2024 Research Publications

Browse the full list of research publications from the Rural Health Research Centers.

Products – Freely accessible products include policy briefs, fact sheets, full reports, chartbooks, and interactive data websites.

Journal Articles – Articles in peer-reviewed journals may require a subscription or affiliation with a subscribing library. For these publications, Gateway lists the article citation, a brief summary, a link to additional information and access to the full-text of the article, if available.

Geographic Disparities in Availability of Hospital-Based Cardiac Services Across the United States
Journal Article
University of South Carolina Rural Health Research Center
Date: 12/2024
This project examined geographic disparities in the availability of essential cardiac care in counties across the United States.
Trends in the Health Workforce Supply in the Rural U.S.
Report
WWAMI Rural Health Research Center
Date: 10/2024
This report examines the availability of current and historical workforce data for a variety of health care professionals and provides estimates of the trends in the supply and distribution in the rural vs. urban U.S. workforce.
An Updated Model of Rural Hospital Financial Distress
Journal Article
North Carolina Rural Health Research and Policy Analysis Center
Date: 10/2024
In fall 2024, the North Carolina Rural Health Research Program completed a study modeling financial distress among rural hospitals, "An Updated Model of Rural Hospital Financial Distress." The model updates a 2016 version, by adding recent changes in the operating environment.
Pediatric and Pregnancy-related Visits at Rural Health Clinics in 2018 Among Medicaid/CHIP Enrollees in 20 States
Policy Brief
Maine Rural Health Research Center
Date: 09/2024
This policy brief reports on the percentage of Medicaid-enrolled children and reproductive age women with pregnancy-related service use who visited a Rural Health Clinic in 2018 in 20 states.
Financial Performance of Rural and Urban Hospitals in the Medicare Shared Savings Program
Policy Brief
RUPRI Center for Rural Health Policy Analysis
Date: 09/2024
This brief presents financial performance trends of hospitals who participated in Medicare's Shared Savings Program (SSP) from 2011 to 2018. Trends in six financial outcomes are compared between SSP and non-SSP hospitals over time and between rural and urban hospitals.
Profiling Social Needs Activities in Publicly Traded Medicare Advantage Organizations
Journal Article
RUPRI Center for Rural Health Policy Analysis
Date: 08/2024
This article reviews how six major Medicare Advantage (MA) companies address social determinants of health (SDOH) through supplemental benefits. It analyzes public reports, highlighting MA growth, SDOH activities, and plan initiatives.
Changes in Rural Pharmacy Presence 2023
Policy Brief
RUPRI Center for Rural Health Policy Analysis, Rapid Response to Requests for Rural Data Analysis
Date: 08/2024
This data brief continues the RUPRI Center's series of reports exploring the availability of retail pharmacy services in rural areas of the U.S. It provides information on rural communities that have kept, lost, or gained a retail pharmacy between 2018 and 2023.
Estimated Impacts of Multiple Payment Policies on Rural-Serving Home Health Agencies
Policy Brief
WWAMI Rural Health Research Center
Date: 07/2024
This brief examines the estimated impact of three Medicare payment policy changes on home health agency (HHA) reimbursement by rural-serving status, geographic location, and select HHA characteristics.
Cervical Cancer Screening Rates Among Rural and Urban Females, From 2019 to 2022
Journal Article
Rural and Underserved Health Research Center
Date: 06/2024
This study examines the receipt of a Papanicolaou test in the past year among U.S. females overall and females residing in rural and urban areas in 2019, 2020, and 2022, using the Health Information National Trends Survey.
Medicare Advantage Plan Growth in Rural America: Availability of Supplemental Benefits
Policy Brief
RUPRI Center for Rural Health Policy Analysis
Date: 05/2024
This policy brief compares availability of Medicare Advantage plans providing supplemental health-related benefits and special supplemental benefits for the chronically ill in metropolitan, micropolitan, and noncore counties.
Non-Urgent Use of Emergency Departments by Rural and Urban Adults
Policy Brief
Maine Rural Health Research Center
Date: 04/2024
This study provides updated information and addresses gaps in knowledge about rural non-urgent emergency department (ED) use. Understanding the rates of non-urgent ED use among rural adults and the factors associated with this use can inform policy and practice efforts to reduce inappropriate use of EDs in rural communities.
Identifying Rural Health Clinics Within the Transformed Medicaid Statistical Information System (T-MSIS) Analytic Files
Policy Brief
Maine Rural Health Research Center
Date: 03/2024
This brief describes a methodology for identifying Rural Health Clinic encounters within the Medicaid claims data using Transformed Medicaid Statistical Information System (T-MSIS) Analytic Files.
Nonmetropolitan Premiums, Issuer Participation, and Enrollment in Health Insurance Marketplaces in 2022
Policy Brief
RUPRI Center for Rural Health Policy Analysis
Date: 03/2024
This policy brief describes differences in unsubsidized and net-of-subsidy premiums between nonmetropolitan and metropolitan counties in Health Insurance Marketplace plan design and availability in 2022.
Availability and Quality of Dialysis Care in Rural Versus Urban U.S. Counties
Journal Article
University of South Carolina Rural Health Research Center
Date: 02/2024
An examination of rural-urban differences in quality of dialysis care offered across the United States was conducted using data from Medicare certified dialysis facilities in 2020 from the Centers for Medicaid and Medicare.
Nursing Home Closures and Access to Post-Acute Care and Long-Term Care Services in Rural Areas
Journal Article
RUPRI Center for Rural Health Policy Analysis
Date: 01/2024
Nursing home closures have raised concerns about access to post-acute care (PAC) and long-term care (LTC) services. In this study, researchers estimate the additional distance rural residents had to travel to access PAC and LTC services because of nursing home closures.
Suicide Rates and Risks Across U.S. Industries: A 29-Year Population-Based Survey
Journal Article
Rural and Underserved Health Research Center
Date: 01/2024
Combining 29 years of U.S. suicide data using the National Health Interview Survey (NHIS)-Mortality Linked data from 1986 through 2014, with mortality follow-up through 2015, this study estimates suicide risks across industries in the U.S. working population.