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

• Risk Factors for Loss of Hospital-Based Obstetric Care in Rural and Urban Hospitals
  Journal Article
  Rural Maternal Health Data Support and Analysis Program, University of Minnesota Rural Health Research Center
  Date: 09/2026
  In this study, researchers used a retrospective cohort design of all U.S. rural and urban hospitals to assess the hospital-level factors associated with obstetric unit loss, and the differences in these factors between rural and urban hospitals.
• Availability of Hospital-Based Childbirth Services and Higher-Level Neonatal Care in Rural and Urban U.S. Counties, 2010-2023
  Journal Article
  University of Minnesota Rural Health Research Center
  Date: 09/2026
  In this paper, researchers used mixed methods (survey data, administrative data, and primary sources) to identify childbirth services and higher-level neonatal care at hospitals in both rural and urban counties.
• Annual Overview of Hospital-Level Changes in Obstetric Services Availability, 2010-2024
  Report
  Rural Maternal Health Data Support and Analysis Program, University of Minnesota Rural Health Research Center
  Date: 09/2026
  This is the inaugural annual report on the availability of obstetric services across hospitals in the United States.
• High-Deductible Health Plans in Rural and Urban Populations: Outpatient Utilization and Out-of-Pocket Costs
  Policy Brief
  Rural and Underserved Health Research Center
  Date: 08/2026
  This policy brief explores rural-urban differences in High-Deductible Health Plan enrollment, subsequent healthcare utilization, and out-of-pocket costs.
• Rural and Urban Availability of Substance Use Treatment Facilities
  Policy Brief
  Rural and Underserved Health Research Center
  Date: 08/2026
  This study estimated several indicators of the availability of substance use treatment across rural and urban areas of the U.S.

Archived Publications

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