Rural Health
Resources by Topic: Healthcare needs and services
Increasing Uptake of Diabetes Self-Management Education and Support (DSMES) in Rural Kentucky Primary Care Clinics: Findings From a Pilot Pragmatic Cluster-Randomized Trial
Provides findings from a quality improvement pilot study focused on increasing diabetes self-management education and support (DSMES) uptake via coaching and technical assistance in rural Kentucky primary care clinics.
Author(s): Mary E. Lacy, Jessica Elliott, Vance Drakeford, et al.
Citation: Journal of Primary Care & Community Health, 17
Date: 03/2026
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Provides findings from a quality improvement pilot study focused on increasing diabetes self-management education and support (DSMES) uptake via coaching and technical assistance in rural Kentucky primary care clinics.
Author(s): Mary E. Lacy, Jessica Elliott, Vance Drakeford, et al.
Citation: Journal of Primary Care & Community Health, 17
Date: 03/2026
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Barriers to Implementing a Pharmacist-Led COPD CARE Bundle in Rural Settings: A Qualitative Evaluation
Examines barriers to implementing the COPD Coordinated Access to Reduce Exacerbations (COPD CARE) program, a care bundle focused on improving chronic obstructive pulmonary disease care coordination among pharmacists, nurse care managers, and other pharmacy clinicians in the Veterans Affairs system. Describes themes from clinician interviews, including discussion of staffing challenges, limited referral availability, fragmentation of care, technological limitations, and more.
Author(s): Edward Christopher Portillo, Martha Maurer, Steven Do, et al.
Citation: BMJ Open Respiratory Research, 13, e003178
Date: 03/2026
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Examines barriers to implementing the COPD Coordinated Access to Reduce Exacerbations (COPD CARE) program, a care bundle focused on improving chronic obstructive pulmonary disease care coordination among pharmacists, nurse care managers, and other pharmacy clinicians in the Veterans Affairs system. Describes themes from clinician interviews, including discussion of staffing challenges, limited referral availability, fragmentation of care, technological limitations, and more.
Author(s): Edward Christopher Portillo, Martha Maurer, Steven Do, et al.
Citation: BMJ Open Respiratory Research, 13, e003178
Date: 03/2026
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Measles Outbreak — New Mexico, 2025
Reports on a communication and vaccination outreach strategy used by the New Mexico Department of Health to reach a largely rural population, in response to a measles outbreak. Discusses communication activities and coordination strategies, as well as vaccination clinics and measles, mumps, and rubella (MMR) vaccination doses administered.
Author(s): Emma Stanislawski, Andrea Romero, Nora Holzinger, et al.
Citation: MMWR (Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report), 75(9), 111-115
Date: 03/2026
Sponsoring organization: Centers for Disease Control and Prevention
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Reports on a communication and vaccination outreach strategy used by the New Mexico Department of Health to reach a largely rural population, in response to a measles outbreak. Discusses communication activities and coordination strategies, as well as vaccination clinics and measles, mumps, and rubella (MMR) vaccination doses administered.
Author(s): Emma Stanislawski, Andrea Romero, Nora Holzinger, et al.
Citation: MMWR (Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report), 75(9), 111-115
Date: 03/2026
Sponsoring organization: Centers for Disease Control and Prevention
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MedPAC Report to the Congress: Medicare Payment Policy, 2026
Annual review of Medicare payment policies, with recommendations to Congress. Includes discussion on Medicare payment policies directly affecting rural providers and beneficiaries. Addresses payment adequacy for Medicare fee-for-service payment systems, Medicare Advantage (MA), and Medicare Part D. Includes mandated reports on the impact of regulatory changes to the home health prospective payment system and dual-eligible special needs plans.
Date: 03/2026
Sponsoring organization: Medicare Payment Advisory Commission
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Annual review of Medicare payment policies, with recommendations to Congress. Includes discussion on Medicare payment policies directly affecting rural providers and beneficiaries. Addresses payment adequacy for Medicare fee-for-service payment systems, Medicare Advantage (MA), and Medicare Part D. Includes mandated reports on the impact of regulatory changes to the home health prospective payment system and dual-eligible special needs plans.
Date: 03/2026
Sponsoring organization: Medicare Payment Advisory Commission
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MedPAC Report to the Congress: Medicare Payment Policy: Hospice Services: Chapter 10
Discusses payment adequacy for hospice and palliative support services. Includes data on average costs by day and aggregate margins by urban and rural status, as well as demographics on Medicare decedents who used hospice during 2010 and between 2019-2024. Compares the actual hospice utilization rates in micropolitan, rural adjacent, rural nonadjacent, and frontier areas to urban hospice utilization rates.
Date: 03/2026
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Discusses payment adequacy for hospice and palliative support services. Includes data on average costs by day and aggregate margins by urban and rural status, as well as demographics on Medicare decedents who used hospice during 2010 and between 2019-2024. Compares the actual hospice utilization rates in micropolitan, rural adjacent, rural nonadjacent, and frontier areas to urban hospice utilization rates.
Date: 03/2026
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MedPAC Report to the Congress: Medicare Payment Policy: Home Health Care Services: Chapter 8
Discusses payment adequacy for home health care services. Features statistics on Medicare margins for home health agencies between 2019-2024 with breakdowns by urban and rural areas, rates of successful discharge and potentially preventable readmissions in urban and rural areas, and the number of home health periods provided to rural beneficiaries.
Date: 03/2026
Sponsoring organization: Medicare Payment Advisory Commission
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Discusses payment adequacy for home health care services. Features statistics on Medicare margins for home health agencies between 2019-2024 with breakdowns by urban and rural areas, rates of successful discharge and potentially preventable readmissions in urban and rural areas, and the number of home health periods provided to rural beneficiaries.
Date: 03/2026
Sponsoring organization: Medicare Payment Advisory Commission
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MedPAC Report to the Congress: Medicare Payment Policy: Skilled Nursing Facility Services: Chapter 7
Discusses payment adequacy for skilled nursing facility (SNF) services. Features statistics on SNF care provided by rural hospitals and Critical Access Hospitals (CAHs) via swing beds and Medicare margins for urban, rural, and frontier freestanding SNFs in 2024.
Date: 03/2026
Sponsoring organization: Medicare Payment Advisory Commission
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Discusses payment adequacy for skilled nursing facility (SNF) services. Features statistics on SNF care provided by rural hospitals and Critical Access Hospitals (CAHs) via swing beds and Medicare margins for urban, rural, and frontier freestanding SNFs in 2024.
Date: 03/2026
Sponsoring organization: Medicare Payment Advisory Commission
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Rural Health Transformation Program: State Focus on Behavioral Health
Describes behavioral healthcare initiatives addressed in state Rural Health Transformation Program applications. Covers behavioral health integration in primary care, the behavioral health crisis continuum, the behavioral health workforce, payment approaches, and technology investments.
Author(s): Laura Galbreath
Date: 03/2026
Sponsoring organization: National Academy for State Health Policy
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Describes behavioral healthcare initiatives addressed in state Rural Health Transformation Program applications. Covers behavioral health integration in primary care, the behavioral health crisis continuum, the behavioral health workforce, payment approaches, and technology investments.
Author(s): Laura Galbreath
Date: 03/2026
Sponsoring organization: National Academy for State Health Policy
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The Impact of Nurse Practitioner Full Practice Authority on Pediatric Care Experiences: A National Secondary Data Analysis
Examines the impact of full practice authority (FPA) for pediatric nurse practitioners (NPs) on pediatric primary healthcare access. Utilizes 2010–2019 Medical Expenditure Panel Survey data to analyze policy changes related to FPA implementation according to patient access, experiences, and rurality.
Author(s): Joyce J. Fitzpatrick, Maxwell Mehlman, Alicia Plemmons, et al.
Citation: Journal of Pediatric Health Care, 40(2), 251-257
Date: 03/2026
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Examines the impact of full practice authority (FPA) for pediatric nurse practitioners (NPs) on pediatric primary healthcare access. Utilizes 2010–2019 Medical Expenditure Panel Survey data to analyze policy changes related to FPA implementation according to patient access, experiences, and rurality.
Author(s): Joyce J. Fitzpatrick, Maxwell Mehlman, Alicia Plemmons, et al.
Citation: Journal of Pediatric Health Care, 40(2), 251-257
Date: 03/2026
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Training Needs for Rural Primary Care Practice: A Scoping Review of Resident Physician Preparation
Results of a scoping review exploring what graduate medical education competencies and training primary care residents will need in order to practice effectively in rural areas of the United States. Study was limited to peer-reviewed English language articles published from 2013-2023.
Author(s): David F. Schmitz, Annie Koempel, Campbell Cook, Andrew W. Bazemore
Citation: Family Medicine, 58(3), 199-207
Date: 03/2026
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Results of a scoping review exploring what graduate medical education competencies and training primary care residents will need in order to practice effectively in rural areas of the United States. Study was limited to peer-reviewed English language articles published from 2013-2023.
Author(s): David F. Schmitz, Annie Koempel, Campbell Cook, Andrew W. Bazemore
Citation: Family Medicine, 58(3), 199-207
Date: 03/2026
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