Rural Health
Resources by Topic: Physicians
MedPAC Report to the Congress: Medicare and the Health Care Delivery System, June 2025
Evaluates Medicare payment issues and provides recommendations to the U.S. Congress. Covers proposed reforms to the physician fee schedule updates and the accuracy of relative payment rates; supplemental benefits in Medicare Advantage; home healthcare use among Medicare Advantage enrollees; Part D prescription drug plans for beneficiaries in fee-for-service Medicare and Medicare Advantage; Medicare beneficiaries in nursing homes; the inclusion of rural providers in current Medicare fee-for-service quality reporting programs; and recommendations related to reducing beneficiary cost sharing for outpatient services at Critical Access Hospitals. Includes rural references throughout.
Additional links: Executive Summary
Date: 06/2025
Sponsoring organization: Medicare Payment Advisory Commission
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Evaluates Medicare payment issues and provides recommendations to the U.S. Congress. Covers proposed reforms to the physician fee schedule updates and the accuracy of relative payment rates; supplemental benefits in Medicare Advantage; home healthcare use among Medicare Advantage enrollees; Part D prescription drug plans for beneficiaries in fee-for-service Medicare and Medicare Advantage; Medicare beneficiaries in nursing homes; the inclusion of rural providers in current Medicare fee-for-service quality reporting programs; and recommendations related to reducing beneficiary cost sharing for outpatient services at Critical Access Hospitals. Includes rural references throughout.
Additional links: Executive Summary
Date: 06/2025
Sponsoring organization: Medicare Payment Advisory Commission
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Health Care Vacancies and Turnover in Kansas
Provides data and trends of the Kansas healthcare workforce, including information on vacancies and turnover, data on nursing supply, hospital financial trends, projected job openings, and primary care physician Health Professional Shortage Areas (HPSAs) by county.
Date: 06/2025
Sponsoring organization: Kansas Hospital Association
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Provides data and trends of the Kansas healthcare workforce, including information on vacancies and turnover, data on nursing supply, hospital financial trends, projected job openings, and primary care physician Health Professional Shortage Areas (HPSAs) by county.
Date: 06/2025
Sponsoring organization: Kansas Hospital Association
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Montana AHEC Scholars - HRSA: Area Health Education Center (AHEC)
Highlights the Montana AHEC Scholars Program, which provides interdisciplinary training in behavioral health integration, telehealth, and social determinants of health, among other topics, to improve the quality and access to care in rural communities.
Date: 05/2025
Sponsoring organizations: Montana Area Health Education Center, Montana Office of Rural Health
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Highlights the Montana AHEC Scholars Program, which provides interdisciplinary training in behavioral health integration, telehealth, and social determinants of health, among other topics, to improve the quality and access to care in rural communities.
Date: 05/2025
Sponsoring organizations: Montana Area Health Education Center, Montana Office of Rural Health
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Current Approaches to Rural Health Workforce Challenges Need Improvement
Describes rural health disparities using data from New York's provider recruitment efforts. Features statistics on the percentage of New York-trained physicians in the states with the highest rural populations, and workforce recruitment program outcomes with breakdowns by medical specialty and urban or rural location.
Author(s): Gaetano Forte
Date: 05/2025
Sponsoring organization: Association of American Medical Colleges
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Describes rural health disparities using data from New York's provider recruitment efforts. Features statistics on the percentage of New York-trained physicians in the states with the highest rural populations, and workforce recruitment program outcomes with breakdowns by medical specialty and urban or rural location.
Author(s): Gaetano Forte
Date: 05/2025
Sponsoring organization: Association of American Medical Colleges
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Reflections of Rural Primary Care Physicians on the Impact of the COVID-19 Pandemic: A Qualitative Study
Describes the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on rural primary care physicians' relationships with patients, other physicians, clinic staff, and their communities via interviews conducted between Oct 2022 and April 2023 with 12 Wisconsin physicians. Discusses elements including challenges in implementing new clinical practices, impacts of beliefs about the pandemic, strategies and coping mechanisms, and availability of staff and other resources.
Author(s): Mary F. Henningfield, Keelin McHugh, Sarina Schrager
Citation: BMC Primary Care, 26, 160
Date: 05/2025
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Describes the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on rural primary care physicians' relationships with patients, other physicians, clinic staff, and their communities via interviews conducted between Oct 2022 and April 2023 with 12 Wisconsin physicians. Discusses elements including challenges in implementing new clinical practices, impacts of beliefs about the pandemic, strategies and coping mechanisms, and availability of staff and other resources.
Author(s): Mary F. Henningfield, Keelin McHugh, Sarina Schrager
Citation: BMC Primary Care, 26, 160
Date: 05/2025
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Arkansas's Shifting Rural-Urban Divide: Healthcare Access Issues
Provides data on shortages of primary care physicians and dentists in rural and urban areas in Arkansas, and discusses high vulnerability to closure among rural hospitals in the state.
Date: 05/2025
Sponsoring organization: Arkansas Center for Health Improvement
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Provides data on shortages of primary care physicians and dentists in rural and urban areas in Arkansas, and discusses high vulnerability to closure among rural hospitals in the state.
Date: 05/2025
Sponsoring organization: Arkansas Center for Health Improvement
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Experiences of U.S. Frontline Physicians During the COVID-19 Pandemic: A Qualitative Study
Examines physician experiences during the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic. Utilizes focus group and interview feedback from 17 frontline physicians related to patient care, with a focus on adaptations, challenges, and acute stressors. Includes discussion about healthcare barriers specific to rural and remote areas.
Author(s): Robin L. Whitney, Melissa Gosdin, Sabrina F. Loureiro, et al.
Citation: Archives of Public Health, 83, 122
Date: 05/2025
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Examines physician experiences during the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic. Utilizes focus group and interview feedback from 17 frontline physicians related to patient care, with a focus on adaptations, challenges, and acute stressors. Includes discussion about healthcare barriers specific to rural and remote areas.
Author(s): Robin L. Whitney, Melissa Gosdin, Sabrina F. Loureiro, et al.
Citation: Archives of Public Health, 83, 122
Date: 05/2025
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Taking to the Skies: How a Doctor Cares for Patients in Rural Colorado
Discusses using air travel to help physicians reach remote areas in Colorado and patients who need critical medical care.
Date: 04/2025
Sponsoring organization: American Hospital Association
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Discusses using air travel to help physicians reach remote areas in Colorado and patients who need critical medical care.
Date: 04/2025
Sponsoring organization: American Hospital Association
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Utah Physician and Osteopathic Physician Workforce Data Report
Report details the education, recruitment, and retention of Utah's physician and osteopathic physician workforce. Discusses supply and demand, demographics, geographic distribution, practice characteristics, projected supply and demand, and specialty profiles including primary care and specialty care.
Date: 04/2025
Sponsoring organization: Utah Department of Health and Human Services
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Report details the education, recruitment, and retention of Utah's physician and osteopathic physician workforce. Discusses supply and demand, demographics, geographic distribution, practice characteristics, projected supply and demand, and specialty profiles including primary care and specialty care.
Date: 04/2025
Sponsoring organization: Utah Department of Health and Human Services
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Primary Care Workforce in Illinois Counties, Demand and Supply
Examines primary care workforce supply and demand in Illinois. Provides county-level data on number of primary care physicians (PCPs), physician assistants (PAs), and advanced practice registered nurses (APRNs) with metro versus nonmetro county comparisons.
Author(s): Adee Athiyaman
Date: 04/2025
Sponsoring organization: Illinois Institute for Rural Affairs
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Examines primary care workforce supply and demand in Illinois. Provides county-level data on number of primary care physicians (PCPs), physician assistants (PAs), and advanced practice registered nurses (APRNs) with metro versus nonmetro county comparisons.
Author(s): Adee Athiyaman
Date: 04/2025
Sponsoring organization: Illinois Institute for Rural Affairs
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