RHIhub This Week - September 16, 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.
Opportunities for a Healthier Rural America: Perspectives from the Rural Health Research Centersby Jessica Rosencrans Communities across rural America often face unique challenges in accessing healthcare, but these challenges can drive innovation to transform healthcare delivery. We asked several Rural Health Research Center directors to share their thoughts on current opportunities to improve access and outcomes in rural areas. |
Upcoming Webinar
Rural Measles Response: Lessons Learned from the FieldJoin us tomorrow, September 17, at 12:00 p.m. Central to hear from clinicians and public health leaders about their real-world experiences responding to measles cases in rural settings. Learn what to do when a suspected case is identified, and how health departments can rapidly mobilize a response. Register today! |
Recently Added to the Online Library |
Sep 16, 2026 -- Highlights a Virginia community paramedicine program and describes the challenges faced in offering the service, most notably funding and workforce. Discusses how community paramedicine can relieve strain on community emergency services which are often volunteer-run in rural communities. Source: Cardinal News Kansans in Need of 'Stupidly Expensive' Medical Equipment Are Turning to Loan Closets for Help Sep 15, 2026 -- Discusses medical loan closet programs for people struggling to afford expensive medical equipment. Notes that equipment may be more expensive for rural residents with more limited access to equipment and loan closets can fill that gap. Source: High Plains Public Radio How Libraries Are Bringing Heart-Health Resources to Rural Communities Sep 14, 2026 -- Describes the work of libraries to connect rural and tribal communities with tools and education promoting heart health through the American Heart Association's Libraries with Heart initiative. Discusses rural heart health risk and highlights how the program has been implemented in Florida, Louisiana, and Arkansas. Source: National Rural Health Association A Virtual Lifeline: How Maternal Health RPM Transforms Care Sep 11, 2026 -- Describes a remote patient monitoring program for pregnant and postpartum women in rural Mississippi. Discusses the impact of the program on detecting common health conditions, increasing health literacy, and addressing mental health as well as how clinicians use the data in healthcare provision. Source: National Rural Health Association HHS Awards Nearly $25 Million to Strengthen Small Rural Hospitals and Preserve Access to Care Sep 10, 2026 -- The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services has announced awards to 132 hospitals in 13 states through the Rural Hospital Provider Assistance Program. This will help eligible small rural hospitals maintain their workforce, sustain essential services, and strengthen patients' access to care. Source: U.S. Department of Health and Human Services Study Finds Link Between Food Insecurity and Chronic Illness in Rural Texas Sep 10, 2026 -- Highlights recent research in Texas finding a connection between food insecurity and chronic illness. Discusses how non-medical drivers of health can lead to poor health outcomes and common barriers to affordable and nutritious foods such as transportation. Describes how community-based organizations can use the findings to make decisions about resource allocation. Source: The Daily Yonder |
Funding for innovative, multi-level healthcare research for older adults from populations that experience health disparities. Rural populations are considered a disparity population. Geographic coverage: Nationwide and U.S. Territories Application Deadline: Jan 8, 2028 Sponsors: National Institute on Minority Health and Health Disparities, National Institutes of Health, U.S. Department of Health and Human Services |
Recording of a September 3, 2026, webinar providing an overview of traditional Medicare billing guidelines for Rural Health Clinics. Part of the Rural Health Clinic Technical Assistance Series. Additional links: Presentation Slides Sponsoring organization: National Association of Rural Health Clinics Date: 09/2026 Alpha-gal Syndrome Symptom Profiles and Diagnostic Experiences Among Farmers and Ranchers Surveys 201 farmers and ranchers with an alpha-gal syndrome (AGS) diagnosis on their knowledge of AGS prior to diagnosis, symptoms, and diagnosis experience. Discusses demographic differences, the number of medical provider visits for a diagnosis, and the type of medical professional providing the diagnosis. Author(s): Alexandrea M. Welch, Cheryl L. Beseler, Shaun T. Cross Location: Journal of Agromedicine Date: 09/2026 Cancer Survival Differences Between Rural and Urban Populations During the Opioid Epidemic: A SEER Analysis Explores how rural and urban cancer survival changed over time during the U.S. opioid epidemic, and how rural cancer survival disparities were associated with increasing drug mortality during the same period. Utilizes 2000-2016 SEER and CDC WONDER data. Author(s): Martin G. Bouldo, Daniel J. Becker Location: Anticancer Research, 46(9), 4973-4984 Date: 09/2026 Changing Patterns of Specialty Care for Diabetic Foot Ulcers among Rural and Urban Veterans Following the VA MISSION Act Presents a study on older veterans' access to specialty care for diabetic foot ulcers under the MISSION Act in rural and urban areas. Explores veterans' access both inside and outside of the VA and breaks down utilization data by specialty, such as podiatry, infectious disease, vascular surgery, and endocrinology. Author(s): Hiroyuki Suzuki, Mary Vaughan-Sarrazin, Michael Ohl, et al. Location: International Wound Journal, 23(9), e71039 Date: 09/2026 FirstNet Operations Manual Provides an overview of the FirstNet tools and technologies. Designed to help emergency management, law enforcement, fire services, emergency medical services, and 911/emergency communications integrate FirstNet into operations. Mentions rural throughout. Sponsoring organization: FirstNet Authority Date: 02/2026 From Innovation to Implementation: Replicable Community-Based Care Models for Aging in Place Offers 6 domains influencing feasibility, sustainability, and adaptability for community-based long-term care models, drawn from more than 60 programs. Includes analysis of 3 of those programs including 1 rural North Dakota program. More rural programs are highlighted in Table 3. Sponsoring organization: AARP Public Policy Institute Date: 09/2026 Improving Trauma Stabilization Training for Rural Family Medicine Residents Presents data from the first 3 years of the Trauma and Emergency Medicine Track, developed in 2019 as a partnership among Sky Lakes Medical Center in Klamath Falls, Oregon; trauma surgeons; and Cascades East Family Medicine. The program prepares rural medical residents to lead trauma care, provides opportunities to perform trauma-specific procedures, and improves residents' comfort level with trauma stabilization. Author(s): Christine Maisano, Patricia A. Carney, Margaret Jolley, Joel Klas Location: Family Medicine, 58(8), 577-581 Date: 09/2026 Income in the United States: 2025 Reports on pre-tax money income and post-tax income levels for 2024 and 2025, along with the percent change from 2024 to 2025. Separate tables include statistics for metropolitan and nonmetropolitan areas. Based on data from the 2026 and earlier Current Population Survey Annual Social and Economic Supplements. Additional links: Table 1: Income Summary (Excel), Table 3: Post-Tax Household Income Summary (Excel), Table 4: Money Income and Post-Tax Income (Excel) Sponsoring organization: U.S. Census Bureau Date: 09/2026 Numerous Overlapping Programs Add Complexity, Unpredictability to Rural Hospital Finances Analyzes payments between 1997 and 2024 to 2,942 rural hospitals participating in at least one Medicare-specific payment program, including the Sole Community Hospital, Medicare-Dependent Hospital, Critical Access Hospital, or Low-Volume Hospital programs. Discusses the impact of the programs and policy changes throughout the study period on hospital finances. Author(s): Carolyn San Soucie, Michael E. Chernew, Benjamin D. Sommers Location: Health Affairs Scholar, 4(9) Date: 09/2026 Outpatient Care Fragmentation and Patient Satisfaction With Care Examines the relationship between outpatient care fragmentation and Medicare patient satisfaction. Utilizes 2020-2022 survey data from 2,294 Medicare beneficiaries to analyze physician and practice-level fragmentation alongside patient satisfaction, measured by perceived accessibility, communication, coordination, and quality as experienced by rural, suburban, and urban Medicare populations. Author(s): Isabella Ratto, Neelam Ahmed, Mengyuan Chen, et al. Location: Journal of Rural Health, 42(3), e70220 Date: 09/2026 Poverty in the United States: 2025 Reports on poverty rates for 2024 and 2025, including changes in the official poverty measure rate and changes in the Supplemental Poverty Measure rate. Separate tables include statistics for metropolitan and nonmetropolitan areas. Based on data from the 2026 and earlier Current Population Survey Annual Social and Economic Supplements. Additional links: Table 1: Official Poverty Measure (Excel), Table 4: Supplemental Poverty Measure (Excel), Table 7: Comparison of Official and Supplemental Poverty Measures (Excel) Sponsoring organization: U.S. Census Bureau Date: 09/2026 RHC Compliance 101 - Fall 2026 Recording of a September 9, 2026, webinar providing an overview of federal Rural Health Clinic (RHC) regulations and requirements. Additional links: Presentation Slides Sponsoring organization: National Association of Rural Health Clinics Date: 09/2026 Risk Factors for Loss of Hospital-Based Obstetric Care in Rural and Urban Hospitals Examines factors associated with loss of obstetric services in hospitals. Analyzes 3,108 rural and urban hospitals in 2010 and then again in 2023 to observe rates of unit or hospital closure. Includes breakdown of hospital characteristics such as distance to nearest obstetric hospital, birth volume, hospital ownership, county unemployment, and more. Author(s): Julia D. Interrante, Caitlin Carroll, Kevan O'Hanlon, Emily C. Sheffield, Katy B. Kozhimannil Location: JAMA Health Forum, 7(9), e263122 Date: 09/2026 Rural Child Well-Being Dashboards Dashboards providing data on the well-being of rural children and families compared with those in urban areas, covering topics including educational outcomes, family income, poverty, nutrition, household spending, disaster vulnerability, and more. Includes state and county data. Sponsoring organization: Save the Children Rural Health Value Virtual Summit: Rural Healthcare Information Technology Summarizes an April 2026 summit of rural value-based care thought leaders regarding the implementation of health information technology (HIT) to support value-based care. Identifies five themes that emerged from discussion and recommendations for healthcare leaders who want to invest in technology to support value-based care and value-based payment. Sponsoring organization: Rural Health Value Date: 09/2026 September 2026 MedPAC Meeting Transcript Transcript from the Medicare Payment Advisory Commission's (MedPAC) September 2026 meeting. Covers the context for Medicare payment policy, issues relating to Medicare Part D and potential policy directions, MedPAC's work plan regarding ambulatory surgical centers, the use of post-acute care services by beneficiaries in fee-for-service Medicare and Medicare Advantage, and Medicare Advantage risk adjustment at the plan level. Sponsoring organization: Medicare Payment Advisory Commission Date: 09/2026 The State of Childhood in Rural America: Well-Being, Challenges and Opportunities Reports on the well-being of rural children, including their educational performance, poverty, household spending, and food insecurity. Discusses how state and federal policy can support the well-being of rural children and families. Sponsoring organization: Save the Children Date: 09/2026 Strengthening Rural Primary Care Will Require More Robust Research and Evidence Examines research barriers of studying primary care in rural areas as well as strategies to improve evidence collection, define rural populations, and locate usable data. Sponsoring organization: Commonwealth Fund Date: 09/2026 Twenty-Five Years of Progress: Evidence-Based Strategies for Rural Hospital Replacement Recording of a conference presentation exploring the financial and operational performance of Critical Access Hospitals (CAHs) before and after a facility replacement. Describes trends across successful replacement projects and profiles Rio Grande Hospital in Del Norte, Colorado. Includes a demonstration of the Stroudwater Capital Partners CAH Replacement Directory. Additional links: Presentation Slides Sponsoring organization: Stroudwater Associates Date: 06/2026 |
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