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Rural Health
Resources by Topic: Rural-urban differences

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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Medicare Hospice Use Patterns Among Patients With Alzheimer's Disease or Related Dementias Compared to Those With Other Terminal Diagnoses
Examines hospice use among Medicare enrollees with Alzheimer's disease and related dementias (ADRD) compared to Medicare hospice enrollees with other terminal diagnoses. Explores whether hospice characteristics, including rural status, are associated with hospice length of stay, visit frequency, and live discharge rates among Medicare patients with and without terminal and comorbid ADRD diagnoses.
Date: 09/2025
Sponsoring organization: HHS Office of the Assistant Secretary for Planning and Evaluation
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The HBCC-NSAC Toolkit Study Final Report
Examines the home-based child care nurturing school-age children (HBCC-NSAC) toolkit which focuses on ensuring quality in HBCC contexts. Examines the usefulness of the the HBCC-NSAC measures in evaluating different HBCC providers, including those in rural and urban areas.
Author(s): Annie Li, Yange Xue, Natalie Reid, et al.
Date: 09/2025
Sponsoring organization: Administration for Children and Families
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Comparing Disaster-Related Surge Staffing Practices Across Rural and Non-Rural Nursing Homes
Explores whether rural and non-rural nursing homes implemented different disaster-related staffing approaches. Analyzes data from 361 CMS-certified nursing homes that were exposed to the direct path of Hurricane Michael in 2018. Compares the change in pre- and post-disaster staffing across three dimensions of nursing home staffing: intensity, licensure composition, and employment composition.
Citation: Journal of the American Geriatrics Society, 73(12), 3829-3835
Date: 09/2025
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Criminal Victimization, 2024
Presents 2024 data on violent and property victimization. Highlights types of crime, trends over time, victim and offender demographics, unreported crime, and rural, urban, and suburban crimes in 2023 and 2024.
Author(s): Susannah N. Tapp, Emilie J. Coen
Date: 09/2025
Sponsoring organization: U.S. Department of Justice
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Transforming Care: The Impact of COVID-19 on Telehealth Adoption in U.S. Home Health Care Agencies
Surveys 474 home health agencies between November 2022 and March 2024 to identify telehealth use and the perceived impact of COVID-19 policies on telehealth adoption. Includes rural and urban comparisons of telehealth modalities utilized to discuss targeted policies to support rural adoption.
Author(s): U. Gayani E. Perera, Ashley M. Chastain, Andrew W. Dick, et al.
Citation: Telemedicine and e-Health, 31(12), 1503-1507
Date: 09/2025
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County-Level Socioeconomic Status, Rurality, and Second Primary Cancer Risk among Breast Cancer Survivors in the United States
Examines the relationship between risk of second primary cancers (SPCs) and sociodemographic variables among women who have had breast cancer. Utilizes Surveillance, Epidemiology, and End Results (SEER) data from 721,957 women who are breast cancer survivors to analyze SPC risk by demographics, health status, cancer treatments, and 5 levels of rurality.
Author(s): Katherine Ho, Carolyn Brandt, Jessica Li, et al.
Citation: Cancer Causes & Control, 36, 1813-1824
Date: 09/2025
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Participation in Cancer Survivorship Survey Research: Differences by Rurality and Age
Analyzes rural and urban and age-based differences in cancer survivorship research participation among 1,679 cancer survivors who recently received diagnosis or treatment at the University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences. Provides data on likelihood of participation by mail, internet, or telephone, and discusses the importance of improving access to research participation among rural and older cancer survivors.
Author(s): Emily Hallgren, Aaron R. Caldwell, Jennifer A. Andersen, et al.
Citation: Journal of Clinical and Translational Science, 9(1), e200
Date: 09/2025
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Associations Between Insurance Status, Financial Hardship, and Rurality on Receipt of Guideline-Concordant Mammography
Analyzes associations between receipt of ACS or USPSTF guideline-concordant mammography and factors including healthcare-related financial hardship, insurance status, and rurality, utilizing 2023 National Health Interview Survey data of 11,138 women. Includes data on interactions between healthcare-related financial hardship and rurality within the context of access to mammography.
Author(s): Nicole E. Caston, Lisa P. Spees, Austin R. Waters, Stephanie B. Wheeler
Citation: Cancer Epidemiology, Biomarkers & Prevention
Date: 09/2025
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New York State's Paid Family Leave Improved Postpartum Health Care among Women with Hypertensive Disorders in Pregnancy
Assesses the impact of a state paid family leave law on postpartum healthcare utilization among 312,470 women with hypertensive disorders. Includes rural and urban break down by hypertension status of study participants, among other demographic and health characteristics.
Author(s): Donglan Zhang, Jun Soo Lee, Elena V. Kuklina, et al.
Citation: Health Affairs Scholar, 3(10)
Date: 09/2025
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