Rural Pharmacy and Prescription Drugs – Resources
Selected recent or important resources focusing on Rural Pharmacy and Prescription Drugs.
How USPS Network Changes Threaten Prescription Drug Access for Vulnerable Populations
Discusses the impact of mail processing changes on mail-order medication and asthma and diabetes management for rural communities. Highlights the "triple burden" of limited pharmacy access, high use of mail-order prescriptions, and proximity to postal service restructuring. Includes rural and urban comparisons, Medicare data, and county-level analysis.
Author(s): Elena Patel, Joshua Feng, Matthew Higgins
Date: 12/2025
Sponsoring organization: The Brookings Institution
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Discusses the impact of mail processing changes on mail-order medication and asthma and diabetes management for rural communities. Highlights the "triple burden" of limited pharmacy access, high use of mail-order prescriptions, and proximity to postal service restructuring. Includes rural and urban comparisons, Medicare data, and county-level analysis.
Author(s): Elena Patel, Joshua Feng, Matthew Higgins
Date: 12/2025
Sponsoring organization: The Brookings Institution
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Calendar Year 2026 Hospital Outpatient Prospective Payment System (OPPS) and Ambulatory Surgical Center Final Rule (CMS-1834-FC)
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 2026. Summarizes provisions regarding changes to hospital price transparency; Intensive Outpatient Program (IOP) and partial hospital program rate setting; updates to the Hospital Outpatient Quality Reporting (OQR), Ambulatory Surgical Center Quality Reporting (ASCQR), and Rural Emergency Hospital Quality Reporting (REHQR) Programs; hospital quality start ratings; and more.
Date: 11/2025
Sponsoring organization: Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services
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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 2026. Summarizes provisions regarding changes to hospital price transparency; Intensive Outpatient Program (IOP) and partial hospital program rate setting; updates to the Hospital Outpatient Quality Reporting (OQR), Ambulatory Surgical Center Quality Reporting (ASCQR), and Rural Emergency Hospital Quality Reporting (REHQR) Programs; hospital quality start ratings; and more.
Date: 11/2025
Sponsoring organization: Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services
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Drone-Based Medication Delivery for Rural, Flood-Prone Coastal Communities
Discusses access to essential medical services and healthcare for rural communities in Virginia's flood-prone Eastern Shore. Utilizes geospatial data to examine the impact of drone-based medication delivery to overcome transportation barriers in these communities.
Author(s): Yin-Hsuen Chen, Amro M. El-Adle, Kevin J. O'Brien, Taylor Wentworth, Heather G. Richter
Citation: PLoS One, 20(10), e0333696
Date: 10/2025
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Discusses access to essential medical services and healthcare for rural communities in Virginia's flood-prone Eastern Shore. Utilizes geospatial data to examine the impact of drone-based medication delivery to overcome transportation barriers in these communities.
Author(s): Yin-Hsuen Chen, Amro M. El-Adle, Kevin J. O'Brien, Taylor Wentworth, Heather G. Richter
Citation: PLoS One, 20(10), e0333696
Date: 10/2025
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The 340B Drug Discount Program: Litigation Topics and Trends
Provides an overview of the 340B Drug Discount Program. Discusses litigation surrounding the 340B program, including lawsuits against 340B-covered entities over their use of contract pharmacies to distribute 340B drugs to patients and lawsuits against states that have enacted laws to protect contract pharmacies and covered entities inside their state. Describes courts' interpretation of the 340B statute. Offers considerations for the 119th Congress in light of the litigation and describes several legislative changes that Congress could make to the program if it chose to do so.
Date: 09/2025
Sponsoring organization: Congressional Research Service
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Provides an overview of the 340B Drug Discount Program. Discusses litigation surrounding the 340B program, including lawsuits against 340B-covered entities over their use of contract pharmacies to distribute 340B drugs to patients and lawsuits against states that have enacted laws to protect contract pharmacies and covered entities inside their state. Describes courts' interpretation of the 340B statute. Offers considerations for the 119th Congress in light of the litigation and describes several legislative changes that Congress could make to the program if it chose to do so.
Date: 09/2025
Sponsoring organization: Congressional Research Service
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Growth in the 340B Drug Pricing Program
Explores trends in drug purchases through the 340B program between 2010-2021. Discusses drugs purchased through the Prime Vendor Program, factors contributing to growth in the 340B program, and effects of the 340B program on the federal budget. Includes information on the growth of 340B Program participation by hospitals in Medicaid expansion and non-expansion states by Critical Access Hospital designation.
Additional links: Data Underlying Figures
Date: 09/2025
Sponsoring organization: Congressional Budget Office
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Explores trends in drug purchases through the 340B program between 2010-2021. Discusses drugs purchased through the Prime Vendor Program, factors contributing to growth in the 340B program, and effects of the 340B program on the federal budget. Includes information on the growth of 340B Program participation by hospitals in Medicaid expansion and non-expansion states by Critical Access Hospital designation.
Additional links: Data Underlying Figures
Date: 09/2025
Sponsoring organization: Congressional Budget Office
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Rural Beneficiary Access to Medicare Advantage-Part D Plans
Policy brief updating RUPRI's analysis of Medicare Advantage-Part D plans (MA-PDs) including enhanced benefit plan availability and differences in characteristics across metropolitan, micropolitan, and noncore areas. Features statistics including number of MA-PDs and stand-alone prescription drug plans (PDPs), average monthly premium costs, and availability in metropolitan, micropolitan, and noncore areas from 2008-2023.
Author(s): Edmer Lazaro, Dan M. Shane, Fred Ullrich, Keith Mueller
Date: 08/2025
Sponsoring organization: RUPRI Center for Rural Health Policy Analysis
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Policy brief updating RUPRI's analysis of Medicare Advantage-Part D plans (MA-PDs) including enhanced benefit plan availability and differences in characteristics across metropolitan, micropolitan, and noncore areas. Features statistics including number of MA-PDs and stand-alone prescription drug plans (PDPs), average monthly premium costs, and availability in metropolitan, micropolitan, and noncore areas from 2008-2023.
Author(s): Edmer Lazaro, Dan M. Shane, Fred Ullrich, Keith Mueller
Date: 08/2025
Sponsoring organization: RUPRI Center for Rural Health Policy Analysis
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The Uncertain Future of Medicare's Stand-Alone Prescription Drug Plan Market and Why It Matters
Discusses the Medicare Part D stand-alone prescription drug plan (PDP) market and the Part D premium stabilization demonstration. Describes the impact of PDP market stability on rural Medicare beneficiaries. Explores the potential effects of the continuation of, or changes to, the premium stabilization program.
Author(s): Juliette Cubanski, Tricia Neuman
Date: 07/2025
Sponsoring organization: KFF
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Discusses the Medicare Part D stand-alone prescription drug plan (PDP) market and the Part D premium stabilization demonstration. Describes the impact of PDP market stability on rural Medicare beneficiaries. Explores the potential effects of the continuation of, or changes to, the premium stabilization program.
Author(s): Juliette Cubanski, Tricia Neuman
Date: 07/2025
Sponsoring organization: KFF
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Congress Must Act to Bring Needed Reforms to the 340B Drug Pricing Program: Majority Staff Report
Presents findings from a U.S. Senate Committee on Health, Education, Labor & Pensions majority staff report on how covered entities generate and use revenue from the 340B Drug Pricing Program and how patients benefit from the program. Describes data and information collected from hospital covered entities, Bon Secours Mercy Health and Cleveland Clinic; Federally Qualified Health Center (FQHC) covered entities, Sun River Health and Yakima Valley Farm Workers Clinic; contract pharmacies, CVS Health and Walgreens; and drug manufacturers, Eli Lilly and Amgen. Includes rural references throughout.
Date: 04/2025
Sponsoring organization: Senate Committee on Health, Education, Labor & Pensions
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Presents findings from a U.S. Senate Committee on Health, Education, Labor & Pensions majority staff report on how covered entities generate and use revenue from the 340B Drug Pricing Program and how patients benefit from the program. Describes data and information collected from hospital covered entities, Bon Secours Mercy Health and Cleveland Clinic; Federally Qualified Health Center (FQHC) covered entities, Sun River Health and Yakima Valley Farm Workers Clinic; contract pharmacies, CVS Health and Walgreens; and drug manufacturers, Eli Lilly and Amgen. Includes rural references throughout.
Date: 04/2025
Sponsoring organization: Senate Committee on Health, Education, Labor & Pensions
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Stand-Alone Drug Plans Cover a Larger Share of Medicare Part D Enrollees Living in the Most Rural Areas Than Medicare Advantage Plans
Examines Medicare Part D enrollment in stand-alone Medicare prescription drug plans and Medicare Advantage drug plans in 2025. Presents data by urban, rural adjacent, and rural non-adjacent status nationally and by state.
Author(s): Juliette Cubanski, Tricia Neuman, Anthony Damico
Date: 04/2025
Sponsoring organization: KFF
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Examines Medicare Part D enrollment in stand-alone Medicare prescription drug plans and Medicare Advantage drug plans in 2025. Presents data by urban, rural adjacent, and rural non-adjacent status nationally and by state.
Author(s): Juliette Cubanski, Tricia Neuman, Anthony Damico
Date: 04/2025
Sponsoring organization: KFF
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Barriers and Facilitators to HPV Vaccination in Rural South Carolina Pharmacies: A Qualitative Investigation
Examines human papillomavirus (HPV) vaccination services in rural South Carolina pharmacies. Utilizes interview feedback from rural community-based pharmacists and discusses barriers and facilitators to administering HPV vaccines.
Author(s): Abby Davies, Sarah Beth Tucker, Macie Goodman, Heather M. Brandt, Tessa J. Hastings
Citation: Implementation Science Communications, 6, 26
Date: 03/2025
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Examines human papillomavirus (HPV) vaccination services in rural South Carolina pharmacies. Utilizes interview feedback from rural community-based pharmacists and discusses barriers and facilitators to administering HPV vaccines.
Author(s): Abby Davies, Sarah Beth Tucker, Macie Goodman, Heather M. Brandt, Tessa J. Hastings
Citation: Implementation Science Communications, 6, 26
Date: 03/2025
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Last Updated: 12/9/2025