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

• Supporting Rural Older Adults in Home and Community-Based Settings: Perspectives From Area Agencies on Aging
  Policy Brief
  University of Minnesota Rural Health Research Center
  Date: 06/2026
  This policy brief presents findings from a listening session of six representatives from Area Agencies on Aging (AAAs) across five states (MN, OH, VA, VT, and WA).
• Marriage and Family Therapist and Mental Health Counselor Workforces in Rural America Under New Medicare Reimbursement Policy
  Policy Brief
  WWAMI Rural Health Research Center
  Date: 06/2026
  Medicare began allowing marriage and family therapists (MFTs) and mental health counselors (MHCs) to independently bill for services in January 2024. This study examines changes in the MFT and MHC workforces across rural and urban counties before and after this policy change.
• Medicare Advantage Enrollment Update 2025
  Policy Brief
  RUPRI Center for Rural Health Policy Analysis, Rapid Response to Requests for Rural Data Analysis
  Date: 05/2026
  This brief continues RUPRI Center's annual update of Medicare Advantage (MA) enrollment including the changes in enrollment in types of MA plans, and health policy changes that may have had an impact.
• 2010-2024 County-Level Hospital-Based Obstetric Care Status
  Rural Maternal Health Data Support and Analysis Program, University of Minnesota Rural Health Research Center
  Date: 05/2026
  This data resource on obstetric care access is updated annually and now includes data from 2010-2024.
• Changes in Staffing, Resident Health, Closure, and Financial Performance of Rural Nursing Homes From 2017 to 2022
  Policy Brief
  RUPRI Center for Rural Health Policy Analysis
  Date: 05/2026
  This policy brief summarizes staffing, resident health, mortality, closures, and financial performance of nursing homes in small or isolated rural towns, micropolitan, and metropolitan areas between 2017 to 2022.

Archived Publications

• Publication Archive
  Rural health research publications not available elsewhere online.