Rural Health
Resources by Topic: Policy
Access to Capital for Rural Hospitals
Policy brief discussing the importance of rural hospitals having access to capital funding. Discusses previous federal efforts to improve access to capital and common types of capital used for healthcare projects. Offers policy recommendations for improving rural hospitals' access to capital for facility improvements.
Author(s): Britton Herbert, Lauren LaPine-Ray, Mat Slaybaugh
Date: 12/2025
Sponsoring organization: National Rural Health Association
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Policy brief discussing the importance of rural hospitals having access to capital funding. Discusses previous federal efforts to improve access to capital and common types of capital used for healthcare projects. Offers policy recommendations for improving rural hospitals' access to capital for facility improvements.
Author(s): Britton Herbert, Lauren LaPine-Ray, Mat Slaybaugh
Date: 12/2025
Sponsoring organization: National Rural Health Association
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Policy Trends Shaping Access to Care in 2026
Discusses policy efforts designed to support access to care, focusing on issues such as a community-based health workforce, mid-life women's healthcare, telehealth, and more. Examines policy enacted to stabilize and improve rural healthcare access.
Date: 12/2025
Sponsoring organization: Association of State and Territorial Health Officials
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Discusses policy efforts designed to support access to care, focusing on issues such as a community-based health workforce, mid-life women's healthcare, telehealth, and more. Examines policy enacted to stabilize and improve rural healthcare access.
Date: 12/2025
Sponsoring organization: Association of State and Territorial Health Officials
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Understanding Supervision in Indiana's Behavioral Health Workforce: Supply Data and Recent Policy Changes
Examines the availability of behavioral health and human services (BHHS) clinical supervisors for student field and clinical experiences. Provides data on BHHS supervisor supply by license type and county-level geographic distribution. Discusses supervisor shortages in rural areas and related policy considerations.
Author(s): Mykayla Moore, Madison Bott, Brittany Daulton, Hannah Maxey
Date: 12/2025
Sponsoring organization: Bowen Center for Health Workforce Research and Policy
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Examines the availability of behavioral health and human services (BHHS) clinical supervisors for student field and clinical experiences. Provides data on BHHS supervisor supply by license type and county-level geographic distribution. Discusses supervisor shortages in rural areas and related policy considerations.
Author(s): Mykayla Moore, Madison Bott, Brittany Daulton, Hannah Maxey
Date: 12/2025
Sponsoring organization: Bowen Center for Health Workforce Research and Policy
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Rural-Urban Differences in the Prevalence and Correlates of Elder Mistreatment
Examines rural and urban differences among 11 indicators of mistreatment for older adults. Discusses the role of rural residency as a protective factor, underreporting elder mistreatment, and potential policy and community solutions that support prevention and response.
Author(s): Carrie Henning-Smith, Ingrid Jacobson, Dionne Bailey, et al.
Citation: Journal of Applied Gerontology, 2025
Date: 12/2025
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Examines rural and urban differences among 11 indicators of mistreatment for older adults. Discusses the role of rural residency as a protective factor, underreporting elder mistreatment, and potential policy and community solutions that support prevention and response.
Author(s): Carrie Henning-Smith, Ingrid Jacobson, Dionne Bailey, et al.
Citation: Journal of Applied Gerontology, 2025
Date: 12/2025
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January 2026 Annual Rural Emergency Hospital (REH) Monthly Facility Payment Amount
Presents the monthly Rural Emergency Hospital (REH) monthly facility payment amount for Calendar Year 2026.
Date: 12/2025
Sponsoring organization: Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services
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Presents the monthly Rural Emergency Hospital (REH) monthly facility payment amount for Calendar Year 2026.
Date: 12/2025
Sponsoring organization: Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services
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Rural Health Transformation 50 State Spotlights
Summarizes the goals and key themes of each state's Rural Health Transformation Program application. Highlights select initiatives, expected impact of the program, and related state policy actions.
Date: 12/2025
Sponsoring organization: Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services
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Summarizes the goals and key themes of each state's Rural Health Transformation Program application. Highlights select initiatives, expected impact of the program, and related state policy actions.
Date: 12/2025
Sponsoring organization: Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services
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RHT Program State Project Abstracts
Presents the one-page project abstracts submitted by each state as part of their applications for the Rural Health Transformation Program.
Date: 12/2025
Sponsoring organization: Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services
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Presents the one-page project abstracts submitted by each state as part of their applications for the Rural Health Transformation Program.
Date: 12/2025
Sponsoring organization: Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services
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Multidimensional Approaches to Ranking State-Level Rurality to Enhance Comparisons Across States
Provides a rurality index for all 50 U.S. states, utilizing measures of rural population percentage, rural land area percentage, and rural population density. Discusses the need for a multidimensional measure of rurality to provide an accurate tool for health policy research.
Author(s): Daniel Baslock, Nari Yoo
Citation: The Milbank Quarterly: A Multidisciplinary Journal of Population and Health Policy
Date: 12/2025
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Provides a rurality index for all 50 U.S. states, utilizing measures of rural population percentage, rural land area percentage, and rural population density. Discusses the need for a multidimensional measure of rurality to provide an accurate tool for health policy research.
Author(s): Daniel Baslock, Nari Yoo
Citation: The Milbank Quarterly: A Multidisciplinary Journal of Population and Health Policy
Date: 12/2025
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Graduate Medical Education: Information on Initial Distributions of New Medicare-Funded Physician Residency Positions
Explores the distribution of 1,000 new Medicare-funded graduate medical education (GME) residency positions as outlined in Section 126 of the Consolidated Appropriations Act, 2021. Describes the number of hospitals that applied for and received additional positions from 2023 through 2025, their characteristics, and benefits and challenges related to the application for and distribution of these additional positions as identified by selected stakeholders.
Additional links: Full Report
Date: 12/2025
Sponsoring organization: Government Accountability Office
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Explores the distribution of 1,000 new Medicare-funded graduate medical education (GME) residency positions as outlined in Section 126 of the Consolidated Appropriations Act, 2021. Describes the number of hospitals that applied for and received additional positions from 2023 through 2025, their characteristics, and benefits and challenges related to the application for and distribution of these additional positions as identified by selected stakeholders.
Additional links: Full Report
Date: 12/2025
Sponsoring organization: Government Accountability Office
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Maternal Chronic Disease Prevention in Rural America: A Life Course Perspective
Examines maternal chronic disease management in rural areas of the United States. Discusses social determinants of health and maternal health disparities specific to rural areas. Provides policy, public health surveillance, and community engagement approaches to address the rural maternal health crisis.
Author(s): Kobi V Ajayi, Emesomhi Eboreime, Alva Ferdinand, Ninfa Purcell, Robin Page
Citation: Journal of Primary Care & Community Health
Date: 12/2025
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Examines maternal chronic disease management in rural areas of the United States. Discusses social determinants of health and maternal health disparities specific to rural areas. Provides policy, public health surveillance, and community engagement approaches to address the rural maternal health crisis.
Author(s): Kobi V Ajayi, Emesomhi Eboreime, Alva Ferdinand, Ninfa Purcell, Robin Page
Citation: Journal of Primary Care & Community Health
Date: 12/2025
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