Rural Health
Resources by Topic: Healthcare business and finance
Rural Emergency Hospitals: Emerging Patterns of Adaptation and Community Perception
Examines characteristics of Rural Emergency Hospitals (REHs) and their impact on the community. Utilizes Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services cost report data to compare hospitals that converted to REHs to hospitals that did not convert. Analyzes issues such as hospital finances, local healthcare access, economic stabilization, REH reputation and use, community perceptions of quality, and more.
Author(s): Anders Van Sandt, Kaitlyn Line, Anja Gruber, et al.
Citation: Journal of Rural Health, 42(1), e70112
Date: 01/2026
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Examines characteristics of Rural Emergency Hospitals (REHs) and their impact on the community. Utilizes Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services cost report data to compare hospitals that converted to REHs to hospitals that did not convert. Analyzes issues such as hospital finances, local healthcare access, economic stabilization, REH reputation and use, community perceptions of quality, and more.
Author(s): Anders Van Sandt, Kaitlyn Line, Anja Gruber, et al.
Citation: Journal of Rural Health, 42(1), e70112
Date: 01/2026
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Merit-based Incentive Payment System (MIPS) 2026 Small Practice Eligibility and Participation Frequently Asked Questions
Provides answers to frequently asked questions regarding small practice participation and eligibility for the Merit-based Incentive Payment System (MIPS) for the 2026 performance year. Covers individual and group eligibility, the low-volume threshold, changes to group composition during the performance year, and more.
Date: 01/2026
Sponsoring organization: Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services
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Provides answers to frequently asked questions regarding small practice participation and eligibility for the Merit-based Incentive Payment System (MIPS) for the 2026 performance year. Covers individual and group eligibility, the low-volume threshold, changes to group composition during the performance year, and more.
Date: 01/2026
Sponsoring organization: Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services
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Indian Health Service and Health Care Affordability Issues Among American Indian/ Alaska Native People by Rurality
Report explores healthcare affordability and Indian Health Services (IHS) utilization among American Indian and Alaska Native (AI/AN) in rural and urban communities. Highlights rates of patients receiving care at IHS, privately insured, and uninsured in rural and urban communities, among other measures.
Author(s): Ingrid Jacobson, Katie Rydberg, Alexis Swendener, et al.
Date: 01/2026
Sponsoring organization: University of Minnesota Rural Health Research Center
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Report explores healthcare affordability and Indian Health Services (IHS) utilization among American Indian and Alaska Native (AI/AN) in rural and urban communities. Highlights rates of patients receiving care at IHS, privately insured, and uninsured in rural and urban communities, among other measures.
Author(s): Ingrid Jacobson, Katie Rydberg, Alexis Swendener, et al.
Date: 01/2026
Sponsoring organization: University of Minnesota Rural Health Research Center
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Merit-Based Incentive Payment System (MIPS): 2026 Improvement Activities Performance Category Quick Start Guide
Provides an overview of Merit-based Incentive Payment System (MIPS) requirements, data collection, and data submission for the improvement activities performance category for the 2026 performance year. Includes information about special status scoring for small practices and clinicians located in a rural or Health Professional Shortage Area.
Date: 01/2026
Sponsoring organization: Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services
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Provides an overview of Merit-based Incentive Payment System (MIPS) requirements, data collection, and data submission for the improvement activities performance category for the 2026 performance year. Includes information about special status scoring for small practices and clinicians located in a rural or Health Professional Shortage Area.
Date: 01/2026
Sponsoring organization: Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services
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The Importance of the Health Care Sector to the Kansas Economy
Describes how the healthcare sector contributes to the Kansas economy in terms of available jobs, income, and quality of life. Provides data on contributions and growth projected through 2032 and includes discussions focused on rural areas.
Author(s): Donna K. Ginther, Pat Oslund, Thomas Becker
Date: 01/2026
Sponsoring organizations: Kansas Hospital Association, University of Kansas Institute for Policy & Social Research
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Describes how the healthcare sector contributes to the Kansas economy in terms of available jobs, income, and quality of life. Provides data on contributions and growth projected through 2032 and includes discussions focused on rural areas.
Author(s): Donna K. Ginther, Pat Oslund, Thomas Becker
Date: 01/2026
Sponsoring organizations: Kansas Hospital Association, University of Kansas Institute for Policy & Social Research
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Rural Maternity and Obstetrics Management Strategies (RMOMS) Program: 2021 Cohort Final Report
Highlights the work of the second cohort of Rural Maternity and Obstetrics Management Strategies (Rural MOMS) networks, funded to address rural maternal health challenges and improve access to maternal healthcare. Provides an overview of the work of the awardees: Families First: Rural Maternity Health Collaborative in Minnesota, RMOM-Southeast Missouri Partnership, and West Virginia Rural Maternity and Obstetrics Management Strategies Collaborative. Shares information about the populations served, as well as discussing key network coordination strategies used by the 2021 cohort and the 2019 cohort.
Additional links: Full Report (PDF)
Date: 2026
Sponsoring organization: Rural Maternal Health Data Support and Analysis Program
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Highlights the work of the second cohort of Rural Maternity and Obstetrics Management Strategies (Rural MOMS) networks, funded to address rural maternal health challenges and improve access to maternal healthcare. Provides an overview of the work of the awardees: Families First: Rural Maternity Health Collaborative in Minnesota, RMOM-Southeast Missouri Partnership, and West Virginia Rural Maternity and Obstetrics Management Strategies Collaborative. Shares information about the populations served, as well as discussing key network coordination strategies used by the 2021 cohort and the 2019 cohort.
Additional links: Full Report (PDF)
Date: 2026
Sponsoring organization: Rural Maternal Health Data Support and Analysis Program
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Closing the Digital Divide: AI Governance for Rural Hospitals
Explores how rural healthcare leaders can design artificial intelligence (AI) governance frameworks that reflect the realities of rural care. Summarizes a discussion among rural healthcare leaders regarding their experiences with AI governance and identifies 7 best practices.
Date: 2026
Sponsoring organizations: American Hospital Association, Microsoft
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Explores how rural healthcare leaders can design artificial intelligence (AI) governance frameworks that reflect the realities of rural care. Summarizes a discussion among rural healthcare leaders regarding their experiences with AI governance and identifies 7 best practices.
Date: 2026
Sponsoring organizations: American Hospital Association, Microsoft
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Annual Disability Statistics Compendium 2026
Presents statistics on Americans with disabilities across key social and economic indicators derived from American Community Survey (ACS) data, including employment, educational attainment, health and healthcare, and more. Section 10 presents data on people with disabilities in rural areas, and compares the prevalence of disability, demographic characteristics, employment status, income, and insurance coverage status across metropolitan, micropolitan, and noncore areas.
Date: 2026
Sponsoring organizations: Center for Research on Disability, Institute on Disability, University of New Hampshire, National Institute on Disability, Independent Living, and Rehabilitation Research
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Presents statistics on Americans with disabilities across key social and economic indicators derived from American Community Survey (ACS) data, including employment, educational attainment, health and healthcare, and more. Section 10 presents data on people with disabilities in rural areas, and compares the prevalence of disability, demographic characteristics, employment status, income, and insurance coverage status across metropolitan, micropolitan, and noncore areas.
Date: 2026
Sponsoring organizations: Center for Research on Disability, Institute on Disability, University of New Hampshire, National Institute on Disability, Independent Living, and Rehabilitation Research
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Uninsured Population in Nonmetropolitan Counties
Printable map that shows percent of population without health insurance nationwide by county. Data source: U.S. Census Bureau, Small Area Health Insurance Estimates (SAHIE)
Additional links: Percentage Uninsured in Nonmetro Counties Table
Date: 2026
Sponsoring organization: Rural Health Information Hub
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Printable map that shows percent of population without health insurance nationwide by county. Data source: U.S. Census Bureau, Small Area Health Insurance Estimates (SAHIE)
Additional links: Percentage Uninsured in Nonmetro Counties Table
Date: 2026
Sponsoring organization: Rural Health Information Hub
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Predictors of Rural Hospital Closures in the United States: A Systematic Review and Call for AI-Driven Early Warning Systems
Examines financial, workforce, policy, economic, market, and demographic factors related to rural hospital closures and the development of AI warning systems based on these factors. Analyzes studies, published between 2013-2024, on rural hospital closures to identify closure predictors and discusses the creation of tools that may assist in identifying hospital distress, allowing stakeholders to intervene in a timely way.
Author(s): Kiruthika Balakrishnan, Zhi Li, Hana E. Hinkle, et al.
Citation: BMC Health Services Research, 26, 86
Date: 12/2025
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Examines financial, workforce, policy, economic, market, and demographic factors related to rural hospital closures and the development of AI warning systems based on these factors. Analyzes studies, published between 2013-2024, on rural hospital closures to identify closure predictors and discusses the creation of tools that may assist in identifying hospital distress, allowing stakeholders to intervene in a timely way.
Author(s): Kiruthika Balakrishnan, Zhi Li, Hana E. Hinkle, et al.
Citation: BMC Health Services Research, 26, 86
Date: 12/2025
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