New Resources Identified in the Past 30 Days:

Ensuring a Strong Future for America's Cancer Workforce: A Report from the President's Cancer Panel to the President of the United States
Identifies priorities and provides recommendations to support the cancer workforce, improve access to clinical trials, and promote high-quality research in the United States. Discusses the rural cancer care workforce and other factors influencing rural access to care throughout.
Author(s): Mitchel S. Berger, Carol L. Brown
Date: 01/2026
Sponsoring organization: President's Cancer Panel
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Financial Assistance Policy, Hospital Charity Care, and Medical Debt in Collections
Explores whether Oregon's state-level financial assistance policy (FAP) was associated with a lower percentage of the population with medical debt in collections, increase in hospital charity care, and decrease in bad debt in the first 3 years after implementation. Compares county- and hospital-level data from Oregon with data from a sample of hospitals that expanded Medicaid in 2014 but had not implemented a state-level FAP by 2022. Supplemental content includes data by metropolitan and non-metropolitan status.
Author(s): Tatiane Santos, Richard C. Lindrooth, Gary J. Young, Shoou-Yih Lee
Citation: JAMA Network Open, 9(1), e2555698
Date: 01/2026
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Income, Healthy Food Availability, and Consumption Mediate Rural–Urban Health Disparities
Discusses rural versus urban health disparities and how healthy food availability and consumption mediate disparities. Utilizes national and state-level survey data from Oregon residents regarding their self-reported income, perceived fruit and vegetable (FV) availability, FV consumption, and health status, analyzing their associated mediating effect on rural health disparities.
Author(s): Benjamin J Smith, A Janet Tomiyama, Deborah H John, Bryan Mantell, Elliot T Berkman
Citation: International Journal of Behavioral Medicine, 32(6), 939-952
Date: 08/2025
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Physician and Practice Characteristics Associated with Family Physician Panel Size
Results of a study investigating factors associated with variation in panel size, a group of patients assigned to one specific physician or clinical team, from 2017-2023. Features demographics and statistics with breakdowns by metro and nonmetro areas.
Author(s): Andrew Bazemore, Zachary J. Morgan, Kevin Grumbach
Citation: The Journal of the American Board of Family Medicine, 38(5), 846-854
Date: 09/2025
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Rural Healthy Aging: Policy and Infrastructure Opportunities for the Rural Health Transformation Program (RHTP)
Offers recommendations for integrating aging-related policies into existing Rural Health Transformation Program plans. Includes recommendations around planning, access to care, caregiving, technology, aging in place, and integrated care models. Includes resources for implementation and information on funding.
Sponsoring organizations: National Rural Health Association, Stratis Health
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Rural Practice Made Attractive: A Scoping Review of Rural Primary Care Physician Recruitment and Retention Incentives
Offers a scoping review on the effectiveness of 17 workforce development programs aiming to retain rural primary care physicians. Discusses the lack of systematically collected retention data and the impact on effective evaluation of these programs.
Author(s): Kelley Arredondo, Katherine Bay, Laura Witte, et al.
Citation: Journal of General Internal Medicine, 2026
Date: 01/2026
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Stroke Technology Diffusion in Rural Settings: Differential Exposure to Certification Levels by Community Income Levels
Analyzes how access to certified stroke center services has varied over time among rural communities by median family income level, using 2009-2019 Medicare Provider and Analysis Review (MedPAR) data. Compares access to Acute Stroke Ready Hospitals, Primary Stroke Centers, Thrombectomy-Capable Stroke Centers, or Comprehensive Stroke Centers among low, medium, and high-income communities.
Author(s): Yu-Chu Shen, Maya Spencer, Renee Y. Hsia
Citation: Neurology, 106(4), e214644
Date: 01/2026
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Medicare Advantage Demographics Report, 2023
Summarizes demographics data on Medicare Advantage enrollment in 2023. Compares rural/urban residence of Medicare Advantage, Original Medicare, and dually eligible enrollees in Appendix B.
Date: 01/2026
Sponsoring organization: AHIP
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Rural Emergency Hospital Educational Webinar and Fireside Chat
Recording of a January 8, 2026, webinar for Critical Access Hospitals (CAHs) and other small rural hospitals exploring the Rural Emergency Hospital (REH) designation. Describes the REH designation, policy and regulatory requirements, and REH Technical Assistance Center (TAC) services and resources. Features a discussion with two hospital executives that led their facilities through the conversion to REH status. Transcript available in the video description.
Date: 01/2026
Sponsoring organization: Rural Health Redesign Center
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Federal Rural Definitions
Webinar recording featuring speakers from the Federal Office of Rural Health Policy (FORHP) discussing how FORHP compiles information from various federal agencies to identify and define rural areas in the U.S. for rural health grant program eligibility. Highlights changes to rural areas, as identified by FORHP with their September 2025 data release.
Additional links: Audio Recording, Webinar Slides
Date: 01/2026
Sponsoring organization: Rural Health Information Hub
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