Rural Health
Resources by Topic: Healthcare business and finance
End-Stage Renal Disease Treatment Choices (ETC) Model: Third Annual Evaluation Report, Calendar Years 2021-2023
Evaluation of the End-Stage Renal Disease Treatment Choices (ETC) Model, incorporating analyses of home dialysis use, waitlisting for a kidney transplant, living donor and deceased donor transplantation, utilization of services, Medicare payments, and quality of care. Features results from interviews and surveys involving model participants and beneficiaries, and examines impacts of the first three years of the ETC Model, 2021-2023. Explores if the impacts of the ETC Model differed by patient subgroup, including rural residence.
Additional links: Appendices, Executive Summary, Findings at a Glance
Date: 08/2025
Sponsoring organizations: Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services, The Lewin Group
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Evaluation of the End-Stage Renal Disease Treatment Choices (ETC) Model, incorporating analyses of home dialysis use, waitlisting for a kidney transplant, living donor and deceased donor transplantation, utilization of services, Medicare payments, and quality of care. Features results from interviews and surveys involving model participants and beneficiaries, and examines impacts of the first three years of the ETC Model, 2021-2023. Explores if the impacts of the ETC Model differed by patient subgroup, including rural residence.
Additional links: Appendices, Executive Summary, Findings at a Glance
Date: 08/2025
Sponsoring organizations: Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services, The Lewin Group
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Rural/Urban Differences in Health, Health Care Use, and Barriers to Care for Postpartum and Parenting Women, 2006-2018
Presents a study on rural and urban differences in access to and utilization of healthcare for postpartum or parenting women. Highlights barriers women parents face in accessing care and utilizing care that is available. Breaks down data by age of child, barriers to care, rural versus urban location, and compares rates for postpartum and parenting women to all women aged 18-49 by rurality.
Author(s): Julia D. Interrante, Clara E. Busse, Alyssa Fritz, et al.
Date: 08/2025
Sponsoring organization: University of Minnesota Rural Health Research Center
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Presents a study on rural and urban differences in access to and utilization of healthcare for postpartum or parenting women. Highlights barriers women parents face in accessing care and utilizing care that is available. Breaks down data by age of child, barriers to care, rural versus urban location, and compares rates for postpartum and parenting women to all women aged 18-49 by rurality.
Author(s): Julia D. Interrante, Clara E. Busse, Alyssa Fritz, et al.
Date: 08/2025
Sponsoring organization: University of Minnesota Rural Health Research Center
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Rural Health Symposium May 8-9, 2025: Advancing Rural Health Through Research, Policy, and Community Partnerships
Summarizes research presentations, panel discussions, and other proceedings of a May 2025 conference on rural health disparities hosted by the Dartmouth Institute for Health Policy and Clinical Practice and Dartmouth Health. Identifies factors contributing to rural health disparities and suggests actions to be taken by healthcare systems, community groups, policymakers, and researchers, among others.
Date: 08/2025
Sponsoring organizations: Dartmouth Health, The Dartmouth Institute for Health Policy and Clinical Practice
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Summarizes research presentations, panel discussions, and other proceedings of a May 2025 conference on rural health disparities hosted by the Dartmouth Institute for Health Policy and Clinical Practice and Dartmouth Health. Identifies factors contributing to rural health disparities and suggests actions to be taken by healthcare systems, community groups, policymakers, and researchers, among others.
Date: 08/2025
Sponsoring organizations: Dartmouth Health, The Dartmouth Institute for Health Policy and Clinical Practice
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FY 2026 Medicare Inpatient Psychiatric Facility Prospective Payment System (IPF PPS) and Quality Reporting (IPFQR) Updates Final Rule (CMS-1831-F)
Fact sheet providing an overview of the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) fiscal year 2026 inpatient psychiatric facility (IPF) prospective payment system (PPS) final rule. Covers annual updates to the prospective payment rates, outlier threshold, and wage index. Also describes changes to facility-level adjustment factors for teaching status and rural location.
Date: 08/2025
Sponsoring organization: Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services
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Fact sheet providing an overview of the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) fiscal year 2026 inpatient psychiatric facility (IPF) prospective payment system (PPS) final rule. Covers annual updates to the prospective payment rates, outlier threshold, and wage index. Also describes changes to facility-level adjustment factors for teaching status and rural location.
Date: 08/2025
Sponsoring organization: Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services
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Maternal and Child Health Services Title V Block Grant - Tennessee: FY 2025 Application/FY 2023 Annual Report
Describes Tennessee's maternal and child health programs, including issues related to closures of birthing hospitals, healthcare access in rural areas, family planning, childhood obesity, tobacco use, telehealth access, transportation, and more.
Date: 07/2025
Sponsoring organization: Tennessee Department of Health
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Describes Tennessee's maternal and child health programs, including issues related to closures of birthing hospitals, healthcare access in rural areas, family planning, childhood obesity, tobacco use, telehealth access, transportation, and more.
Date: 07/2025
Sponsoring organization: Tennessee Department of Health
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Access to OB-GYNs: Evaluating Workforce Supply and ACA Marketplace Networks
Examines the workforce supply of OB-GYNs employed in the United States and part of insurance marketplace networks. Provides interactive county-level data on number of practicing OB-GYNs per 100,000 women aged 15-64. Presents the share of counties with no OB-GYNs and the share of women living in them according to rural, small metro, or urban county classification.
Author(s): Michelle Long, Matthew Rae, Aubrey Winger, and Kaye Pestaina
Date: 07/2025
Sponsoring organization: KFF
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Examines the workforce supply of OB-GYNs employed in the United States and part of insurance marketplace networks. Provides interactive county-level data on number of practicing OB-GYNs per 100,000 women aged 15-64. Presents the share of counties with no OB-GYNs and the share of women living in them according to rural, small metro, or urban county classification.
Author(s): Michelle Long, Matthew Rae, Aubrey Winger, and Kaye Pestaina
Date: 07/2025
Sponsoring organization: KFF
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Rural Hospital Philanthropy: Community Awareness and Willingness to Donate to the Georgia Rural Hospital Tax Credit Program
Examines awareness of and willingness to participate in Georgia's Rural Hospital Tax Credit program, utilizing survey data of 940 people living in rural South Georgia communities served by eligible local hospitals. Includes data on associations between willingness to donate to rural hospitals and satisfaction with hospital quality, tax credit program awareness, and demographic factors such as household income and educational attainment. Discusses philanthropy as a source of financial support for rural hospitals.
Author(s): Linda Kimsey, Bettye A. Apenteng, Samuel T. Opoku, et al.
Citation: BMC Health Services Research, 25, 980
Date: 07/2025
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Examines awareness of and willingness to participate in Georgia's Rural Hospital Tax Credit program, utilizing survey data of 940 people living in rural South Georgia communities served by eligible local hospitals. Includes data on associations between willingness to donate to rural hospitals and satisfaction with hospital quality, tax credit program awareness, and demographic factors such as household income and educational attainment. Discusses philanthropy as a source of financial support for rural hospitals.
Author(s): Linda Kimsey, Bettye A. Apenteng, Samuel T. Opoku, et al.
Citation: BMC Health Services Research, 25, 980
Date: 07/2025
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Illinoisans' Perceptions about Physicians' Pay
Examines perceptions of health worker pay and payments to healthcare businesses in metro versus nonmetro Illinois populations.
Author(s): Adee Athiyaman
Date: 07/2025
Sponsoring organization: Illinois Institute for Rural Affairs
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Examines perceptions of health worker pay and payments to healthcare businesses in metro versus nonmetro Illinois populations.
Author(s): Adee Athiyaman
Date: 07/2025
Sponsoring organization: Illinois Institute for Rural Affairs
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The Rapid Growth Of Medicare Advantage Poses Challenges To Rural Hospitals
Commentary describing key features of Medicare Advantage (MA) and how they may interact with the unique limitations of rural hospitals. Offers policy recommendations to align MA expansion with rural hospital sustainability.
Author(s): James D. Lee, Cody L. Mullens, Adam A. Markovitz, Janice Probst
Citation: Health Affairs Forefront
Date: 07/2025
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Commentary describing key features of Medicare Advantage (MA) and how they may interact with the unique limitations of rural hospitals. Offers policy recommendations to align MA expansion with rural hospital sustainability.
Author(s): James D. Lee, Cody L. Mullens, Adam A. Markovitz, Janice Probst
Citation: Health Affairs Forefront
Date: 07/2025
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Rural Hospitals and the Rural Health Transformation Program: What Comes Next
Blog post discussing the rural health transformation program established in the July 2025 budget reconciliation law. Describes potential priorities for states' use of the rural health transformation program funding. Outlines additional steps Congress could take to help rural hospitals serve their communities.
Author(s): Emma Sheffert, Maya Sandalow
Date: 07/2025
Sponsoring organization: Bipartisan Policy Center
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Blog post discussing the rural health transformation program established in the July 2025 budget reconciliation law. Describes potential priorities for states' use of the rural health transformation program funding. Outlines additional steps Congress could take to help rural hospitals serve their communities.
Author(s): Emma Sheffert, Maya Sandalow
Date: 07/2025
Sponsoring organization: Bipartisan Policy Center
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