023, with shadings showing urban and rural counties.
Date: 09/2025
Sponsoring organization: Center for Rural Pennsylvania
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