RHIhub This Week - April 29, 2026
As an information clearinghouse on rural health issues, RHIhub provides access to a wide range of resources on relevant topics. Inclusion on RHIhub does not imply endorsement of, or agreement with, the contents by RHIhub or the Health Resources and Services Administration.
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Finding Statistics and Data Related to Rural HealthOur topic guide on rural health statistics and data was just updated. This guide shares information and resources on how and where to find rural and rural-relevant data sources. It also covers how to navigate specific statistics on data.census.gov, details related to comparing data across geographic areas, and other factors to consider when searching for and using rural health data. |
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Apr 27, 2026 -- Announces individuals and organizations awarded with a 2026 Rural Health Award from the National Rural Health Association. Award recipients will be honored at the 2026 NRHA Annual Rural Health Conference. Source: National Rural Health Association The Help That Many Older Americans Need Most Apr 27, 2026 -- Profiles Sandy Guzman, a community health worker (CHW) in rural Oregon, who serves as an intermediary between patients and the healthcare system. CHWs can help patients apply for food and housing benefits, coordinate follow-up appointments, administer cognitive and mental health screenings, and help with other non-medical needs. Source: KFF Health News Why One CMO Says Design Rather Than Volume is the Problem in Rural Healthcare Apr 27, 2026 -- Littleton Regional Healthcare CMO Richard McKenzie believes that success in rural healthcare delivery is dependent on how systems are designed, and how they provide access, support clinicians, and ensure sustainable revenue. McKenzie previously worked as a manufacturing engineer, combining efficiency with frontline realities. Source: HealthLeaders Media Announcement: Age-Friendly Health Apr 24, 2026 -- Health Affairs has issued a call for journal articles focusing on age-friendly health including a focus on rural topics such as innovation in rural delivery of long-term services and supports, addressing rural care gaps associated with nursing home closures, and the impact of payment policies that boost rural home health supply in addition to workforce, caregiving, social determinants of health, technology, and more. Articles will be considered on an ongoing basis through June 2028. Source: Health Affairs Forensic Health Care Providers Working Diligently to Lessen the Impact of Violent Crimes across Indian Country – Part 2 Apr 23, 2026 -- Highlights 4 forensic healthcare programs from Indian Health Service providers in Wisconsin, Arizona, and New Mexico for Sexual Assault Awareness Month and National Child Abuse Prevention Month. Includes resources and information for healthcare providers and the general public. Source: Indian Health Service Top Critical Access Hospitals Announced Apr 23, 2026 -- Announces the National Rural Health Association's top 20 Critical Access Hospitals as well as 40 hospitals receiving best practice designations for either quality of care or patient perspective of hospital performance. Award winners will be recognized at the NRHA Critical Access Hospital Conference in September. Source: National Rural Health Association Submit Nominations for Partnership for Quality Measurement (PQM) Committees Apr 22, 2026 -- Nominations are being accepted for the Endorsement & Maintenance (E&M), Pre-Rulemaking Measure Review (PRMR), Measure Set Review (MSR), and Scientific Methods Panel (SMP) committees. Eligible committee members include clinicians, healthcare facilities, purchasers, policymakers, researchers, patients, caregivers, and more. E&M committee members review and endorse clinical quality and cost/resource use measures to ensure effectiveness, safety, and that they are evidence-based. PRMR committee members recommend quality and efficiency measures to the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid. MSR committee members review measures for continued use in CMS programs and are selected from the PRMR committee. SMP committee members advise on measurement science with a focus on scientific acceptability of clinical quality and cost/resource use measures. Nominations are due June 1, 2026. Source: Partnership for Quality Measurement Federal RegisterCMS: Medicaid Program; 2028 Medicaid Home and Community-Based Services Quality Measure SetApr 28, 2026 -- Notice from the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) seeking comments on the 2028 Home and Community-Based Services (HCBS) Quality Measure Set. The HCBS Quality Measure Set is a set of nationally standardized quality measures for Medicaid-funded HCBS intended to promote more common and consistent use of nationally standardized quality measures in HCBS programs within and across States, create opportunities for CMS and states to have comparative quality data on HCBS programs, and drive improvement in quality of care and outcomes for people receiving HCBS. Specifically, CMS seeks comments on proposed mandatory and voluntary measures for the 2028 HCBS Quality Measure Set; how States collect, calculate, and report data on the measures in the proposed 2028 HCBS Quality Measure Set; the proposed measures in the 2028 HCBS Quality Measure Set for which States are required to report stratified data, including rural/urban status; and more. Comments are due by May 28, 2026. Source: Federal Register AHRQ: Request of Nominations: U.S. Preventive Services Task Force Apr 23, 2026 -- The Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality (AHRQ) is seeking nominations to the U.S. Preventive Services Task Force (USPSTF). Specific areas of expertise being sought include public health, application of science to health policy, and communication of scientific findings to diverse audiences. Nominations are due by May 23, 2026, to be considered for appointment beginning June 2026. Source: Federal Register |
Funding for extension programs that address the unique needs of tribal communities. Supports the development and delivery of informal education and outreach activities that seek to improve the quality of life and economic well-being of individuals and families on Tribal lands. Geographic coverage: Nationwide Application Deadline: Jun 8, 2026 Sponsors: National Institute of Food and Agriculture, U.S. Department of Agriculture Rural Hospital Excellence in Innovation Award Award that honors the accomplishments of rural hospitals that demonstrate responsiveness, innovation, and excellence in developing, implementing, and sustaining programs and services. Geographic coverage: Nationwide Application Deadline: Jun 23, 2026 Sponsor: American Hospital Association Tribal Colleges Research Grants Program (TCRGP) Grants to tribal colleges and universities for research projects that address concerns and needs of tribal and reservation communities, including projects that focus on health, food, nutrition, and agricultural production research. Geographic coverage: Nationwide Application Deadline: Dec 31, 2026 Sponsors: National Institute of Food and Agriculture, U.S. Department of Agriculture |
Provides a comprehensive summary and data analysis of healthcare quality and access in the U.S. Addresses access to healthcare, care affordability, healthy living, effective treatment, person-centered care, care coordination, and more. Sponsoring organization: Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality Date: 12/2025 Average Salary Expense in Rural and Urban Hospitals Before and During the Low Wage Index Policy, 2018–2022 Examines and compares wage patterns of Critical Access Hospitals (CAHs), Rural Prospective Payment System (PPS) hospitals, and Urban PPS hospitals as related to the Low Wage Index Policy (LWIP) in effect from 2020-2022. Utilizes hospital data from the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) Healthcare Cost Report Information System (HCRIS) between 2018 and 2022 and analyzes median salaries. Discusses the impact of Medicare payments and LWIP on hospitals. Sponsoring organization: North Carolina Rural Health Research Program Date: 04/2026 Average Salary Expense in Rural and Urban Hospitals in 2022 Compared with 2018, by Hospital Characteristics Explores how the COVID-19 pandemic may have affected wage disparities across rural and urban hospitals. Describes the median wages by total employee full-time equivalents (FTE) for rural and urban hospitals from 2017-2018 to 2021-2022. Compares the growth in labor cost for rural and urban hospitals by selected hospital characteristics, including system affiliation, hospital ownership, and number of acute care beds. Sponsoring organization: North Carolina Rural Health Research Program Date: 04/2026 Community-Initiated Care in Behavioral Health: Exploring Funding Mechanisms for Substance Use Disorders Report explores funding options for behavioral health-focused community-initiated care (CIC) programs. Discusses CIC community partners, activities performed, and funding sources for programs to utilize. Details the characteristics of CIC programs, such as age groups and populations served, as well as prevalence in rural communities. Sponsoring organizations: Center for Financing Reform and Innovation, Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration Date: 2026 Comparing the Care, Distance Traveled, and Health Workforce Clinician Mix for Rural and Urban Commercially Insured Enrollees With Opioid Use Disorder Examines characteristics of opioid treatment in rural and urban communities across the United States. Utilizes 2019 commercial claims data from the Health Care Cost Institute (HCCI) to analyze rural versus urban differences in opioid use disorder and overdose diagnoses, healthcare utilization, healthcare visits by clinician type, average distance traveled to utilize healthcare, and location of received care. Sponsoring organization: WWAMI Rural Health Research Center Date: 04/2026 The Distribution of the Youth Behavioral Health Workforce in Rural and Urban America in 2025 Examines the distribution of school counselors; youth, family, or school psychologists; youth or family mental health nurses; school social workers; and pediatric psychiatrists or behavioral pediatricians across rural and urban areas of the U.S. Features statistics with breakdowns by provider type and location by 6 levels of population density, and a county-level map with shadings showing rural counties with and without youth behavioral health clinicians. Sponsoring organization: WWAMI Rural Health Research Center Date: 04/2026 Early Evaluation of the Rural Emergency Hospital Program Results of a study conducted January 2023 to December 2025, to assess differences between hospitals that converted to Rural Emergency Hospital (REH) status and eligible rural hospitals that did not. Includes statistics on the financial performance of the hospitals before and after conversion, and hospital features and services provided, with breakdowns by REH or non-REH status. Author(s): Mitchell Mead, Nina M. Clark, Janice C. Probst, et al. Location: JAMA Network Open, 9(4), e269217 Date: 04/2026 Expanding Access: Supporting Mobile Unit Understanding & Development for Rural Health Clinics Provides an overview of mobile health units and how they can increase access to care in rural and underserved areas. Describes federal and state policy considerations for implementing a mobile unit program. Highlights mobile health models included in state Rural Health Transformation Program applications. Offers links to additional resources and information about technical assistance for Rural Health Clinics (RHCs) exploring the addition and operation of mobile units. Sponsoring organization: National Association of Rural Health Clinics H5N1 Focus Groups with Dairy and Poultry Workers Summary Report: May - September 2025 Summarizes focus group discussions among dairy and poultry workers about their knowledge of H5N1, hygienic and biosecurity practices on dairy farms, and barriers to healthcare access. Sponsoring organization: National Center for Farmworker Health Date: 04/2026 Influenza Vaccination Coverage Among Nursing Home Residents and Health Care Personnel — United States, 2024–25 Influenza Season Reports on influenza vaccination during the 2024–25 influenza season for nursing home residents and healthcare workers. Provides pooled influenza coverage data by facility for nursing home residents and for nursing home personnel, with data by urbanicity for metropolitan, micropolitan, and noncore areas. Sponsoring organization: Centers for Disease Control and Prevention Location: MMWR (Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report), 75(15), 195-201 Date: 04/2026 Medicaid Home Care Chartbook Provides an overview of home care services within the Medicaid program, including participant eligibility, types of services delivered, inclusion in managed care arrangements, and provider distribution. Includes data on the percentage of home care recipients and location of providers in 2023 by Rural-Urban Commuting Area (RUCA) Code. Sponsoring organizations: Health Management Associates, National Alliance for Care at Home, Research Institute for Home Care Date: 04/2026 Navigating Tribal Transportation Funding A fact sheet that describes tribal transportation funding opportunities as well as strategies to coordinate transportation services and programs in tribal areas. Sponsoring organizations: Administration for Community Living, Federal Transit Administration, U.S. Department of Transportation Date: 2026 Nursing Facilities in Rural Areas Offers a group of data tables comparing rural and urban data at the state level for a variety of distribution, payer, ownership, quality, and nurse workforce staffing indicators in certified nursing facilities. Data available annually between 2015 and 2025. Sponsoring organization: KFF Payer Mix Shifts and Profitability at Critical Access Hospitals, 2011 to 2023 Analyzes 1,384 Critical Access Hospitals between 2011 and 2023 to determine the impact of changes in commercial, Medicare, Medicaid, and uncompensated care on their finances. Discusses reimbursement policy based on study findings. Author(s): Yusheng Jia, Yue Li, Xueya Cai, Samuel J. Enumah Location: Health Affairs Scholar, 4(4) Date: 04/2026 Transforming Rural Health: Value-Based Payment Presentation slides that discuss state examples related to the Rural Health Transformation Program (RHTP) and value-based payment (VBP) initiatives, with a focus on healthcare delivery systems, use of technology, and the healthcare workforce. Sponsoring organization: RUPRI Center for Rural Health Policy Analysis Date: 04/2026 UVM CORA Co-Occurring PTSD and OUD Toolkit Toolkit provides evidence-based assessments, treatment and training materials, and educational resources for behavioral health professionals providing care to rural people with post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) and opioid use disorder (OUD). Discusses the challenges of treating OUD with co-occurring PTSD and highlights strategies for assessment, counseling, and/or referrals. Sponsoring organization: University of Vermont Center on Rural Addiction Value-based Payment Strategies Used by Medicaid Managed Care Organizations Presents findings from a review of 36 state Medicaid program websites that detail value-based payment (VBP) strategies deployed by state-contracted Managed Care Organizations (MCO). Describes how Medicaid MCOs approach VBP strategies and implications for rural healthcare providers and organizations. Additional links: Appendix: State Medicaid Programs with VBP Elements Sponsoring organization: Rural Health Value Date: 04/2026 |
Deadline: May 29, 2026 American Hospital Association Event Dates: Jan 31 - Feb 3, 2027 Orlando, FL Conference Website Call for Abstracts: 2026 4th Annual West Texas Health Disparities Research Symposium Deadline: Jun 5, 2026 Angelo State University Innovation & Research Hub, Texas Tech University System Think Tank Event Dates: Sep 11, 2026 San Angelo, TX Conference Website |
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