Rural Health
Resources by Topic: Rural-urban differences
Implementing a Mobile Clinic for Opioid Use Disorder Treatment in an Urban and Rural Context
Highlights a study on the efficacy of the mobile clinic model at providing opioid use disorder (OUD) treatment in rural and urban areas. Compares and evaluates mobile OUD treatment programs in Pittsburgh, PA and rural Robeson County, NC. Evaluates programs on the basis of community engagement, cost, and partnerships with local pharmacies, among other measures.
Author(s): Orrin D. Ware, Divya Venkat, Robyn Jordan, et al.
Citation: Substance Use & Addiction Journal, 46(4), 799–805
Date: 10/2025
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Highlights a study on the efficacy of the mobile clinic model at providing opioid use disorder (OUD) treatment in rural and urban areas. Compares and evaluates mobile OUD treatment programs in Pittsburgh, PA and rural Robeson County, NC. Evaluates programs on the basis of community engagement, cost, and partnerships with local pharmacies, among other measures.
Author(s): Orrin D. Ware, Divya Venkat, Robyn Jordan, et al.
Citation: Substance Use & Addiction Journal, 46(4), 799–805
Date: 10/2025
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Dental Care in Crisis: Tracking the Cost and Prevalence of Emergency Department Visits for Non-Traumatic Dental Conditions
Report explores non-traumatic emergency department visits for dental conditions. Tracks the cost and prevalence of incidents from 2019 to 2022. Includes a breakdown of incidents in rural, small or medium metro, fringe metro, and central metro counties.
Date: 10/2025
Sponsoring organization: CareQuest Institute for Oral Health
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Report explores non-traumatic emergency department visits for dental conditions. Tracks the cost and prevalence of incidents from 2019 to 2022. Includes a breakdown of incidents in rural, small or medium metro, fringe metro, and central metro counties.
Date: 10/2025
Sponsoring organization: CareQuest Institute for Oral Health
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A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis of Tobacco 21 Policies and Youth Tobacco Use: Implications for Future Policy Research
Examines the impact of Tobacco 21 (T21) policies that raise the sales age of tobacco to 21 on youth smoking. Utilizes 24 completed studies to analyze T21 regulations on smoking behaviors of respondents aged 11 to 20. Discusses T21 impacts in rural and urban areas.
Author(s): Danyi Li, Shiyou Wu, Steve Sussman, Mary Ann Pentz
Citation: The Lancet Regional Health - Americas, 50, 101208
Date: 10/2025
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Examines the impact of Tobacco 21 (T21) policies that raise the sales age of tobacco to 21 on youth smoking. Utilizes 24 completed studies to analyze T21 regulations on smoking behaviors of respondents aged 11 to 20. Discusses T21 impacts in rural and urban areas.
Author(s): Danyi Li, Shiyou Wu, Steve Sussman, Mary Ann Pentz
Citation: The Lancet Regional Health - Americas, 50, 101208
Date: 10/2025
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Identifying Disability with Medicaid Claims Data
Provides a research model that utilizes Medicaid Transformed Medicaid Statistical Information System (T-MSIS) Analytic Files (TAF) data to identify people with disabilities in the Medicaid population. Includes breakdowns of those with a known or suspected disability across demographic groups, including rural versus urban location.
Author(s): Jonathan Gellar, Afroze Chughtai, Andrea Wysocki
Date: 09/2025
Sponsoring organization: HHS Office of the Assistant Secretary for Planning and Evaluation
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Provides a research model that utilizes Medicaid Transformed Medicaid Statistical Information System (T-MSIS) Analytic Files (TAF) data to identify people with disabilities in the Medicaid population. Includes breakdowns of those with a known or suspected disability across demographic groups, including rural versus urban location.
Author(s): Jonathan Gellar, Afroze Chughtai, Andrea Wysocki
Date: 09/2025
Sponsoring organization: HHS Office of the Assistant Secretary for Planning and Evaluation
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Physician and Practice Characteristics Associated with Family Physician Panel Size
Results of a study investigating factors associated with variation in panel size, a group of patients assigned to one specific physician or clinical team, from 2017-2023. Features demographics and statistics with breakdowns by metro and nonmetro areas.
Author(s): Andrew Bazemore, Zachary J. Morgan, Kevin Grumbach
Citation: The Journal of the American Board of Family Medicine, 38(5), 846-854
Date: 09/2025
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Results of a study investigating factors associated with variation in panel size, a group of patients assigned to one specific physician or clinical team, from 2017-2023. Features demographics and statistics with breakdowns by metro and nonmetro areas.
Author(s): Andrew Bazemore, Zachary J. Morgan, Kevin Grumbach
Citation: The Journal of the American Board of Family Medicine, 38(5), 846-854
Date: 09/2025
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Medicare Hospice Use Patterns Among Patients With Alzheimer's Disease or Related Dementias Compared to Those With Other Terminal Diagnoses
Examines hospice use among Medicare enrollees with Alzheimer's disease and related dementias (ADRD) compared to Medicare hospice enrollees with other terminal diagnoses. Explores whether hospice characteristics, including rural status, are associated with hospice length of stay, visit frequency, and live discharge rates among Medicare patients with and without terminal and comorbid ADRD diagnoses.
Date: 09/2025
Sponsoring organization: HHS Office of the Assistant Secretary for Planning and Evaluation
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Examines hospice use among Medicare enrollees with Alzheimer's disease and related dementias (ADRD) compared to Medicare hospice enrollees with other terminal diagnoses. Explores whether hospice characteristics, including rural status, are associated with hospice length of stay, visit frequency, and live discharge rates among Medicare patients with and without terminal and comorbid ADRD diagnoses.
Date: 09/2025
Sponsoring organization: HHS Office of the Assistant Secretary for Planning and Evaluation
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The HBCC-NSAC Toolkit Study Final Report
Examines the home-based child care nurturing school-age children (HBCC-NSAC) toolkit which focuses on ensuring quality in HBCC contexts. Examines the usefulness of the the HBCC-NSAC measures in evaluating different HBCC providers, including those in rural and urban areas.
Author(s): Annie Li, Yange Xue, Natalie Reid, et al.
Date: 09/2025
Sponsoring organization: Administration for Children and Families
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Examines the home-based child care nurturing school-age children (HBCC-NSAC) toolkit which focuses on ensuring quality in HBCC contexts. Examines the usefulness of the the HBCC-NSAC measures in evaluating different HBCC providers, including those in rural and urban areas.
Author(s): Annie Li, Yange Xue, Natalie Reid, et al.
Date: 09/2025
Sponsoring organization: Administration for Children and Families
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Comparing Disaster-Related Surge Staffing Practices Across Rural and Non-Rural Nursing Homes
Explores whether rural and non-rural nursing homes implemented different disaster-related staffing approaches. Analyzes data from 361 CMS-certified nursing homes that were exposed to the direct path of Hurricane Michael in 2018. Compares the change in pre- and post-disaster staffing across three dimensions of nursing home staffing: intensity, licensure composition, and employment composition.
Citation: Journal of the American Geriatrics Society, 73(12), 3829-3835
Date: 09/2025
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Explores whether rural and non-rural nursing homes implemented different disaster-related staffing approaches. Analyzes data from 361 CMS-certified nursing homes that were exposed to the direct path of Hurricane Michael in 2018. Compares the change in pre- and post-disaster staffing across three dimensions of nursing home staffing: intensity, licensure composition, and employment composition.
Citation: Journal of the American Geriatrics Society, 73(12), 3829-3835
Date: 09/2025
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Criminal Victimization, 2024
Presents 2024 data on violent and property victimization. Highlights types of crime, trends over time, victim and offender demographics, unreported crime, and rural, urban, and suburban crimes in 2023 and 2024.
Author(s): Susannah N. Tapp, Emilie J. Coen
Date: 09/2025
Sponsoring organization: U.S. Department of Justice
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Presents 2024 data on violent and property victimization. Highlights types of crime, trends over time, victim and offender demographics, unreported crime, and rural, urban, and suburban crimes in 2023 and 2024.
Author(s): Susannah N. Tapp, Emilie J. Coen
Date: 09/2025
Sponsoring organization: U.S. Department of Justice
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Transforming Care: The Impact of COVID-19 on Telehealth Adoption in U.S. Home Health Care Agencies
Surveys 474 home health agencies between November 2022 and March 2024 to identify telehealth use and the perceived impact of COVID-19 policies on telehealth adoption. Includes rural and urban comparisons of telehealth modalities utilized to discuss targeted policies to support rural adoption.
Author(s): U. Gayani E. Perera, Ashley M. Chastain, Andrew W. Dick, et al.
Citation: Telemedicine and e-Health, 31(12), 1503-1507
Date: 09/2025
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Surveys 474 home health agencies between November 2022 and March 2024 to identify telehealth use and the perceived impact of COVID-19 policies on telehealth adoption. Includes rural and urban comparisons of telehealth modalities utilized to discuss targeted policies to support rural adoption.
Author(s): U. Gayani E. Perera, Ashley M. Chastain, Andrew W. Dick, et al.
Citation: Telemedicine and e-Health, 31(12), 1503-1507
Date: 09/2025
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