Rural Health
Research Gateway

Research Publications

Browse the full list of research publications from the Rural Health Research Centers.

Products – Freely accessible products include policy briefs, fact sheets, full reports, chartbooks, and interactive data websites.

Journal Articles – Articles in peer-reviewed journals may require a subscription or affiliation with a subscribing library. For these publications, Gateway lists the article citation, a brief summary, a link to additional information and access to the full-text of the article, if available.

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Five Most Recent Publications

  • Methamphetamine Use, Mental Health Comorbidities, and Treatment in Rural and Urban Areas
    Policy Brief
    WWAMI Rural Health Research Center
    Date: 02/2026
    This policy brief examines the urban vs. rural and regional differences in the rates of methamphetamine use, polysubstance use (methamphetamine use with alcohol and opioids), IV methamphetamine use, mental health comorbidities, and receipt of treatment by individuals using methamphetamine, in a representative nationwide sample.
  • Usual Source of Care for Rural Medicare Fee-for-Service Beneficiaries in 2021
    Policy Brief
    North Carolina Rural Health Research and Policy Analysis Center
    Date: 02/2026
    This brief explains where rural Medicare fee-for-service patients usually go for routine care and which groups struggle to find a regular provider. Its purpose is to help policymakers understand access gaps so they can strengthen rural health care and reduce barriers.
  • Rural-Urban Differences in Dental Care Utilization After a Public Health Emergency
    Policy Brief
    Rural and Underserved Health Research Center
    Date: 02/2026
    This study utilized Behavioral Risk Factor Surveillance System data to examine dental care utilization during the COVID-19 pandemic period. The pandemic significantly reduced overall dental health care utilization for both rural and urban populations. However, the rural population experienced increased odds of delayed dental service utilization.
  • Rural-based Accountable Care Organizations Agreement Renewal
    Policy Brief
    RUPRI Center for Rural Health Policy Analysis
    Date: 02/2026
    This policy brief describes characteristics of Accountable Care Organizations participating in the Medicare Shared Savings Program (MSSP) and compares trends in exits and entries into MSSP between nonmetropolitan (rural) and metropolitan (urban) geographies from 2013 through 2022.
  • A Comparison of Independent and System-Affiliated Rural Hospitals
    Policy Brief
    North Carolina Rural Health Research and Policy Analysis Center, Rapid Response to Requests for Rural Data Analysis
    Date: 02/2026
    This brief examines how independent and system affiliated rural hospitals differ across organizational structure, financial performance, community context, and financial distress risk, using the most recent national data to inform policymakers, researchers, and rural health stakeholders.

Archived Publications