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Rural Health
Resources by Topic: Rural-urban differences

Early Adoption of Telehealth/Remote Patient Monitoring and Hospital Revenue Changes During COVID-19
Evaluates telehealth and remote patient monitoring use between 2019 and 2020 among 1,742 rural and urban hospitals to determine the impact of COVID-19 on utilization and revenue. Discusses potential policy measures given study findings.
Author(s): Claudia A. Rhoades, Brian E. Whitacre, Alison F. Davis
Citation: Journal of Telemedicine and Telecare, 31(10)
Date: 12/2025
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The State of Rural Primary Care in the United States
Provides information, statistics, interactive maps, example programs, and policy suggestions regarding the rural primary care workforce supply in the United States. Provides data on projections for adequate supply as well as county-level maps on Health Professional Shortage Areas (HPSAs), National Health Service Corps (NHSC) clinicians, Rural Health Clinics (RHCs), and Federally Qualified Health Centers (FQHCs). Includes rural versus nonrural respondent survey data related to primary care access, use, availability, and delivery.
Author(s): Celli Horstman, Arnav Shah
Date: 11/2025
Sponsoring organization: Commonwealth Fund
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Rural/Urban Differences among American Indian/Alaska Native Peoples in Health Care Access and Outcomes, 2019–2023
Compares health outcomes and healthcare utilization metrics for American Indian and Alaska Native (AI/AN) rural and urban residents using 2019-2023 National Health Interview Survey (NHIS) data. Discusses the impact of various sociodemographic factors and the Indian Health Service (IHS) on study findings.
Author(s): Katy Backes Kozhimannil, Hailey A. Baker, Julia D. Interrante, Kyle X. Hill, Melissa L. Walls
Citation: Journal of Community Health, 2025
Date: 11/2025
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Acute Care Utilization Patterns During Chemotherapy and Predictive Model Development at a Rural Community Cancer Center
Explores the development of a predictive model focused on identifying oncology patients at risk of all-cause and preventable acute care use, utilizing EHR data of 2,922 patients who received intravenous cancer treatment between October 2021 and April 2024 in a predominantly rural, midwestern cancer network. Provides data on the association between acute care use and clinical and demographic factors, including level of rurality.
Author(s): McKenna Perrin, Crystal Hattum, Jamie Arens, Tobias Meissner
Citation: JCO Clinical Cancer Informatics, 9, e2500186
Date: 11/2025
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Infant Mortality, Alabama 2024
Offers statistics on infant mortality in Alabama from 2015-2024. Includes a county-level map showing urban and rural counties, and statistics on the distribution of infant mortality in 2024 by urban and rural classifications.
Date: 11/2025
Sponsoring organizations: Alabama Center for Health Statistics, Alabama Public Health
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Early Estimates of Motor Vehicle Traffic Fatalities and Fatality Rate by Sub-Categories For the First Half (January-June) of 2025
Presents projections of traffic fatalities and the fatality rate per 100 million vehicle miles traveled in the first half of 2025. Includes data for rural versus urban roads, among other measures. Compares 2024 fatality data to 2025 rates by month for a number of indicators, including rural areas.
Date: 11/2025
Sponsoring organization: National Highway Traffic Safety Administration
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Unlocking Local Leadership: Why Rural People Step Forward to Help Their Communities
Reports on attitudes toward and experiences of community engagement and formal leadership among people in rural areas via a poll conducted in June and July of 2025. Provides data on rural quality of life, community cohesion, community involvement, and facilitators and obstacles to leadership, with urban data comparisons for select topics.
Date: 11/2025
Sponsoring organizations: Gallup, LOR Foundation
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Paying Family Caregivers: Self-direction in Medicaid Personal Care
Compares characteristics of dually eligible older adults receiving caregiving through either self-direction and non-self-direction, including personal demographics, health conditions, healthcare utilization, and rurality. Discusses rural findings in light of workforce shortages in rural communities. Includes analysis of Medicaid data from 6 states with reliable self-direction data as well as analysis of characteristics for 41 states and Washington, D.C.
Author(s): Yiqing Kuang, Katherine E.M. Miller
Citation: Health Affairs Scholar, 3(11)
Date: 11/2025
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Closing the Distance in Rural Primary Care: Evidence, Stories and Solutions
Explores the state of rural primary care in the United States. Describes recent federal legislation that may impact rural primary care, healthcare access, and health outcomes. Discusses trends in rural primary care, including comparisons between rural and urban primary care spending relative to all total spending, primary care workforce availability, and comprehensiveness of primary care. Presents five case studies highlighting rural primary care practices and practice models.
Date: 11/2025
Sponsoring organizations: Primary Care Collaborative, Robert Graham Center
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Oregon Rural Primary Care Workforce
Offers maps and tables of the primary care workforce distribution in Oregon in 2025. Includes county-level data and rural and urban comparisons.
Author(s): S.C. Woolcock, C.H.A. Andrilla, L.A. Garberson, J.M. Graves
Date: 11/2025
Sponsoring organization: WWAMI Rural Health Research Center
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