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

• Non-Metropolitan vs. Metropolitan Variations in Alcohol, Illicit Drug, and Prescription Therapeutic Drug Misuse
  Policy Brief
  Rural and Underserved Health Research Center
  Date: 08/2026
  This report uses 2023 and 2024 National Survey on Drug Use and Health data to provide contemporary prevalence rates for alcohol use, illicit drug use, and prescription psychotherapeutic drug misuse among metropolitan and non-metropolitan residents nationally.
• Rural/Urban Disparities in Utilization of Diabetes Self-Management Training (DSMT) to the Fee-for-Service Medicare Population, 2017–2024
  Policy Brief
  Rural and Underserved Health Research Center
  Date: 08/2026
  This report examines rural-urban disparities in Diabetes Self-Management Training utilization among fee-for-service Medicare beneficiaries.
• Trends in Rural and Urban Family Physician Teaching of Health Professions Students and Residents
  Journal Article
  WWAMI Rural Health Research Center
  Date: 07/2026
  This study examined teaching trends among early career family physicians from 2016-2023. Rural physicians were more likely than urban physicians to teach health professions students, but teaching of advanced practice professional students declined over time.
• Early Evidence of Geographic Variation in Medicare Participation Among Newly Eligible Mental Health Providers Following the 2024 Coverage Expansion
  Journal Article
  WWAMI Rural Health Research Center
  Date: 07/2026
  In January 2024, marriage and family therapists (MFTs) and mental health counselors (MHCs) were newly able to independently bill Medicare for diagnostic and mental health treatment services. This repeat cross-sectional study evaluated the early impacts of Medicare's coverage expansion.
• Rural Implications of Increased Medicare Beneficiary Enrollment in ACOs and MA Plans
  Policy Brief
  RUPRI Center for Rural Health Policy Analysis
  Date: 06/2026
  Medicare beneficiaries enrolled in a Medicare Advantage (MA) plan are not eligible for attribution to a Medicare Share Savings Plan (SSP) Accountable Care Organization (ACO). This data report examines the impact of a growing MA population on the pool of beneficiaries eligible for ACO attribution.

Archived Publications

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