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Rural Health Information Hub
Rural Health Information Hub

Rural Health
News by Topic: Statistics and data

Sep 21, 2026 - Describes disparities in buprenorphine treatment availability in rural areas despite new data showing a national increase in the medication in pharmacies and emergency departments. Discusses challenges that continue to exist in rural Pennsylvania and highlights telehealth as a tool that could support improved access to the medication.
Source: WHYY
Sep 17, 2026 - Notice from the U.S. Census Bureau seeking comments on Current Population Survey (CPS) Annual Social and Economic Supplement (ASEC) field tests related to self-response. The 2027 Field Test will be the first time that the ASEC supplement will be administered as a self-response mode, and will evaluate the comparability of computer-assisted personal interviewing (CAPI) questions to internet self-response (ISR) questions and the impact of changing question wording and response categories. Comments are due by November 16, 2026.
Source: Federal Register
Sep 17, 2026 - The Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA) is seeking comments on proposed revisions to the National Survey on Drug Use and Health (NSDUH). Among other things, proposed updates for the 2027 NSDUH include revisions and additions to the Special Drugs module to prevent inconsistent reporting of last use of specific drugs with earlier modules; addition to the Mental Health Services Utilization module to capture past 12-month use of a Crisis Line service; and additions to the Emerging Issues module to measure past 12-month use of glucagon-like peptide-1 medications (GLP-1s), selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors (SSRIs), serotonin and norepinephrine reuptake inhibitors (SNRIs), mood stabilizers, and antipsychotic medications. Comments are due by November 16, 2026.
Source: Federal Register
Sep 10, 2026 - The U.S. Census Bureau is seeking comments on a proposed rule that would add two new regulations regarding the decennial census. The proposed additions would outline the residence criteria used for identifying each person's "usual residence" and establish standards and restrictions for the inclusion of certain demographic questions on the decennial census short-form questionnaire and any other questionnaire used for the enumeration of the population. Comments are due by October 13, 2026.
Source: Federal Register
Sep 9, 2026 - Notice from the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) modifying an existing system of records maintained by CMS titled "Hospice Item Set (HIS) System." The amended System of Records Notice (SORN) reflects changes to now include real time data collection at the time of patient assessments to improve the understanding of patient care needs and care coordination. CMS is also changing the name of the system of records to "Hospice Outcomes and Patient Evaluation (HOPE)." This modified system of records notice is effective on September 9, 2026, with the exception of the routine uses, which are effective October 9, 2026. Comments are due within 30 days of the publication of this notice.
Source: Federal Register
Sep 9, 2026 - Notice from the National Telecommunications and Information Administration (NTIA) seeking comments on proposed revisions to the NTIA Internet Use Survey, also referred to as the Current Population Survey (CPS) Computer and Internet Use Supplement. Revisions reflect a re-examination of the questions and language in NTIA's Internet Use Survey to ensure the resulting data meets today's needs and will allow NTIA to respond to congressional concerns and directives. The proposed survey is available on the NTIA website. Includes specific questions and topics of interest to NTIA. Comments are due by November 9, 2026.
Source: Federal Register
Sep 8, 2026 - Discusses the impact of labor and delivery department closures across the nation and highlights one Minnesota hospital that has managed to maintain labor and delivery services in spite of the trends. Describes budgeting and patient relationships as key factors in their success.
Source: NPR
Sep 2, 2026 - Describes newly funded research investigating chronic pain among rural older adults using machine learning to extract data and make it more useful to clinicians.
Source: Virginia Tech News
Aug 30, 2026 - Discusses a new survey showing a continued decline in primary care providers in Vermont. Describes how Vermont's shortage compares with national trends, challenges with primary care distribution in a small population state, a rise in specialization, and physician demographic trends.
Source: VT Digger
Aug 27, 2026 - Appeals regarding endorsed and not endorsed Spring 2026 quality measures may be submitted to the Partnership for Quality Measurement. The deadline to submit an appeal is September 16, 2026.
Source: Partnership for Quality Measurement