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.

Browse Research Products:

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Five Most Recent Publications

• Community Sociodemographics and Rural Hospital Survival Analysis
  Policy Brief
  Center for Economic Analysis of Rural Health
  Date: 01/2023
  This study examines which community sociodemographic characteristics are associated with increased risk of rural hospital closure between 2010-2019. Results show that rural hospitals at risk of financial distress are more likely to experience closure if their communities have higher unemployment and higher uninsurance for those under 65.
• Medicare Advantage Enrollment Update 2022
  Policy Brief
  RUPRI Center for Rural Health Policy Analysis, Rapid Response to Requests for Rural Data Analysis
  Date: 01/2023
  The 2022 report continues the RUPRI Center's annual series of Medicare Advantage (MA) enrollment updates. In addition to tracking overall and nonmetropolitan/metropolitan enrollment, this brief also reports on changes in enrollment in types of MA plans and considers policy changes from previous years that may have impacted MA plan enrollment.
• Changes in Service Offerings Post-System Affiliation in Rural Hospitals
  Policy Brief
  RUPRI Center for Rural Health Policy Analysis
  Date: 01/2023
  This policy brief aims to understand the range of effects on service offerings after rural hospitals become part of, or leave, a regional or national healthcare system.
• COVID-19 Mortality Rates across Noncore, Micropolitan, and Metropolitan Counties by Community Characteristics, December 2020-January 2021
  Policy Brief
  RUPRI Center for Rural Health Policy Analysis
  Date: 01/2023
  This policy brief examines differences in COVID-19 mortality rates across rural-urban designations and stratifications by geography, county-level sociodemographic factors, and county-level healthcare factors.
• Variations in Affordability of Health Care by Non-Metropolitan/Metropolitan and Race/Ethnicity Status across Eight Geographically Dispersed States
  Policy Brief
  Rural and Minority Health Research Center
  Date: 01/2023
  This research examined rural-urban (i.e., non-metropolitan/metropolitan) differences in affordability inclusive of insurance coverage and cost barriers. The research also examined forgoing medical care/medication and medical debt using Behavioral Risk Factor Surveillance System survey data from the healthcare access optional module.