2024 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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Non-Urgent Use of Emergency Departments by Rural and Urban Adults
Policy Brief
Maine Rural Health Research Center
Date: 04/2024
This study provides updated information and addresses gaps in knowledge about rural non-urgent emergency department (ED) use. Understanding the rates of non-urgent ED use among rural adults and the factors associated with this use can inform policy and practice efforts to reduce inappropriate use of EDs in rural communities. -
Satisfaction With Care Among Cancer Survivors With Medicare Coverage: Are There Rural vs. Urban Inequities?
Journal Article
Rural and Underserved Health Research Center
Date: 03/2024
This article examines satisfaction with health care among rural vs urban Medicare cancer survivors. Researchers looked at nine dimensions of health care and tested for rural/urban differences, adjusting for demographic factors, health insurance, and self-rated health. -
What Happens to Rural Hospitals During a Ransomware Attack? Evidence From Medicare Data
Journal Article
University of Minnesota Rural Health Research Center
Date: 03/2024
To understand more about how ransomware attacks affect care at rural hospitals, researchers used data on hospital ransomware attacks from 2016 to 2021. This paper describes how ransomware attacks disrupted hospital operations at rural and urban areas, and the implications for these attacks especially in rural areas. -
Identifying Rural Health Clinics Within the Transformed Medicaid Statistical Information System (T-MSIS) Analytic Files
Policy Brief
Maine Rural Health Research Center
Date: 03/2024
This brief describes a methodology for identifying Rural Health Clinic encounters within the Medicaid claims data using Transformed Medicaid Statistical Information System (T-MSIS) Analytic Files. -
Prevent or Treat: Availability of Diabetes Self-Management Education and Dialysis in High Need Rural Counties
Policy Brief
Rural and Minority Health Research Center
Date: 03/2024
In this brief, researchers assess the availability of in-county diabetes self-management education and dialysis across rural and urban counties. -
Partnerships to Address Social Needs Across Metropolitan and Non-Metropolitan Prospective Payment System Hospitals and Critical Access Hospitals
Policy Brief
RUPRI Center for Rural Health Policy Analysis
Date: 03/2024
This policy brief used American Hospital Association survey data to examine partnerships between hospitals and external organizations to address social needs. -
Intimate Partner Violence in Rural Communities: Perspectives from Key Informant Interviews
Policy Brief
University of Minnesota Rural Health Research Center
Date: 03/2024
This policy brief describes findings from interviews with key informants from intimate partner violence (IPV) victim support and advocacy organizations, shedding light on distinct challenges faced by rural victims and survivors. It also highlights targeted opportunities for better supporting the health and safety of rural IPV victims and survivors. -
Use of the Area Deprivation Index and Rural Applications in the Peer-Reviewed Literature
Policy Brief
Rural Health Equity Research Center
Date: 03/2024
The Area Deprivation Index (ADI) was developed to capture area-level social deprivation for use in policy and research. In this literature review, researchers find that the use of the ADI in research is common. -
COVID-19 Affected Rural and Urban Hospital Uncompensated Care
Fact Sheet
North Carolina Rural Health Research and Policy Analysis Center
Date: 03/2024
The purpose of this infographic is to illustrate the impact COVID-19 had on uncompensated care and operating margin among rural and urban hospitals. -
Racial/Ethnic Differences in Experiences of Intimate Partner Violence and Postpartum Abuse Screening Among Rural U.S. Residents Who Gave Birth 2016-2020
Policy Brief
University of Minnesota Rural Health Research Center
Date: 03/2024
The goal of this analysis is to describe intimate partner violence among rural U.S. residents who gave birth 2016-2020, with a focus on differences by race/ethnicity. Researchers also describe the frequency by which different racial/ethnic groups are not screened for abuse postpartum. -
Rural-Urban Differences in Housing Cost Burden Across the U.S.
Policy Brief
University of Minnesota Rural Health Research Center
Date: 03/2024
Housing is closely tied to health and well-being, but affordable housing is out of reach for many households. This policy brief examines the proportion of households who are housing cost burdened by rural-urban location across different U.S. geographic spaces in order to identify how housing affordability varies by location. -
Nonmetropolitan Premiums, Issuer Participation, and Enrollment in Health Insurance Marketplaces in 2022
Policy Brief
RUPRI Center for Rural Health Policy Analysis
Date: 03/2024
This policy brief describes differences in unsubsidized and net-of-subsidy premiums between nonmetropolitan and metropolitan counties in Health Insurance Marketplace plan design and availability in 2022. -
Availability and Quality of Dialysis Care in Rural Versus Urban U.S. Counties
Journal Article
Rural and Minority Health Research Center
Date: 02/2024
An examination of rural-urban differences in quality of dialysis care offered across the United States was conducted using data from Medicare certified dialysis facilities in 2020 from the Centers for Medicaid and Medicare. -
Nursing Home Closures and Access to Post-Acute Care and Long-Term Care Services in Rural Areas
Journal Article
RUPRI Center for Rural Health Policy Analysis
Date: 01/2024
Nursing home closures have raised concerns about access to post-acute care (PAC) and long-term care (LTC) services. In this study, researchers estimate the additional distance rural residents had to travel to access PAC and LTC services because of nursing home closures. -
Suicide Rates and Risks Across U.S. Industries: A 29-Year Population-Based Survey
Journal Article
Rural and Underserved Health Research Center
Date: 01/2024
Combining 29 years of U.S. suicide data using the National Health Interview Survey (NHIS)-Mortality Linked data from 1986 through 2014, with mortality follow-up through 2015, this study estimates suicide risks across industries in the U.S. working population. -
A Comparison of 2017-19 Uncompensated Care of Rural and Urban Hospitals by Net Patient Revenue, System Affiliation, and Ownership
Policy Brief
North Carolina Rural Health Research and Policy Analysis Center
Date: 01/2024
The purpose of this study is to better understand patterns of uncompensated care. It extends a 2018 study of geographic variation in uncompensated care between rural and urban hospitals. Specifically, researchers investigate the association of uncompensated care with net patient revenue, system affiliation, and ownership.