Rural Health
Research Gateway

Workforce

Completed Projects

Listed by project completion date. You can also view these projects alphabetically.

2024

  • Rural Obstetric Unit Closures
    The goal of this project was to update prior research to include the latest information on the loss of hospital-based obstetric services in rural U.S. counties. This project is important because ensuring obstetric care access and reducing maternal mortality in rural and underserved areas is a key focus of national, state, and local policies.
    Research center: University of Minnesota Rural Health Research Center
    Topics: Critical Access Hospitals (CAHs), Healthcare access, Hospitals and clinics, Maternal health, Women, Workforce
  • Rural-Urban Analysis of Persistent Health Professional Shortage Areas
    The study described rural-urban differences in persistent Health Professional Shortage Area designations for primary care, mental health, and dental care between 2010 and 2020, including those located in persistent poverty and majority minority counties.
    Research center: Rural Health Equity Research Center
    Topics: Healthcare access, Mental and behavioral health, Oral health, Workforce

2023

  • Overcoming Barriers to Providing Rural Obstetrical Training for Physicians
    Rural communities struggle to maintain obstetrical (OB) services, due in part to scarce rural training opportunities for obstetricians and family physicians. This study described the availability, characteristics, and output of residency and fellowship programs offering rural OB training and identified solutions to support this training.
    Research center: WWAMI Rural Health Research Center
    Topics: Healthcare access, Maternal health, Physicians, Women, Workforce
  • The Direct Care Workforce in Rural Areas
    In this study, we measured the supply of long-term care services and supports (LTSS) direct care workers relative to older adult populations in rural and urban areas and measure employer and industry turnover among LTSS direct care workers. We also explored how compensation levels – including wages and employer-based health insurance – are related to and predict worker turnover in the LTSS direct care workforce in rural and urban areas.
    Research center: University of Minnesota Rural Health Research Center
    Topics: Aging, Allied health professionals, Health services, Home health, Long-term care, Post-acute care, Poverty, Rural statistics and demographics, Social determinants of health, Workforce

2022

  • Northern Border Regional Commission State and Region Chartbooks: A Health-Focused Landscape Analysis
    The aim of this study was to compile the most recent publicly available data related to health and healthcare access at the county-level and state-level for the Norther Border Region and the individual states: ME, NH, VT, and NY. We highlighted counties with worse health outcomes, as compared to the rest of the counties in the region.
    Research center: Maine Rural Health Research Center
    Topics: Federally Qualified Health Centers (FQHCs), Rural Health Clinics (RHCs), Rural statistics and demographics, Social determinants of health, Substance use and treatment, Telehealth, Uninsured and underinsured, Workforce
  • Prehospital Emergency Medical Services Personnel: Comparing Rural and Urban Provider Experience and Provision of Evidence-based Care
    This study described the relationship between prehospital emergency medical services (EMS) providers' accumulated experience and provision of evidence-based care for rural and urban populations using newly available data on EMS agencies, personnel, and patient care.
    Research center: WWAMI Rural Health Research Center
    Topics: Allied health professionals, Emergency medical services (EMS) and trauma, Health services, Workforce
  • Safe Obstetric Care Access for All Rural Residents: Minimum Standards for Clinical, Workforce, and Financial Viability of Rural Obstetric Units
    The goal of this project was to analyze data from rural hospitals to understand the criteria by which hospitals and communities assess their need and capacity for obstetric care access in rural counties and to describe effective ways to operationalize minimum standards for clinical safety and financial viability for rural obstetric units.
    Research center: University of Minnesota Rural Health Research Center
    Topics: Critical Access Hospitals (CAHs), Health disparities and health equity, Healthcare access, Hospitals and clinics, Maternal health, Women, Workforce

2021

  • Geographic Access to Healthcare for Rural Medicare Beneficiaries: An Update and National Look
    This objective of this study was to compare, at a national and census division level, where rural and urban Medicare beneficiaries receive ambulatory care, which types of specialists they utilize and how far beneficiaries are traveling to obtain care.
    Research center: WWAMI Rural Health Research Center
    Topics: Aging, Chronic diseases and conditions, Health services, Medicare, Workforce
  • The Current Distribution of the General Surgery Workforce in Rural America
    This project described the current national supply and distribution of general surgeons in rural vs. urban areas of the United States as well as geographic variability in the supply of general surgeons across the rural/urban and intra-rural dimensions at the regional level.
    Research center: WWAMI Rural Health Research Center
    Topics: Critical Access Hospitals (CAHs), Health services, Healthcare access, Hospitals and clinics, Physicians, Rural statistics and demographics, Workforce
  • What Is the Geographic Distribution of the Workforce with a DEA Waiver to Prescribe Buprenorphine?
    This project updated statistics on the supply of providers (physicians, nurse practitioners and physician assistants) with a Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) waiver to prescribe buprenorphine and examine supply trends over time and also established baseline numbers of other eligible providers (e.g., midwives, clinical nurse specialists).
    Research center: WWAMI Rural Health Research Center
    Topics: Health services, Healthcare access, Mental and behavioral health, Nurses and nurse practitioners, Physician assistants, Physicians, Substance use and treatment, Workforce

2020

  • Malpractice Claims Among Rural and Urban Providers: Do State Telehealth Laws Make a Difference?
    This project examines trends in state telehealth laws and whether they have affected the rural and urban malpractice environments differentially. Data from the National Practitioner Data Bank are used to determine whether changes in telehealth laws are associated with increased malpractice claims and other adverse actions against providers.
    Research center: Southwest Rural Health Research Center
    Topics: Allied health professionals, Legislation and regulation, Nurses and nurse practitioners, Telehealth, Workforce
  • Team-Based Primary Care in Rural Communities
    This project will describe primary care practice structure in rural communities and quantify characteristics of primary care teams associated with high-quality care.
    Research center: University of Minnesota Rural Health Research Center
    Topics: Allied health professionals, Healthcare access, Nurses and nurse practitioners, Physicians, Quality, Rural statistics and demographics, Workforce
  • The Supply and Distribution of the Primary Care Health Workforce in Rural America
    This study will describe the supply and distribution of primary care providers in the rural U.S. at national, regional, and state levels using the most recent data available. Primary care health professionals include family physicians, general practitioners, general internists, pediatricians, nurse practitioners, and physician assistants.
    Research center: WWAMI Rural Health Research Center
    Topics: Nurses and nurse practitioners, Physician assistants, Physicians, Workforce
  • The Supply and Rural-Urban Distribution of the Obstetrical Care Workforce in the U.S.
    This project will use multiple data sources to characterize the distribution of the obstetrical care workforce in the U.S., comparing health professional-to-population ratios in rural and urban areas. Health professionals examined in this study include obstetricians, family physicians, and certified nurse midwives.
    Research center: WWAMI Rural Health Research Center
    Topics: Healthcare access, Maternal health, Physicians, Workforce
  • Who Provides Mental Health Services to Rural Medicare Beneficiaries?
    Most rural counties do not have a psychiatrist to care for the common conditions of depression or anxiety. This study describes the provider workforce that cares for rural elderly patients with depression/anxiety, including regional and rural-urban variations in mental healthcare provision.
    Research center: WWAMI Rural Health Research Center
    Topics: Health services, Medicare, Mental and behavioral health, Nurses and nurse practitioners, Physician assistants, Physicians, Substance use and treatment, Workforce

2019

  • Examining the Legal Landscape in Rural America: Implications for the Healthcare Workforce, Access to Care, and Population Health
    This project explores potential rural/urban differences in the prevalence of malpractice claims, clinical privilege actions, and state licensure actions among health care providers. We will also examine whether variations in nurse practitioner scope of practice laws affect rural residents differentially, especially with respect to preventive care.
    Research center: Southwest Rural Health Research Center
    Topics: Allied health professionals, Health services, Legislation and regulation, Nurses and nurse practitioners, Workforce
  • How Rural Communities Respond and Recover after a Hospital Closure
    Current rates of rural hospital closures are the highest seen in the last few decades. What can we learn from the experiences of communities experiencing hospital closures?
    Research center: North Carolina Rural Health Research and Policy Analysis Center
    Topics: Hospitals and clinics, Workforce
  • Perceived Facilitators and Barriers to Rural Ambulatory Care Practice Among Registered Nurses
    Although a quarter of all registered nurses work in ambulatory care settings, little research has addressed the factors associated with their remaining in the profession and current job settings. The study surveyed a sample of rural and urban nurses to ascertain perceived facilitators and barriers to remaining in rural practice.
    Research center: Rural and Minority Health Research Center
    Topics: Nurses and nurse practitioners, Workforce
  • Rural Hospice Surveys Regarding Family Members & Health Workforce
    This project's two parts surveyed both hospice users' family members and hospice CEOs regarding their health workforce staffing and shortages. The family member survey involved a sample of hospices from a geographically disperse group of states and the CEO survey involving a national random sample of hospice CEOs.
    Research center: North Dakota and NORC Rural Health Reform Policy Research Center
    Topics: Hospice and palliative care, Workforce
  • Rural Nursing Workforce: Current Educational Characteristics and Options for Improvement
    This project examined the current distribution of nurses, subset by educational attainment, across the rural U.S. using data from Census Public-Use Microdata files. Then surveyed approximately 750 registered nurse to bachelor of science in nursing (RN-to-BSN) educational programs across the U.S. identifying the proportion of programs offering rural content or facilitating rural placement.
    Research center: Rural and Minority Health Research Center
    Topics: Nurses and nurse practitioners, Workforce

2018

  • Implications of Rural Ambulance Service Closures
    The purpose of this project was to examine closed ambulance services and those ambulance services adjacent to the closed units. The ambulance services adjacent to those which closed were examined by service area, workload, and staffing for one year prior to and one year after the adjacent service closure.
    Research center: North Dakota and NORC Rural Health Reform Policy Research Center
    Topics: Allied health professionals, Emergency medical services (EMS) and trauma, Frontier health, Health disparities and health equity, Health services, Workforce
  • Increasing the Supply of Providers with a Drug Enforcement Agency Waiver to Treat Opioid Addiction in Rural America – Possible Effects of Permitting Physician Assistants and Nurse Practitioners to Prescribe Buprenorphine
    This study investigated the possible effects on rural access to treatment for opioid use disorder if Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) waivers for prescribing buprenorphine as an office-based outpatient treatment for opioid addiction are available to Physician Assistants (PAs) and Nurse Practitioners (NPs).
    Research center: WWAMI Rural Health Research Center
    Topics: Legislation and regulation, Nurses and nurse practitioners, Physician assistants, Physicians, Substance use and treatment, Workforce
  • What Are Best Practices for Providing Buprenorphine Maintenance Treatment in Rural Primary Care?
    Not all physicians with a Drug Enforcement Agency waiver to prescribe buprenorphine actually provide this treatment or fully utilize their waiver capacity. This project interviewed physicians successfully using their waivers to identify best practices for prescribing buprenorphine treatment for Opioid Use Disorder.
    Research center: WWAMI Rural Health Research Center
    Topics: Health services, Mental and behavioral health, Physicians, Substance use and treatment, Workforce
  • What Makes Physician Assistant Programs Successful at Training Rural PAs?
    A WWAMI Rural Health Research Center study identified the physician assistant (PA) training programs that have reduced high numbers and high proportions of graduates working in rural areas. The study extended that work through a physician assistant program survey, identifying key characteristics, admission, and training strategies, and missions of successful rural programs.
    Research center: WWAMI Rural Health Research Center
    Topics: Physician assistants, Workforce

2017

  • The Supply and Distribution of the Behavioral Health Workforce in Rural America
    Data from the National Plan and Provider Enumeration System (NPPES) file, linked to RUCA codes and population data will be used to identify behavioral health providers and describe their geographic (rural/urban, regional and intra-rural) distribution. Behavioral health professions identified in the file include psychiatrists, addiction medicine specialists, psychiatric nurse practitioners, clinical nurse specialists in mental health, clinical psychologists and licensed social workers.
    Research center: WWAMI Rural Health Research Center
    Topics: Allied health professionals, Mental and behavioral health, Workforce

2016

  • Family Medicine Rural Training Track Graduates: Determinants of Rural and Urban Practice
    This project will survey physicians trained in "1-2" Rural Training Track (RTT) family medicine residencies to understand the characteristics, experiences, and attitudes that influenced their rural or urban practice choices.
    Research center: WWAMI Rural Health Research Center
    Topic: Workforce
  • Influence of State Policies and Practices on J-1 Visa Waiver Physicians Service in Rural Areas
    This study will collect information from all states regarding their efforts to track IMG practice after their Conrad 30 program waiver obligations are satisfied, quantify long-term retention for states with available data, and assess how state policies shape IMG practice and long-term retention.
    Research center: WWAMI Rural Health Research Center
    Topics: International Medical Graduates (IMGs), Physicians, Workforce
  • Novel Master File of Rural Family Medicine Residency Training: Program Models and Graduate Outcomes
    This study expands current work by the WWAMI RHRC to establish a comprehensive database of rural-focused family medicine residency training programs. We will use this database to (1) create a typology of rural-focused family medicine training and (2) evaluate program graduates' outcomes and the success of different program models.
    Research center: WWAMI Rural Health Research Center
    Topics: Physicians, Workforce
  • Practice Characteristics of Rural Nurse Practitioners in the United States
    This study will use data from HRSA's first National Sample Survey of Nurse Practitioners (NSSNP) to expand on the agency's basic descriptive analyses of rural and urban nurse practitioners (NPs).
    Research center: WWAMI Rural Health Research Center
    Topics: Nurses and nurse practitioners, Workforce
  • Rural Hospital Obstetric Workforce, Procedure Utilization, and Quality of Care
    This study examines the relationships between key aspects of the obstetric workforce in rural hospitals and procedure intensity and quality of maternity care in those hospitals.
    Research center: University of Minnesota Rural Health Research Center
    Topics: Maternal health, Quality, Women, Workforce
  • Rural Training Track Technical Assistance Program
    This project looks into the Rural Training Track Technical Assistance (RTT-TA) Program which is a recognized model for addressing rural primary care physician shortages. The WWAMI RHRC has led the research component to investigate RTT program characteristics, graduate outcomes, and factors affecting RTT sustainability and resilience.
    Research center: WWAMI Rural Health Research Center
    Topics: Physicians, Workforce
  • What Are the Possible Impacts of Nurse Practitioners and Physician Assistants on Future Provision of Primary Care in Rural Areas?
    This study will explore how many nurse practitioners (NPs), physician assistants (PAs) and physicians will be required to meet rural health care demand resulting from expanded access to health insurance through implementation of the Affordable Care Act (ACA).
    Research center: WWAMI Rural Health Research Center
    Topics: Nurses and nurse practitioners, Physician assistants, Physicians, Workforce
  • Which Physician Assistant Training Programs Produce Rural Physician Assistants? A National Study
    This study will identify the physician assistant (PA) training programs that are most successful at producing graduates who practice in rural areas. The study will focus particularly on PAs who graduated from training in the past ten years.
    Research center: WWAMI Rural Health Research Center
    Topics: Physician assistants, Workforce

2015

  • Assessing Rural-Urban Nurse Practitioner Supply and Distribution in 12 States Using Available Data Sources
    This study compared estimates of nurse practitioner (NP) supply in 12 states (statewide and rural vs. urban) derived from two sources: state license records and National Provider Identifier (NPI) data.
    Research center: WWAMI Rural Health Research Center
    Topics: Nurses and nurse practitioners, Physicians, Workforce
  • Dentist Supply, Access to Dental Care, and Oral Health Among Rural and Urban Residents: A National Study
    This study will determine whether shortages of dentists in rural areas of the U.S. are associated with impaired access to dental care and a higher prevalence of dental disease.
    Research center: WWAMI Rural Health Research Center
    Topics: Oral health, Workforce
  • General and Specialist Surgeon Supply and Inpatient Procedural Content: A National Rural-Urban Study
    This study will examine the degree to which access to inpatient surgical care in rural areas is affected by the diminishing workforce of general surgeons. Using inpatient surgical procedure data, we will examine the availability and content of general surgical procedures in rural and urban hospitals nationally as a function of surgeon supply.
    Research center: WWAMI Rural Health Research Center
    Topic: Workforce
  • HIT Workforce Development in Rural-Serving Community Colleges
    This study will describe trends in the number of students completing Health Information Technology (HIT) programs in community colleges located near rural populations in the U.S.; assess the extent to which these programs have incorporated, or plan to incorporate, components of the recently released community college curriculum by the Office of the National Coordinator for HIT (ONC) into their programs; and identify factors that affect the ability of programs to reach rural student populations.
    Research center: WWAMI Rural Health Research Center
    Topics: Health information technology, Workforce
  • Pre-hospital Emergency Medical Services Personnel in Rural and Urban Areas: Results from a Survey in Nine States
    This study uses a survey of all ground-based pre-hospital emergency medical services (EMS) agencies in nine states (AR, FL, KS, MA, MT, NM, OR, SC, WI) to examine supply and demand for emergency response personnel, the involvement of medical directors, and the availability of medical consultation, in rural and urban agencies.
    Research center: WWAMI Rural Health Research Center
    Topics: Emergency medical services (EMS) and trauma, Workforce

2014

  • Health Information Technology (HIT) Workforce Needs in Rural America
    Health care increasingly relies on effective health information technology (HIT) to capture and exchange key patient information, and requires a trained workforce to implement this technology. To understand the specific needs and constraints of rural health systems to employ an effective HIT workforce, this study will survey rural primary care clinics across the country to determine their current and projected level of HIT adoption and demand for workers with HIT skills.
    Research center: WWAMI Rural Health Research Center
    Topics: Health information technology, Workforce
  • Supply of Physicians Waivered to Treat Opioid Addiction in Rural America: Policy Options to Remedy Critical Shortages
    This study will determine the extent to which a trained workforce exists in rural America that has received the necessary waiver to treat opioid addiction in outpatient settings with buprenorphine, a highly effective medication. It will identify areas with critical shortages and discuss policy options for expanding the supply of these qualified providers.
    Research center: WWAMI Rural Health Research Center
    Topics: Physicians, Substance use and treatment, Workforce
  • What Strategies Are Nurse Practitioner Educational Programs Using to Encourage Rural Practice?
    This study will quantify and describe nurse practitioner (NP) education programs that encourage NPs to practice in rural areas, and identify data sources that could be used in future studies of the effectiveness of these programs.
    Research center: WWAMI Rural Health Research Center
    Topics: Nurses and nurse practitioners, Physician assistants, Workforce

2013

2012

  • Community College's Contributions to the Education of Allied Health Professionals in Rural Areas of the U.S.
    This study will identify rural-serving community colleges across the U.S. and their 5-year graduation trends for specific allied health professions, examine the spectrum of how rural allied health professions education currently is being allocated and delivered, and explore how community economic status and estimated regional allied health workforce demand is associated with the availability of rural community college allied health education programs.
    Research center: WWAMI Rural Health Research Center
    Topics: Allied health professionals, Workforce
  • Factors Associated with Rural-Residing Registered Nurses' Choices to Work in Urban Locations and Larger Rural Cities
    While larger numbers of registered nurses (RNs) are living in rural areas, research from the WWAMI RHRC shows that since 1980, a growing percentage are commuting from rural residences to work within urban and larger rural cities. This study will explore factors that may be associated with RNs' decisions to commute away from their rural areas of residence to work in less rural areas.
    Research center: WWAMI Rural Health Research Center
    Topics: Nurses and nurse practitioners, Physician assistants, Workforce

2010

  • Future of Family Medicine and Implications for Primary Care Physician Supply
    This project describes recent trends in medical student interest and national match rates in primary care and family medicine, the effect of increasing proportions of female physicians on rural practice patterns, and implications of declining interest in primary care on health and the health workforce.
    Research center: WWAMI Rural Health Research Center
    Topics: Physicians, Workforce
  • Nursing Workforce Impact on Rural Hospital Performance Improvement in the Hospital Quality Incentive Demonstration Project
    The purpose of this project is to examine the impact of nurse staffing on hospital performance improvement in the CMS/premier Inc. Hospital Quality Incentive Demonstration project with specific interest in whether and how this relationship differs in rural hospitals as compared to urban hospitals.
    Research center: Upper Midwest Rural Health Research Center
    Topics: Hospitals and clinics, Quality, Workforce
  • Rural Family Medicine Residency Training Survey: Follow-up to 2000 Survey
    National survey of family medicine residency training programs to quantify the amount and location of rural training. The survey also identified training that occurs in federally-qualified health centers.
    Research center: WWAMI Rural Health Research Center
    Topics: Physicians, Workforce
  • Volunteerism in Rural EMS
    Semi-structured telephone interviews will be used to examine issues facing rural emergency medical services (EMS) that have converted or are considering converting from volunteer services to paid services. Respondents will be queried regarding their conversion or consideration of conversion and the effect on their ability to recruit and retain personnel, their relationship with other agencies such as fire departments and hospitals, and the overall availability of EMS.
    Research center: North Carolina Rural Health Research and Policy Analysis Center
    Topics: Emergency medical services (EMS) and trauma, Healthcare financing, Workforce

2009

  • Stay or Leave: Evidence from a Cohort of Young Rural Physicians
    This project aims to improve understanding of the dynamics of physician practice location decision making by examining and analyzing changes in practice locations for a sample of rural physicians.
    Research center: NORC Walsh Center for Rural Health Analysis
    Topics: Physicians, Workforce
  • Turnover Costs in Rural Emergency Medical Services
    Costs associated with providing Emergency Medical Services (EMS) transportation in rural areas are much higher than in urban communities. This study will measure the annual rate of turnover among rural EMS systems, identify costs associated with turnover, and create a budgeting tool for calculating the costs of turnover.
    Research center: FORHP-funded Individual Grantees
    Topics: Emergency medical services (EMS) and trauma, Transportation, Workforce

2008

  • Long Term Trends in Characteristics of the Rural Nurse Workforce: A National Health Workforce Study
    This national study characterizes changes in the demographic, education and practice characteristics of registered nurses (RNs) in rural and urban areas from 1980 to 2004. This study provides important information for projecting future trends in rural RN supply.
    Research center: WWAMI Rural Health Research Center
    Topics: Nurses and nurse practitioners, Physician assistants, Workforce
  • Move Toward Clinical Doctorates in the Allied Health Professions: Implications for Rural Areas
    Allied health occupations play a major role in health care delivery and comprise a significant proportion of the health care workforce in the United States. Researchers have found empirical evidence of allied health shortages in many states. Given the longstanding history of health professional shortages facing rural areas, there are concerns that the existing and impending shortages in allied health professions may be particularly acute in rural areas. This study will synthesize information on allied health professions, such as credentialing requirements and wage comparisons, with telephone and in-person interviews of rural health care employers, educators, and practitioners in order to assess the degree of alignment between community needs for allied health care services and existing and proposed certification and educational training for these health care providers.
    Research center: North Carolina Rural Health Research and Policy Analysis Center
    Topics: Allied health professionals, Workforce
  • National Changes in Physician Supply
    This project describes the supply of allopathic and osteopathic physicians in rural and urban areas of the US. Study results will provide a current picture of rural physician supply and its variation by state and by region.
    Research center: WWAMI Rural Health Research Center
    Topics: International Medical Graduates (IMGs), Physicians, Workforce

2007

  • Occupational Mix Differences Across PPS Hospitals: Analysis of Hospital Occupation Mix Survey Data and Implications for Rural Hospital Payments
    This study addresses the occupation-mix adjustment that has recently been added to the computation of the area wage index used to adjust Medicare prospective rates for all institutional healthcare providers. The study will review the policy objectives as well as the mechanics of the adjustment, and then analyze the data from the most recent occupation-mix survey to obtain a better understanding of occupation mix differences across labor markets and hospital types.
    Research center: North Carolina Rural Health Research and Policy Analysis Center
    Topics: Hospitals and clinics, Medicare Prospective Payment System (PPS), Workforce
  • Rural Emergency Department Staffing: Implications for the Quality of Emergency Care Provided in Rural Areas
    This project will describe emergency department (ED) staffing patterns in rural hospitals; determine how the certification, training, and experience of ED physicians and other providers in different ED staffing models vary; and assess the implications of rural ED staffing for the quality of emergency care in rural areas, continuity of care, and rural EDs' role as safety net providers.
    Research center: Upper Midwest Rural Health Research Center
    Topics: Emergency medical services (EMS) and trauma, Hospitals and clinics, Quality, Workforce
  • Rural Emergency Medical Services: Workforce and Medical Direction
    This two year study will examine the status of medical direction for rural EMS systems and the nature of the challenges and impediments to obtaining adequate medical direction in rural areas across the country. In addition, the study will address issues surrounding the recruitment and retention of paid and volunteer staff for rural EMS systems.
    Research center: North Carolina Rural Health Research and Policy Analysis Center
    Topics: Emergency medical services (EMS) and trauma, Workforce
  • Which Training Programs Produce Rural Physicians? A National Health Workforce Study
    This national study is using comprehensive, longitudinal data on medical schools and residency location to determine the extent to which the nation's medical schools and residency programs vary in their production of rural physicians by specialty.
    Research center: WWAMI Rural Health Research Center
    Topics: Physicians, Workforce

2006

  • Rural Health Center Expansion and Recruitment Survey
    This collaborative project between WWAMI and the South Carolina Rural Health Research Centers examined and described the current staffing needs of rural health centers (RHCs), ascertained the staffing, recruitment, and retention issues that RHC CEOs regard as most critical; distinguished how issues differ between CEOs contemplating development of expansion sites versus those who are not; and described how these findings correlate with the literature and current national supply projections for the categories of health professions needed by the RHCs.
    Research centers: Rural and Minority Health Research Center, WWAMI Rural Health Research Center
    Topics: Federally Qualified Health Centers (FQHCs), Rural Health Clinics (RHCs), Workforce
  • Rural-Urban Physician Payment Differences Across the Nation: Methodological Changes
    This project will simulate the effects of changes to the methodologies used to calculate the three geographic practice cost indices currently used to adjust physician payment across the 89 Medicare payment areas in the U.S. and territories. Changes to the payment formula will be analyzed to determine potential impact on payment across areas and revenues for rural physician practices.
    Research center: RUPRI Center for Rural Health Policy Analysis
    Topics: Medicare, Physicians, Workforce

2005

  • Chartbook of Family Practice Graduate Medical Education Programs in Rural America
    Little is known about the volume, location, and types of rural training for family physicians. This project will produce a chartbook that makes previously unreported information about family physician residency directors more fully available to medical educators and other policymakers.
    Research center: WWAMI Rural Health Research Center
    Topics: Physicians, Workforce
  • Is Rural Residency Training of Family Physicians an Endangered Species? An Interim Follow-up to the 1999 National BBA Study
    This study examined the proportion of rural-based family medicine residencies that have ceased operations since 2000, the residency-match experiences of the surviving programs, the proportion of U.S. medical school graduates and international medical graduates, major issues confronting these rural residencies, and likely impacts of these changes on the preparation of future family physicians for rural America.
    Research center: WWAMI Rural Health Research Center
    Topics: International Medical Graduates (IMGs), Physicians, Workforce
  • Rural Access and State Loan Repayment for Dentists
    This project will identify and evaluate the effectiveness of state loan repayment programs for dentists on improving access to rural health care. This study will establish baseline information about these programs that can be used by states to design and tailor similar programs for rural access.
    Research center: FORHP-funded Individual Grantees
    Topics: Oral health, Workforce

2004

  • Changes in the Supply, Distribution, Workload and Reimbursement Patterns of Pharmacists in Rural Areas
    This study will examine the supply, distribution, workload, and reimbursement patterns of pharmacists in rural areas. The study will also examine pharmacy licensure data in rural vs. urban areas to study trends in pharmacy ownership patterns.
    Research center: North Carolina Rural Health Research and Policy Analysis Center
    Topics: Pharmacy and prescription drugs, Workforce
  • Establishing a Fair Payment for Rural Physicians
    This project will analyze differences in physician payment as a function of practice location and simulate policy choices that change the current payment formula.
    Research center: RUPRI Center for Rural Health Policy Analysis
    Topics: Physicians, Workforce
  • State of Rural Health Provider Organizations and Health Professional Shortages
    This study addresses the convergence of health professions shortages and financial limitations among rural hospitals and rural home health providers. Successful strategies or best practices implemented in rural areas to address the shortages will be identified.
    Research center: Southwest Rural Health Research Center
    Topics: Allied health professionals, Home health, Nurses and nurse practitioners, Workforce

2003

2002

2001

1999

Unknown

  • The Rural/Urban Practice Location Patterns of Women Medical School Graduates
    While women are becoming an increasingly large percentage of the graduates of medical schools, they are much less likely to locate their practices in rural towns. This study involved a survey including questions about where the residents preferred to locate and how much they thought they would be practicing in the future.
    Research center: WWAMI Rural Health Research Center
    Topics: Physicians, Women, Workforce