Rural Health
Resources by Topic: Physicians
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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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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January 2026 MedPAC Meeting Transcript
Transcript from the Medicare Payment Advisory Commission's (MedPAC) January 2026 meeting. Covers payment adequacy and updates for physician and other health professional services, hospital inpatient and outpatient services, skilled nursing facility services, home health agency services, inpatient rehabilitation facility services, outpatient dialysis services, and hospice services. Discusses status reports on Medicare Part D, ambulatory surgical centers, and the Medicare Advantage program, as well as mandated reports on changes to the home health prospective payment system and dual-eligible special needs plans. Includes rural references and considerations throughout.
Date: 01/2026
Sponsoring organization: Medicare Payment Advisory Commission
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Transcript from the Medicare Payment Advisory Commission's (MedPAC) January 2026 meeting. Covers payment adequacy and updates for physician and other health professional services, hospital inpatient and outpatient services, skilled nursing facility services, home health agency services, inpatient rehabilitation facility services, outpatient dialysis services, and hospice services. Discusses status reports on Medicare Part D, ambulatory surgical centers, and the Medicare Advantage program, as well as mandated reports on changes to the home health prospective payment system and dual-eligible special needs plans. Includes rural references and considerations throughout.
Date: 01/2026
Sponsoring organization: Medicare Payment Advisory Commission
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South Dakota Rural Primary Care Workforce
Offers maps and tables of the primary care workforce distribution in South Dakota in 2025. Includes county-level data and rural and urban comparisons.
Author(s): S.C. Woolcock, C.H.A. Andrilla, L.A. Garberson, J.M. Graves
Date: 01/2026
Sponsoring organization: WWAMI Rural Health Research Center
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Offers maps and tables of the primary care workforce distribution in South Dakota in 2025. Includes county-level data and rural and urban comparisons.
Author(s): S.C. Woolcock, C.H.A. Andrilla, L.A. Garberson, J.M. Graves
Date: 01/2026
Sponsoring organization: WWAMI Rural Health Research Center
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North Dakota Rural Primary Care Workforce
Offers maps and tables of the primary care workforce distribution in North Dakota in 2025. Includes county-level data and rural and urban comparisons.
Author(s): S.C. Woolcock, C.H.A. Andrilla, L.A. Garberson, J.M. Graves
Date: 01/2026
Sponsoring organization: WWAMI Rural Health Research Center
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Offers maps and tables of the primary care workforce distribution in North Dakota in 2025. Includes county-level data and rural and urban comparisons.
Author(s): S.C. Woolcock, C.H.A. Andrilla, L.A. Garberson, J.M. Graves
Date: 01/2026
Sponsoring organization: WWAMI Rural Health Research Center
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AACOM 2025 Osteopathic Medical Education Impact Report
Assesses how osteopathic colleges contribute to the physician workforce, focusing on geographic distribution and medical specialties of alumni. Evaluates the extent to which graduates serve rural and underserved areas, and fill specialty needs. Mentions rural throughout.
Date: 12/2025
Sponsoring organization: American Association of Colleges of Osteopathic Medicine
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Assesses how osteopathic colleges contribute to the physician workforce, focusing on geographic distribution and medical specialties of alumni. Evaluates the extent to which graduates serve rural and underserved areas, and fill specialty needs. Mentions rural throughout.
Date: 12/2025
Sponsoring organization: American Association of Colleges of Osteopathic Medicine
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Report to the 2026 Legislature: Annual Report on Findings from the Hawai'i Physician Workforce Assessment Project
Reports on Hawaii physician workforce characteristics and shortages by county and specialty. Summarizes activities to support the physician workforce, including recruitment, rural training, and mentoring programming. Offers data on shortages by specialty and by county, as well as physician supply and demand data.
Date: 12/2025
Sponsoring organization: Hawaii and Pacific Basin Area Health Education Centers
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Reports on Hawaii physician workforce characteristics and shortages by county and specialty. Summarizes activities to support the physician workforce, including recruitment, rural training, and mentoring programming. Offers data on shortages by specialty and by county, as well as physician supply and demand data.
Date: 12/2025
Sponsoring organization: Hawaii and Pacific Basin Area Health Education Centers
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Impact of a Workshop on Rural Healthcare Delivery on Medical Student Attitudes
Results of a study evaluating the effect of an educational workshop on Appalachian West Virginia medical students' attitudes toward rural healthcare barriers. Explores whether targeted education can enhance students' interest in rural practice.
Author(s): Robert L. Snedegar, Ryan Hayes, Jun Xiang, et al.
Citation: Journal of Appalachian Health, 7(4), 100-115
Date: 12/2025
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Results of a study evaluating the effect of an educational workshop on Appalachian West Virginia medical students' attitudes toward rural healthcare barriers. Explores whether targeted education can enhance students' interest in rural practice.
Author(s): Robert L. Snedegar, Ryan Hayes, Jun Xiang, et al.
Citation: Journal of Appalachian Health, 7(4), 100-115
Date: 12/2025
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2025 Idaho Medical Education (UME) Plan
Outlines policy recommendations from the Idaho Undergraduate Medical Education Plan Working Group to address physician shortages across the state. Recommendations discuss existing and new partnerships, moving Idaho residents into and through the physician workforce pipeline, incentives for retention, and funding needs. Discusses rural throughout.
Date: 12/2025
Sponsoring organization: Idaho State Board of Education Undergraduate Medical Education Plan Working Group
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Outlines policy recommendations from the Idaho Undergraduate Medical Education Plan Working Group to address physician shortages across the state. Recommendations discuss existing and new partnerships, moving Idaho residents into and through the physician workforce pipeline, incentives for retention, and funding needs. Discusses rural throughout.
Date: 12/2025
Sponsoring organization: Idaho State Board of Education Undergraduate Medical Education Plan Working Group
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Graduate Medical Education: Information on Initial Distributions of New Medicare-Funded Physician Residency Positions
Explores the distribution of 1,000 new Medicare-funded graduate medical education (GME) residency positions as outlined in Section 126 of the Consolidated Appropriations Act, 2021. Describes the number of hospitals that applied for and received additional positions from 2023 through 2025, their characteristics, and benefits and challenges related to the application for and distribution of these additional positions as identified by selected stakeholders.
Additional links: Full Report
Date: 12/2025
Sponsoring organization: Government Accountability Office
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Explores the distribution of 1,000 new Medicare-funded graduate medical education (GME) residency positions as outlined in Section 126 of the Consolidated Appropriations Act, 2021. Describes the number of hospitals that applied for and received additional positions from 2023 through 2025, their characteristics, and benefits and challenges related to the application for and distribution of these additional positions as identified by selected stakeholders.
Additional links: Full Report
Date: 12/2025
Sponsoring organization: Government Accountability Office
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State of the U.S. Health Care Workforce, 2025
Offers demographic data on a variety of health professions from data sources between 2019 and 2024. Examines distribution, education and licensing, and projected shortages for the physician, nursing, and oral health fields. Describes challenges contributing to health workforce shortages. Highlights nonmetropolitan workforce shortages and state by state comparison of physician distribution.
Date: 12/2025
Sponsoring organizations: Health Resources and Services Administration, National Center for Health Workforce Analysis
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Offers demographic data on a variety of health professions from data sources between 2019 and 2024. Examines distribution, education and licensing, and projected shortages for the physician, nursing, and oral health fields. Describes challenges contributing to health workforce shortages. Highlights nonmetropolitan workforce shortages and state by state comparison of physician distribution.
Date: 12/2025
Sponsoring organizations: Health Resources and Services Administration, National Center for Health Workforce Analysis
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