Rural Pharmacy and Prescription Drugs – Resources
Selected recent or important resources focusing on Rural Pharmacy and Prescription Drugs.
Distribution and Accessibility of Board-Certified Pharmacists: A Cross-Sectional Geospatial Study
Examines the composition, accessibility, and geographic distribution of board-certified pharmacists (BCPs) in the United States. Uses 2026 Board of Pharmacy Specialties data to analyze distribution of BCPs by specialty, state, and metropolitan, micropolitan, or small town/rural location. Includes county-level U.S. maps showing distribution of BCPs as well as BCP density per 100,000 residents.
Author(s): Krystal K. Haase, Eric J. MacLaughlin, Amanda N. Charlton
Citation: Journal of the American College of Clinical Pharmacy, 9(11), e70318
Date: 11/2026
view details
Examines the composition, accessibility, and geographic distribution of board-certified pharmacists (BCPs) in the United States. Uses 2026 Board of Pharmacy Specialties data to analyze distribution of BCPs by specialty, state, and metropolitan, micropolitan, or small town/rural location. Includes county-level U.S. maps showing distribution of BCPs as well as BCP density per 100,000 residents.
Author(s): Krystal K. Haase, Eric J. MacLaughlin, Amanda N. Charlton
Citation: Journal of the American College of Clinical Pharmacy, 9(11), e70318
Date: 11/2026
view details
Calendar Year 2027 Hospital Outpatient Prospective Payment System (OPPS) and Ambulatory Surgical Center (ASC) Final Rule (CMS-1850-F)
Fact sheet providing an overview of the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) final rule regarding updates and changes to the Medicare payments for hospital outpatient and Ambulatory Surgical Center (ASC) services for calendar year 2027. Summarizes provisions regarding changes to the inpatient only (IPO) list, Intensive Outpatient Program (IOP) rate setting, updates to the Hospital Outpatient Quality Reporting (OQR) and Ambulatory Surgical Center Quality Reporting (ASCQR) programs, a cost-of-living adjustment to the nonlabor share of outpatient hospital service payments provided in Alaska and Hawaii, and more.
Date: 11/2026
Sponsoring organization: Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services
view details
Fact sheet providing an overview of the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) final rule regarding updates and changes to the Medicare payments for hospital outpatient and Ambulatory Surgical Center (ASC) services for calendar year 2027. Summarizes provisions regarding changes to the inpatient only (IPO) list, Intensive Outpatient Program (IOP) rate setting, updates to the Hospital Outpatient Quality Reporting (OQR) and Ambulatory Surgical Center Quality Reporting (ASCQR) programs, a cost-of-living adjustment to the nonlabor share of outpatient hospital service payments provided in Alaska and Hawaii, and more.
Date: 11/2026
Sponsoring organization: Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services
view details
Medicare Advantage Plan Availability Varies Widely by County for 2027
Describes the availability of Medicare Advantage prescription drug (MA-PD) plans in 2027. Presents data on MA-PD plan availability by county in 2026 and 2027, as well as the number of counties 10 MA insurers have entered and exited between 2026 and 2027.
Date: 11/2026
Sponsoring organization: KFF
view details
Describes the availability of Medicare Advantage prescription drug (MA-PD) plans in 2027. Presents data on MA-PD plan availability by county in 2026 and 2027, as well as the number of counties 10 MA insurers have entered and exited between 2026 and 2027.
Date: 11/2026
Sponsoring organization: KFF
view details
Building on the 2025 National Academies Pharmacy Workshop: Pharmacy Deserts in the United States
Describes pharmacy access in the United States, including discussions of "pharmacy desert" definitions by rurality, drivers of recent pharmacy desert trends, and the impact of pharmacy deserts on health outcomes. Highlights potential policy strategies for addressing pharmacy deserts with a focus on the pharmacy workforce, reimbursement and payment models, new technologies, and service delivery models.
Author(s): Lucas A. Berenbrok, Delesha Carpenter, Teresa M. Salgado, et al.
Citation: Health Affairs Scholar, 4(10)
Date: 10/2026
view details
Describes pharmacy access in the United States, including discussions of "pharmacy desert" definitions by rurality, drivers of recent pharmacy desert trends, and the impact of pharmacy deserts on health outcomes. Highlights potential policy strategies for addressing pharmacy deserts with a focus on the pharmacy workforce, reimbursement and payment models, new technologies, and service delivery models.
Author(s): Lucas A. Berenbrok, Delesha Carpenter, Teresa M. Salgado, et al.
Citation: Health Affairs Scholar, 4(10)
Date: 10/2026
view details
Pharmacists' Perspectives on Current Issues in Pharmacy and Medicare: Findings from 2026 Virtual Focus Groups
Summarizes findings from three focus groups of pharmacists who serve Medicare beneficiaries in outpatient settings in 2026. Covers topics related to pharmacist workload and patient access to pharmacy care, including pharmacists' daily responsibilities, reimbursement rates, drug stocking and shortages, pharmacy closures, labor market conditions, pharmacist well-being, and more. Includes rural references throughout.
Date: 09/2026
Sponsoring organizations: Medicare Payment Advisory Commission, NORC at the University of Chicago
view details
Summarizes findings from three focus groups of pharmacists who serve Medicare beneficiaries in outpatient settings in 2026. Covers topics related to pharmacist workload and patient access to pharmacy care, including pharmacists' daily responsibilities, reimbursement rates, drug stocking and shortages, pharmacy closures, labor market conditions, pharmacist well-being, and more. Includes rural references throughout.
Date: 09/2026
Sponsoring organizations: Medicare Payment Advisory Commission, NORC at the University of Chicago
view details
Availability of Real-Time Prescription Benefit Information Among U.S. Hospitals
Describes the availability of real-time prescription benefit (RTPB) information across U.S. hospitals in 2025. Presents data and analysis on RTPB information availability by hospital type, including Critical Access Hospital (CAH) designation, rural location, system affiliation, Accountable Care Organization (ACO) participation, ownership status, and more.
Date: 09/2026
Sponsoring organization: Office of the National Coordinator for Health Information Technology
view details
Describes the availability of real-time prescription benefit (RTPB) information across U.S. hospitals in 2025. Presents data and analysis on RTPB information availability by hospital type, including Critical Access Hospital (CAH) designation, rural location, system affiliation, Accountable Care Organization (ACO) participation, ownership status, and more.
Date: 09/2026
Sponsoring organization: Office of the National Coordinator for Health Information Technology
view details
Rural West Virginia Health Center Helps Patients Access Prescriptions
Features Mountain Laurel Integrated Healthcare (MLIH), which started its own onsite pharmacy to help patients fill prescriptions the same day they see their provider. MLIH offers medication management, compliance packaging, and assistance addressing access barriers.
Author(s): Allee Mead
Citation: Rural Monitor
Date: 08/2026
Sponsoring organization: Rural Health Information Hub
view details
Features Mountain Laurel Integrated Healthcare (MLIH), which started its own onsite pharmacy to help patients fill prescriptions the same day they see their provider. MLIH offers medication management, compliance packaging, and assistance addressing access barriers.
Author(s): Allee Mead
Citation: Rural Monitor
Date: 08/2026
Sponsoring organization: Rural Health Information Hub
view details
Geographical Access to Preferred Pharmacies in Medicare Part D
Analyzes access to preferred pharmacies in Medicare Part D prescription drug plans (PDPs) and Medicare Advantage PDPs (MAPDs). Utilizes multiple data sources to examine the nearest preferred pharmacy in MAPDs and stand-alone PDPs across rural and urban ZIP Code Tabulation Areas (ZCTAs). Discusses geographic disparities related to PDP and MAPD access.
Author(s): Pinka Chatterji, Yiran Han, Chun-Yu Ho
Citation: The American Journal of Managed Care, 32, 7
Date: 07/2026
view details
Analyzes access to preferred pharmacies in Medicare Part D prescription drug plans (PDPs) and Medicare Advantage PDPs (MAPDs). Utilizes multiple data sources to examine the nearest preferred pharmacy in MAPDs and stand-alone PDPs across rural and urban ZIP Code Tabulation Areas (ZCTAs). Discusses geographic disparities related to PDP and MAPD access.
Author(s): Pinka Chatterji, Yiran Han, Chun-Yu Ho
Citation: The American Journal of Managed Care, 32, 7
Date: 07/2026
view details
Where Primary Care and Clinical Pharmacy Services 'Intersect': Louisiana Program Helps Patients Understand and Manage Medications
Features a program at Arbor Family Health in Louisiana that connects chronic disease patients with nurse health coaches and clinical pharmacists. Shares how pharmacy faculty and students from the Xavier University of Louisiana's College of Pharmacy conduct annual comprehensive medication reviews by phone.
Author(s): Gretel Kauffman
Citation: Rural Monitor
Date: 05/2026
Sponsoring organization: Rural Health Information Hub
view details
Features a program at Arbor Family Health in Louisiana that connects chronic disease patients with nurse health coaches and clinical pharmacists. Shares how pharmacy faculty and students from the Xavier University of Louisiana's College of Pharmacy conduct annual comprehensive medication reviews by phone.
Author(s): Gretel Kauffman
Citation: Rural Monitor
Date: 05/2026
Sponsoring organization: Rural Health Information Hub
view details
April 2026 MedPAC Meeting Transcript
Transcript from the Medicare Payment Advisory Commission's (MedPAC) April 2026 meeting. Covers Medicare payment incentives, regional benchmarks and benchmark-plan availability in the Part D prescription drug plan (PDP) market, preferred networks and pharmacy access in Medicare Part D, the estimated association between Medicare Advantage enrollment and hospitals' and post-acute care providers' finances, information sources that beneficiaries use to make Medicare enrollment decisions, and institutional special-needs plans. Includes a mandated report on the assessment of the Medicare ground ambulance data collection system. Includes rural references and considerations throughout.
Additional links: Advising the Congress on Medicare Issues Preferred Networks and Pharmacy Access in Part D, Mandated Report: Assessment of the Medicare Ground Ambulance Data Collection System
Date: 04/2026
Sponsoring organization: Medicare Payment Advisory Commission
view details
Transcript from the Medicare Payment Advisory Commission's (MedPAC) April 2026 meeting. Covers Medicare payment incentives, regional benchmarks and benchmark-plan availability in the Part D prescription drug plan (PDP) market, preferred networks and pharmacy access in Medicare Part D, the estimated association between Medicare Advantage enrollment and hospitals' and post-acute care providers' finances, information sources that beneficiaries use to make Medicare enrollment decisions, and institutional special-needs plans. Includes a mandated report on the assessment of the Medicare ground ambulance data collection system. Includes rural references and considerations throughout.
Additional links: Advising the Congress on Medicare Issues Preferred Networks and Pharmacy Access in Part D, Mandated Report: Assessment of the Medicare Ground Ambulance Data Collection System
Date: 04/2026
Sponsoring organization: Medicare Payment Advisory Commission
view details
Additional resources are available related to this guide. See the full list of resources by topic for: