Rural Health
Resources by Topic: Healthcare business and finance
Value-Based Payments Are Catching On, but Rural and Small Practices Lag
Describes the current rates of primary care physician (PCP) participation in value-based payment. Includes data on the percent of primary care physicians in rural and small practices that reported receiving revenue from value-based payment in 2025. Discusses barriers and potential solutions to increasing PCP participation in value-based payment.
Author(s): Celli Horstman, Corrine Lewis
Date: 03/2026
Sponsoring organization: Commonwealth Fund
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Describes the current rates of primary care physician (PCP) participation in value-based payment. Includes data on the percent of primary care physicians in rural and small practices that reported receiving revenue from value-based payment in 2025. Discusses barriers and potential solutions to increasing PCP participation in value-based payment.
Author(s): Celli Horstman, Corrine Lewis
Date: 03/2026
Sponsoring organization: Commonwealth Fund
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March 2026 MedPAC Meeting Transcript
Transcript from the Medicare Payment Advisory Commission's (MedPAC) March 2026 meeting. Covers research and proposals related to the Medicare ground ambulance data collection system, access to hospice and certain complex palliative services for beneficiaries with end-stage renal disease and beneficiaries with cancer, provider participation in Medicare Advantage (MA) networks, MA encounter data in risk adjustment, the complexity of Medicare enrollment decisions for beneficiaries, and Medicare Part B premium payment basics. Includes rural references and considerations throughout.
Additional links: Mandated Report: Assessment of the Medicare Ground Ambulance Data Collection System
Date: 03/2026
Sponsoring organization: Medicare Payment Advisory Commission
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Transcript from the Medicare Payment Advisory Commission's (MedPAC) March 2026 meeting. Covers research and proposals related to the Medicare ground ambulance data collection system, access to hospice and certain complex palliative services for beneficiaries with end-stage renal disease and beneficiaries with cancer, provider participation in Medicare Advantage (MA) networks, MA encounter data in risk adjustment, the complexity of Medicare enrollment decisions for beneficiaries, and Medicare Part B premium payment basics. Includes rural references and considerations throughout.
Additional links: Mandated Report: Assessment of the Medicare Ground Ambulance Data Collection System
Date: 03/2026
Sponsoring organization: Medicare Payment Advisory Commission
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A Stubborn Problem: Unaffordable Health Costs Continue to Strain Californians' Finances
Examines healthcare affordability in California from 2019 to 2024, comparing pre-COVID-19 pandemic experiences to after the pandemic had subsided, alongside the implementation of related state and federal policy impacting affordability. Provides percentages of Californians who have trouble paying medical bills, who use credit cards to pay medical bills, who have private insurance with deductibles above $2,000, and more, according to coverage type, demographics, region, and rural versus urban location.
Date: 03/2026
Sponsoring organization: State Health Access Data Assistance Center
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Examines healthcare affordability in California from 2019 to 2024, comparing pre-COVID-19 pandemic experiences to after the pandemic had subsided, alongside the implementation of related state and federal policy impacting affordability. Provides percentages of Californians who have trouble paying medical bills, who use credit cards to pay medical bills, who have private insurance with deductibles above $2,000, and more, according to coverage type, demographics, region, and rural versus urban location.
Date: 03/2026
Sponsoring organization: State Health Access Data Assistance Center
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From Closure to Comeback: A Rural ICU Is Reborn
A podcast episode examining how rural hospitals can utilize technology and partnerships to provide local healthcare access to residents. Provides a discussion between CEOs of hospitals focusing on the reopening of an intensive care unit (ICU) at a Critical Access Hospital (CAH).
Author(s): Tom Haederle, Marc Boom, Mark Boucot
Date: 03/2026
Sponsoring organization: American Hospital Association
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A podcast episode examining how rural hospitals can utilize technology and partnerships to provide local healthcare access to residents. Provides a discussion between CEOs of hospitals focusing on the reopening of an intensive care unit (ICU) at a Critical Access Hospital (CAH).
Author(s): Tom Haederle, Marc Boom, Mark Boucot
Date: 03/2026
Sponsoring organization: American Hospital Association
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Medicare Learning Network: Hospital Price Transparency
Contains information on federal hospital price transparency regulations and compliance, what patients need to know, and a list of helpful websites.
Date: 03/2026
Sponsoring organization: Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services
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Contains information on federal hospital price transparency regulations and compliance, what patients need to know, and a list of helpful websites.
Date: 03/2026
Sponsoring organization: Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services
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Merit-based Incentive Payment System (MIPS): Eligibility and Participation in the 2026 Performance Year
Provides an overview of the Merit-Based Incentive Payment System (MIPS) eligibility criteria. Addresses calculation of the low-volume threshold exclusion at the individual and group levels, opt-in and voluntary reporting options, and the impact of special status designations such as rural and small practices.
Date: 02/2026
Sponsoring organization: Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services
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Provides an overview of the Merit-Based Incentive Payment System (MIPS) eligibility criteria. Addresses calculation of the low-volume threshold exclusion at the individual and group levels, opt-in and voluntary reporting options, and the impact of special status designations such as rural and small practices.
Date: 02/2026
Sponsoring organization: Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services
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Progress Towards Vitality: A Review of Maternal Health Financing Mechanisms in Georgia
Reports on maternal health financing in Georgia and outlines a variety of federal, state, local, and private sources of funding. Examines how funding and reimbursement influences maternal healthcare delivery, details program models, and presents recommendations for policymakers, funders, and providers. Discusses rural areas throughout.
Author(s): Elizabeth Murphy, Shalanda Henderson, Shannon Raines, Nannette Beckley, Meaghan Hunt
Date: 02/2026
Sponsoring organizations: Georgia Health Initiative, NORC at the University of Chicago
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Reports on maternal health financing in Georgia and outlines a variety of federal, state, local, and private sources of funding. Examines how funding and reimbursement influences maternal healthcare delivery, details program models, and presents recommendations for policymakers, funders, and providers. Discusses rural areas throughout.
Author(s): Elizabeth Murphy, Shalanda Henderson, Shannon Raines, Nannette Beckley, Meaghan Hunt
Date: 02/2026
Sponsoring organizations: Georgia Health Initiative, NORC at the University of Chicago
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Scaling Medical-Dental Integration Nationally: Outcomes from the MORE Care Initiative
Presents a study evaluating the implementation of the MORE Care initiative, an oral health integration model, into six rural counties in Ohio. Details the outcomes of the two year pilot program, including oral health assessments, fluoride varnish, and dental referral systems implemented into primary care practices.
Author(s): Matthew Vermillion, Christine Kanan, Caroline McLeod, Caroline McLeod, et al.
Citation: Frontiers in Public Health, 14
Date: 02/2026
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Presents a study evaluating the implementation of the MORE Care initiative, an oral health integration model, into six rural counties in Ohio. Details the outcomes of the two year pilot program, including oral health assessments, fluoride varnish, and dental referral systems implemented into primary care practices.
Author(s): Matthew Vermillion, Christine Kanan, Caroline McLeod, Caroline McLeod, et al.
Citation: Frontiers in Public Health, 14
Date: 02/2026
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Looking Ahead: FY 2026 Federal Office of Rural Health Policy Preview Webinar
Webinar recording featuring speakers from the Federal Office of Rural Health Policy (FORHP) sharing an overview of their 2026 priorities. It covers planned competitive community-based funding opportunities, resources, and opportunities to improve rural health related to healthcare workforce, behavioral health, healthcare network development, and more.
Additional links: Audio Recording, Webinar Slides
Date: 02/2026
Sponsoring organization: Federal Office of Rural Health Policy
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Webinar recording featuring speakers from the Federal Office of Rural Health Policy (FORHP) sharing an overview of their 2026 priorities. It covers planned competitive community-based funding opportunities, resources, and opportunities to improve rural health related to healthcare workforce, behavioral health, healthcare network development, and more.
Additional links: Audio Recording, Webinar Slides
Date: 02/2026
Sponsoring organization: Federal Office of Rural Health Policy
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Home Health Care Chartbook 2025
Provides an overview of home health, including patient demographics and clinical profiles, organizational trends, the economic contribution of home health agencies, and patient outcomes. Includes charts and graphs throughout, as well as state-by-state data. Slide 11 highlights the rural-urban distribution of home health users.
Date: 02/2026
Sponsoring organizations: KNG Health Consulting, National Alliance for Care at Home, Research Institute for Home Care
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Provides an overview of home health, including patient demographics and clinical profiles, organizational trends, the economic contribution of home health agencies, and patient outcomes. Includes charts and graphs throughout, as well as state-by-state data. Slide 11 highlights the rural-urban distribution of home health users.
Date: 02/2026
Sponsoring organizations: KNG Health Consulting, National Alliance for Care at Home, Research Institute for Home Care
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