Rural Healthcare Workforce – Resources
Selected recent or important resources focusing on Rural Healthcare Workforce.
Family Physician Workforce Trends: The Toll on Rural Communities
Analyzes distribution of family physicians between 2017 and 2023 to identify trends in practice location. Includes analysis of physician demographic characteristics, rurality, and region. Discusses the impact of a reduction in the family physician workforce on rural communities.
Author(s): Colleen T. Fogarty, Hoon Byun, Alison N. Huffstetler
Citation: The Annals of Family Medicine, 26(6), 535-538
Date: 11/2025
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Analyzes distribution of family physicians between 2017 and 2023 to identify trends in practice location. Includes analysis of physician demographic characteristics, rurality, and region. Discusses the impact of a reduction in the family physician workforce on rural communities.
Author(s): Colleen T. Fogarty, Hoon Byun, Alison N. Huffstetler
Citation: The Annals of Family Medicine, 26(6), 535-538
Date: 11/2025
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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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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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The State of Rural Provider Compensation in 2025: Rural Physician & Advanced Practice Provider Compensation Survey Results
Results of a survey of over 4,697 rural providers, conducted in February and March of 2025 to provide insight into rural healthcare organizations and promote evidence-based, informed decisions when considering physician and advanced practice provider compensation. Features statistics with breakdowns by type of provider, specialty area, health system status, and more. Email address required to access report.
Date: 11/2025
Sponsoring organization: Stroudwater Associates
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Results of a survey of over 4,697 rural providers, conducted in February and March of 2025 to provide insight into rural healthcare organizations and promote evidence-based, informed decisions when considering physician and advanced practice provider compensation. Features statistics with breakdowns by type of provider, specialty area, health system status, and more. Email address required to access report.
Date: 11/2025
Sponsoring organization: Stroudwater Associates
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Greater Physician Supply Associated with Lower Mortality in Rural Counties: A 23-Year County-Level Longitudinal Observational Study
Examines the relationship between increasing the primary care physician supply in rural areas and corresponding mortality rates. Provides data from a study conducted between 1992-2014 and analyzes rural versus urban trends in mortality rates and physician supply. Discusses rural healthcare practitioner workforce needs, rural versus urban healthcare disparities, and access to care.
Author(s): Nasim B. Ferdows, Cyrus Kosar, Orestis Panagiotou, Momotazur Rahman
Citation: INQUIRY: The Journal of Health Care Organization, Provision, and Financing, 62
Date: 10/2025
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Examines the relationship between increasing the primary care physician supply in rural areas and corresponding mortality rates. Provides data from a study conducted between 1992-2014 and analyzes rural versus urban trends in mortality rates and physician supply. Discusses rural healthcare practitioner workforce needs, rural versus urban healthcare disparities, and access to care.
Author(s): Nasim B. Ferdows, Cyrus Kosar, Orestis Panagiotou, Momotazur Rahman
Citation: INQUIRY: The Journal of Health Care Organization, Provision, and Financing, 62
Date: 10/2025
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What Drives Advanced Practice Nurses to Stay in Rural America? Insights From the 2022 National Survey of Registered Nurses
Presents a study on the factors influencing rural advanced practice registered nurses (APRNs) to leave their jobs or stay working in rural communities. Draws data from the 2022 National Sample Survey of Registered Nurses. Explores factors such as burnout, proximity to family, and cost of living, among others, that can contribute to whether or not APRNs stay in rural communities.
Author(s): Esita Patel, Chris Gillette, Jan Ostermann, et al.
Citation: Journal of Rural Health, 41(4), e70088
Date: 10/2025
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Presents a study on the factors influencing rural advanced practice registered nurses (APRNs) to leave their jobs or stay working in rural communities. Draws data from the 2022 National Sample Survey of Registered Nurses. Explores factors such as burnout, proximity to family, and cost of living, among others, that can contribute to whether or not APRNs stay in rural communities.
Author(s): Esita Patel, Chris Gillette, Jan Ostermann, et al.
Citation: Journal of Rural Health, 41(4), e70088
Date: 10/2025
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Investing in Primary Care: The Nurse Practitioner Will See You Now
Describes opportunities to support advancement of preparation and growth for nurse practitioners (NPs) to meet the population's primary care needs. Explores the importance of NPs in rural and underserved communities, and Health Professional Shortage Areas.
Author(s): Jessica McCann, Margaret Flinter
Date: 10/2025
Sponsoring organization: Milbank Memorial Fund
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Describes opportunities to support advancement of preparation and growth for nurse practitioners (NPs) to meet the population's primary care needs. Explores the importance of NPs in rural and underserved communities, and Health Professional Shortage Areas.
Author(s): Jessica McCann, Margaret Flinter
Date: 10/2025
Sponsoring organization: Milbank Memorial Fund
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Many Medicare Advantage and Medicaid Managed Care Plans Have Limited Behavioral Health Provider Networks and Inactive Providers
Examines the availability of behavioral health providers in selected Medicare Advantage (MA) and Medicaid managed care networks in 2023. Analyzes provider network lists and MA and Medicaid encounter data for four MA and two Medicaid managed care plans from 10 selected urban and rural counties across five states. Describes the proportion of the behavioral health workforce in each county included in the plans' networks. Discusses the extent to which managed care plans had inactive providers in their network and why these providers did not deliver services to enrollees. Includes data on the percentage of inactive providers in rural and urban counties. Offers recommendations to monitor and improve the accuracy of provider networks.
Additional links: Report Highlights
Date: 10/2025
Sponsoring organization: Office of Inspector General (HHS)
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Examines the availability of behavioral health providers in selected Medicare Advantage (MA) and Medicaid managed care networks in 2023. Analyzes provider network lists and MA and Medicaid encounter data for four MA and two Medicaid managed care plans from 10 selected urban and rural counties across five states. Describes the proportion of the behavioral health workforce in each county included in the plans' networks. Discusses the extent to which managed care plans had inactive providers in their network and why these providers did not deliver services to enrollees. Includes data on the percentage of inactive providers in rural and urban counties. Offers recommendations to monitor and improve the accuracy of provider networks.
Additional links: Report Highlights
Date: 10/2025
Sponsoring organization: Office of Inspector General (HHS)
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Health Professional Shortage Areas: Mental Health
Printable map that shows nonmetropolitan and micropolitan mental health HPSAs on one color scale and metropolitan mental health HPSAs on another. Data source: data.HRSA.gov
Date: 10/2025
Sponsoring organization: Rural Health Information Hub
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Printable map that shows nonmetropolitan and micropolitan mental health HPSAs on one color scale and metropolitan mental health HPSAs on another. Data source: data.HRSA.gov
Date: 10/2025
Sponsoring organization: Rural Health Information Hub
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Health Professional Shortage Areas: Dental Care
Printable map that shows nonmetropolitan and micropolitan dental care HPSAs on one color scale and metropolitan dental care HPSAs on another. Data source: data.HRSA.gov
Date: 10/2025
Sponsoring organization: Rural Health Information Hub
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Printable map that shows nonmetropolitan and micropolitan dental care HPSAs on one color scale and metropolitan dental care HPSAs on another. Data source: data.HRSA.gov
Date: 10/2025
Sponsoring organization: Rural Health Information Hub
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Health Professional Shortage Areas: Primary Care
Printable map that shows nonmetropolitan and micropolitan primary care HPSAs on one color scale and metropolitan primary care HPSAs on another. Data source: data.HRSA.gov
Date: 10/2025
Sponsoring organization: Rural Health Information Hub
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Printable map that shows nonmetropolitan and micropolitan primary care HPSAs on one color scale and metropolitan primary care HPSAs on another. Data source: data.HRSA.gov
Date: 10/2025
Sponsoring organization: Rural Health Information Hub
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Last Updated: 11/26/2025