Skip to main content
Rural Health Information Hub

Rural Health
Resources by Type: Document

Alabama Rural Obstetrical Workforce
Offers maps and tables of the obstetricians and advanced practice midwives workforce distribution in Alabama 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: 02/2026
Sponsoring organization: WWAMI Rural Health Research Center
view details
Associations Between Diet Quality and Psychosocial and Environmental Factors in Rural Adults
Surveys 2,420 rural adults in New York and Texas to identify social and environmental factors impacting diet quality.
Author(s): Rebecca A. Seguin-Fowler, Karla L. Hanson, Galen D. Eldridge, et al.
Citation: Journal of Nutrition Education and Behavior: Advancing Research, Practice, & Policy, 58(2), 117-125
Date: 02/2026
view details
Overcoming Geographic Barriers: Enhancing Pediatric Subspecialty Access for Rural Families
Presents a case study of a rural family facing continued geographic challenges to accessing specialty care for their infant's histiocytic syndrome. Identifies individual, interpersonal, organizational, community, and policy-level challenges and suggests policy approaches to address rural access disparities.
Author(s): Preston Simmons, Leah Beck, Eleanor Young, Laura Brower, Meghan Fanta
Citation: Hospital Pediatrics, e2024008150
Date: 02/2026
view details
Update to the Payment for Historically Excepted Tribal Federally Qualified Health Centers (FQHCs) for Calendar Year (CY) 2026
Provides an overview of updates to the historically excepted Tribal Federally Qualified Health Center (FQHC) Prospective Payment System (PPS) rate for calendar year 2026.
Date: 02/2026
Sponsoring organization: Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services
view details
America's Health Centers
Infographic with basic information about Federally Qualified Health Centers (FQHCs) and look-alikes. Includes data on the health center workforce and how health centers expand access to primary care.
Date: 02/2026
Sponsoring organization: National Association of Community Health Centers
view details
Care Delivery Transformation Case Study: Dartmouth Health Connected Care Program
Profiles the Dartmouth Health Connected Care Program, which supports specialty care delivery via telehealth-based partnerships with rural hospitals in New Hampshire and Vermont. Highlights the Connected Care Program's reach, outcomes, and lessons learned.
Date: 02/2026
Sponsoring organization: American Hospital Association
view details
Maternal Health Workforce Expansion and Local Childbirths
Results of a study to determine whether the National Health Service Corps's support of clinicians to work in Health Professional Shortage Areas has resulted in improved access to local childbirth care. Features statistics with breakdowns by rural and urban counties.
Author(s): Yanlei Ma, Olesya Baker, Fang Zhang, et al.
Citation: JAMA Network Open, 9(2), e2556775
Date: 02/2026
view details
Provider-Level Variation in the Delivery of Primary Care Telehealth for the Rural Medicare Advantage Population
Results of a study comparing use of telehealth primary care between rural and nonrural Medicare Advantage (MA) beneficiaries by providers' level of telehealth delivery. Based on data from claims for MA beneficiaries enrolled in Humana Inc. plans from January 2021 to June 2024.
Author(s): Debra Bozzi, Amanda Sutherland, Melanie Canterberry, Emily Boudreau, Gosia Sylwestrzak
Citation: The Journal of Rural Health, 42(1), e70127
Date: 02/2026
view details
Shared Savings Program Fast Facts
Provides summary statistics on the Medicare Shared Savings Program as of January 1, 2026. Offers data on the number of Accountable Care Organizations (ACOs), assigned beneficiaries, total earned shared savings, and quality scores each year since 2012; the number and percent of ACOs in each track; and more. Includes information on ACO participants, including the number of Rural Health Clinics (RHCs) and Critical Access Hospitals (CAHs) participating in the program.
Date: 02/2026
Sponsoring organization: Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services
view details
The Cost of Living in Minnesota: Highest in the Metro, Rising Fastest in Rural Areas
Examines cost of living across Minnesota counties and the economic variables driving costs. Utilizes Minnesota Department of Employment and Economic Development (DEED) data to analyze hourly wages, housing, transportation, child care, and more. Provides interactive county-level maps to show cost of living changes.
Author(s): Kelly Asche
Date: 02/2026
Sponsoring organization: Center for Rural Policy and Development
view details