Rural Health
Resources by Type: Document
Workplace Indicators and Well-Being among Oral Health Professionals in HRSA-Funded Health Centres
Discusses survey results on the associations between 16 drivers of well-being in the workplace and job satisfaction, burnout, engagement, and retention for 2,671 dental assistants, dental hygienists, and dentists. Highlights specific drivers by provider type and includes a rural and urban comparison of the study population. Notes findings related to dentists in rural facilities.
Author(s): Jinman Pang, Simona Surdu, Sage Shirey, Jean Moore
Citation: Health Affairs Scholar, 4(8)
Date: 08/2026
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Discusses survey results on the associations between 16 drivers of well-being in the workplace and job satisfaction, burnout, engagement, and retention for 2,671 dental assistants, dental hygienists, and dentists. Highlights specific drivers by provider type and includes a rural and urban comparison of the study population. Notes findings related to dentists in rural facilities.
Author(s): Jinman Pang, Simona Surdu, Sage Shirey, Jean Moore
Citation: Health Affairs Scholar, 4(8)
Date: 08/2026
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Broadband Deployment: Agencies Should Take Steps to Better Target Underserved Areas and Consider Sustainability
Examines selected federal agencies' progress in broadband deployment. Describes the agencies' approaches to targeting broadband deployment funding to underserved areas while avoiding duplication, and how they address challenges that program participants face in sustaining broadband service and obtaining permits and reviews.
Additional links: Full Report
Date: 08/2026
Sponsoring organization: Government Accountability Office
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Examines selected federal agencies' progress in broadband deployment. Describes the agencies' approaches to targeting broadband deployment funding to underserved areas while avoiding duplication, and how they address challenges that program participants face in sustaining broadband service and obtaining permits and reviews.
Additional links: Full Report
Date: 08/2026
Sponsoring organization: Government Accountability Office
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Rural and Urban Availability of Substance Use Treatment Facilities
Discusses the national availability of and regional variance in substance use disorder treatment facilities for rural and urban residents. Highlights the number of facilities per 100,000 population by rural status and county, as well as the number of facilities offering medication for opioid use disorder (MOUD) services.
Author(s): Aaron P. Smith, Tyrone F. Borders
Date: 08/2026
Sponsoring organization: Rural and Underserved Health Research Center
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Discusses the national availability of and regional variance in substance use disorder treatment facilities for rural and urban residents. Highlights the number of facilities per 100,000 population by rural status and county, as well as the number of facilities offering medication for opioid use disorder (MOUD) services.
Author(s): Aaron P. Smith, Tyrone F. Borders
Date: 08/2026
Sponsoring organization: Rural and Underserved Health Research Center
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MedPAC Comment on CMS's Proposed Rule on the Home Health Prospective Payment System for CY 2027
Comments on a July 6, 2026, Federal Register proposed rule related to Medicare payment policies for home health agencies. Includes comments regarding permanent and temporary budget-neutrality adjustments and durable medical equipment and provider enrollment provisions, as well as comments in response to a request for information on the construction of a home health-specific wage index.
Date: 08/2026
Sponsoring organization: Medicare Payment Advisory Commission
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Comments on a July 6, 2026, Federal Register proposed rule related to Medicare payment policies for home health agencies. Includes comments regarding permanent and temporary budget-neutrality adjustments and durable medical equipment and provider enrollment provisions, as well as comments in response to a request for information on the construction of a home health-specific wage index.
Date: 08/2026
Sponsoring organization: Medicare Payment Advisory Commission
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MedPAC Comment on CMS's Proposed Rule on the Payment Systems for Hospital Outpatient Departments and Ambulatory Surgical Centers for CY 2027
Comment on the July 7, 2026, Federal Register proposed rule revising the Medicare Hospital Outpatient Prospective Payment System (OPPS) and Medicare Ambulatory Surgical Center (ASC) payment system for calendar year 2027. Includes considerations for expansion of site-neutral payments for imaging without contrast services under the OPPS, the continued use of the hospital market basket to update ASC payment rates, the reduction of OPPS payment rates for 340B-acquired drugs, and more.
Date: 08/2026
Sponsoring organization: Medicare Payment Advisory Commission
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Comment on the July 7, 2026, Federal Register proposed rule revising the Medicare Hospital Outpatient Prospective Payment System (OPPS) and Medicare Ambulatory Surgical Center (ASC) payment system for calendar year 2027. Includes considerations for expansion of site-neutral payments for imaging without contrast services under the OPPS, the continued use of the hospital market basket to update ASC payment rates, the reduction of OPPS payment rates for 340B-acquired drugs, and more.
Date: 08/2026
Sponsoring organization: Medicare Payment Advisory Commission
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Analyzing Trends of Medicare-Participating Nurse Practitioners and Physician Associates in the United States From 2017 to 2025
Results of a study describing how the geographic distribution of nurse practitioners (NPs) and physician associates (PAs) has changed. Features statistics with breakdowns by rural and urban areas and state-level maps showing increases or decreases in the numbers of NPs and PAs from 2017 to 2025.
Author(s): Ryan J. Crowley, Jag S. Lally, David M. Kline, Amanda M. Bunting
Citation: Journal of the American Association of Nurse Practitioners, 38(8), 617-625
Date: 08/2026
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Results of a study describing how the geographic distribution of nurse practitioners (NPs) and physician associates (PAs) has changed. Features statistics with breakdowns by rural and urban areas and state-level maps showing increases or decreases in the numbers of NPs and PAs from 2017 to 2025.
Author(s): Ryan J. Crowley, Jag S. Lally, David M. Kline, Amanda M. Bunting
Citation: Journal of the American Association of Nurse Practitioners, 38(8), 617-625
Date: 08/2026
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2026 Annual Insurance Update: Health Insurance in Kansas
Reports on health insurance coverage across Kansas and nationwide, presenting 2009-2024 trends in coverage. Includes 2023 county-level data on uninsured rates by age group as well as Medicaid and Children's Health Insurance Program (CHIP) enrollment. Compares uninsurance rates across frontier, rural, densely-settled rural, semi-urban, and urban county location.
Author(s): Kaci Cink, Viktoria Sterkhova, Cynthia Snyder, Wen-Chieh Lin
Date: 08/2026
Sponsoring organization: Kansas Health Institute
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Reports on health insurance coverage across Kansas and nationwide, presenting 2009-2024 trends in coverage. Includes 2023 county-level data on uninsured rates by age group as well as Medicaid and Children's Health Insurance Program (CHIP) enrollment. Compares uninsurance rates across frontier, rural, densely-settled rural, semi-urban, and urban county location.
Author(s): Kaci Cink, Viktoria Sterkhova, Cynthia Snyder, Wen-Chieh Lin
Date: 08/2026
Sponsoring organization: Kansas Health Institute
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Buprenorphine Dispensed by Pharmacies and Administered in Emergency Departments in Urban and Rural Areas — United States, 2019–2025
Reports on how the provision of buprenorphine in pharmacies and emergency departments varied by rural or urban area between 2019 and 2025. Includes rural and urban data comparisons on the frequency of dispensing or administering buprenorphine, dosing, prescribing, availability, and more, including year-by-year comparisons.
Author(s): Gery P. Guy Jr., Yijie Chen, Kun Zhang, et al.
Citation: MMWR (Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report), 75(33), 522-528
Date: 08/2026
Sponsoring organization: Centers for Disease Control and Prevention
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Reports on how the provision of buprenorphine in pharmacies and emergency departments varied by rural or urban area between 2019 and 2025. Includes rural and urban data comparisons on the frequency of dispensing or administering buprenorphine, dosing, prescribing, availability, and more, including year-by-year comparisons.
Author(s): Gery P. Guy Jr., Yijie Chen, Kun Zhang, et al.
Citation: MMWR (Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report), 75(33), 522-528
Date: 08/2026
Sponsoring organization: Centers for Disease Control and Prevention
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Availability of Rural Hospitals Providing Inpatient Maternity Care in Medicaid
Examines the availability of hospitals offering inpatient maternity care in rural areas to Medicaid enrollees. Describes the median drive time between rural hospitals and the next closest in-state hospital that provides inpatient maternity care to Medicaid enrollees by state. Includes data on the number of urban and rural hospitals providing these services in each state in 2023.
Author(s): Rhiannon Euhus, Brittni Frederiksen, Alice Burns
Date: 08/2026
Sponsoring organization: KFF
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Examines the availability of hospitals offering inpatient maternity care in rural areas to Medicaid enrollees. Describes the median drive time between rural hospitals and the next closest in-state hospital that provides inpatient maternity care to Medicaid enrollees by state. Includes data on the number of urban and rural hospitals providing these services in each state in 2023.
Author(s): Rhiannon Euhus, Brittni Frederiksen, Alice Burns
Date: 08/2026
Sponsoring organization: KFF
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Meeting Challenges of Staffing Rural Health Systems: Strategies and Actions in Eight Organizations
Summarizes key findings from conversations with health system leaders regarding workforce strategy and operations challenges. Describes initiatives used in rural healthcare settings to offset clinical, administrative, and technical support staffing constraints; accommodate evolving care needs; and address limitations unique to rural settings.
Author(s): Lauren Lavin, Alva O. Ferdinand, Mark Holmes, et al.
Date: 08/2026
Sponsoring organization: Rural Policy Research Institute Rural Health Panel
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Summarizes key findings from conversations with health system leaders regarding workforce strategy and operations challenges. Describes initiatives used in rural healthcare settings to offset clinical, administrative, and technical support staffing constraints; accommodate evolving care needs; and address limitations unique to rural settings.
Author(s): Lauren Lavin, Alva O. Ferdinand, Mark Holmes, et al.
Date: 08/2026
Sponsoring organization: Rural Policy Research Institute Rural Health Panel
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