Rural Health
Research Gateway

Pharmacy and prescription drugs

Research Products & Journal Articles

Browse the full list of research publications on this topic completed by 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.

  • 340B Drug Pricing Program: Results of a Survey of Eligible but Non-Participating Rural Hospitals
    NORC Walsh Center for Rural Health Analysis, North Carolina Rural Health Research and Policy Analysis Center
    Date: 01/2007
    This paper summarizes the results of a 2006 survey of pharmacy directors at rural hospitals that are eligible but currently not participating in the 340B Drug Pricing Program, which enables certain types of safety-net organizations to obtain discounted outpatient medications.
  • 340B Drug Pricing Program: Results of a Survey of Participating Hospitals
    NORC Walsh Center for Rural Health Analysis, North Carolina Rural Health Research and Policy Analysis Center
    Date: 05/2007
    This report presents survey results of pharmacy directors at rural hospitals buying discounted outpatient drugs through the 340B program. The purpose was to understand the perspectives of pharmacy directors on the 340B program, the program's financial impact, and which program features presented barriers to its broader implementation.
  • Access to Rural Pharmacy Services in Minnesota, North Dakota, and South Dakota
    University of Minnesota Rural Health Research Center
    Date: 07/2001
    This paper describes the status of rural retail pharmacies in the three states; examines the availability of pharmacy services in rural areas of the states; and analyzes regulatory and policy issues that affect the delivery of pharmacy services in rural areas.
  • An Assessment of Proposals for a Medicare Outpatient Prescription Drug Benefit: The Rural Perspective
    RUPRI Center for Rural Health Policy Analysis
    Date: 01/2003
    This policy paper assesses legislative proposals to add an outpatient prescription drug benefit to the Medicare program and their implications for the delivery of services and the welfare of beneficiaries in rural areas.
  • Availability of Dialysis Facilities in Minoritized Racial/Ethnic Group Areas
    Policy Brief
    Rural and Minority Health Research Center
    Date: 08/2023
    This brief is one of a series of findings briefs documenting disparities in geographic access to health services for ZIP code tabulation areas containing a high proportion of minoritized racial/ethnic residents. The brief looks at the availability of dialysis providers in minoritized racial/ethnic areas.
  • Availability of Pharmacies in Minoritized Racial/Ethnic Areas
    Policy Brief
    Rural and Minority Health Research Center
    Date: 08/2022
    This brief is one of a series of findings briefs documenting disparities in geographic access to health services for ZIP code tabulation areas containing a high proportion of minoritized racial/ethnic residents. This report looks at access to pharmacies.
  • Availability of Primary Care Safety Net Providers in Minoritized Racial/Ethnic Group Areas
    Policy Brief
    Rural and Minority Health Research Center
    Date: 08/2023
    This brief is one of a series of findings briefs documenting disparities in geographic access to health services for ZIP code tabulation areas containing a high proportion of minoritized racial/ethnic residents. This report looks at the distance to the nearest primary care safety net provider.
  • Barriers Rural Physicians Face Prescribing Buprenorphine for Opioid Use Disorder
    Journal Article
    WWAMI Rural Health Research Center
    Date: 07/2017
    Opioid use disorder is a serious public health problem. Management with buprenorphine is an effective medication-assisted treatment, but 60.1% of rural counties lack a physician with a Drug Enforcement Agency waiver to prescribe buprenorphine. This national study surveyed all rural physicians who have received a waiver in the United States.
  • Capacity of Rural Counties to Address an HIV or Hepatitis C Outbreak
    Policy Brief
    Maine Rural Health Research Center
    Date: 02/2021
    This study examines rural-urban differences in state and local health department capacity to prevent, prepare for, and respond to an HIV or hepatitis C outbreak.
  • Causes and Consequences of Rural Pharmacy Closures: A Multi-Case Study
    RUPRI Center for Rural Health Policy Analysis
    Date: 08/2013
    This policy brief identifies factors that contributed to the closing of six rural pharmacies in various states and describes how the affected communities adapted to losing locally based services.
  • Characteristics of Rural Communities With a Sole, Independently Owned Pharmacy
    Policy Brief
    RUPRI Center for Rural Health Policy Analysis
    Date: 05/2015
    This brief describes the populations of rural communities with single independently owned pharmacies. About 2.7 million people, more than 25% of whom live below the poverty level, live in 663 rural communities with sole independently owned pharmacies. For about 70% of these rural communities, the next closest pharmacy is more than 10 miles away.
  • Comparing Rural and Urban Medicare Part D Enrollment Patterns and Prescription Drug Coverage Rates
    University of Minnesota Rural Health Research Center
    Date: 05/2013
    This study examines Medicare Part D enrollment rates in rural and urban areas and the resulting impact on rural beneficiaries' overall prescription drug coverage rates.
  • Definition of Rural in the Context of the MMA Access Standards for Prescription Drug Plans
    North Carolina Rural Health Research and Policy Analysis Center, RUPRI Center for Rural Health Policy Analysis
    Date: 09/2004
    This study assesses how the definition of rural affects the potential impact of the access standards in the Proposed Rule to implement Title I of the MMA and finds that the congressional objective to achieve convenient access to pharmacies (other than mail order) would be more fully realized if the Proposed Rule definition of rural is changed.
  • Demographic and Economic Characteristics Associated With Sole County Pharmacy Closures, 2006-2010
    RUPRI Center for Rural Health Policy Analysis
    Date: 11/2013
    This policy brief describes demographic and economic characteristics associated with counties experiencing closure of their sole pharmacy.
  • Designing a Prescription Drug Benefit for Rural Medicare Beneficiaries: Principles, Criteria, and Assessment
    Maine Rural Health Research Center, RUPRI Center for Rural Health Policy Analysis
    Date: 08/2000
    This paper offers a rural perspective on the debate about the design/implementation of a Medicare prescription drug benefit. Background information on rural Medicare beneficiaries' need for, and access to, prescription drugs is provided, along with a set of rural-oriented principles for use in evaluating how various proposals may meet rural needs.
  • Differences in Prescribing Patterns of Psychotropic Medication for Children and Adolescents Between Rural and Urban Prescribers
    WICHE Center for Rural Mental Health Research
    Date: 10/2009
    This study reports that prescriptions of all psychotropic drug categories increased for urban and rural populations during the 10-year study period. Urban youth were more likely to be prescribed psychotropic medications by psychiatrists. In contrast, rural youth were more likely to have psychotropics prescribed by generalists or other prescribers.
  • Early-Career and Graduating Physicians More Likely to Prescribe Buprenorphine
    Journal Article
    Rural and Underserved Health Research Center
    Date: 01/2020
    Only a small percentage of people who need treatment for opioid use disorder receive it, including buprenorphine. This paper shows differences in rates of prescribing buprenorphine and intentions to prescribe buprenorphine between early- and mid-to-late career family physicians, based on a survey of physicians taking a certification examination.
  • The Effect of Medicare Part D Plan Switching and Formulary Changes on Sole Community Pharmacies and the Patients They Serve
    North Carolina Rural Health Research and Policy Analysis Center, RUPRI Center for Rural Health Policy Analysis
    Date: 03/2010
    This brief presents findings from a 2008 survey of 401 pharmacist-owners of sole community independent pharmacies.
  • The Experience of Rural Independent Pharmacies With Medicare Part D: Reports From the Field
    Journal Article
    North Carolina Rural Health Research and Policy Analysis Center, RUPRI Center for Rural Health Policy Analysis
    Date: 2007
    Describes first-hand reports from rural pharmacist-owners about their experiences with Medicare Part D plans in the first 7 months of 2006 in order to gain a more thorough understanding of the challenges faced by rural independent pharmacies as a result of program implementation.
  • The Experience of Sole Community Rural Independent Pharmacies With Medicare Part D: Reports From the Field
    North Carolina Rural Health Research and Policy Analysis Center, RUPRI Center for Rural Health Policy Analysis
    Date: 11/2006
    This case study describes firsthand reports from 12 rural independent pharmacists in seven states about their experiences with Medicare Part D plans in the first seven months of 2006.
  • February 2010: A Dramatic Shift Away From Private Fee-for-Service Plans in Rural Medicare Advantage Enrollment
    RUPRI Center for Rural Health Policy Analysis
    Date: 03/2010
    Private fee-for-service (PFFS) enrollment fell in rural areas in early 2010. As a result, Medicare Advantage (MA) enrollment in rural areas fell. Nationwide, enrollment in preferred provider organization and health maintenance organization plans grew, offsetting the decline in PFFS enrollment and contributing to growth in total MA enrollment.
  • Financial Issues Challenging Sustainability of Rural Pharmacies
    Journal Article
    RUPRI Center for Rural Health Policy Analysis
    Date: 08/2017
    Findings from a survey of rural lone community retail pharmacies about issues perceived as a threat to their sustainability. Reimbursement issues were cited as being most immediate and of highest magnitude.
  • Geographic and Specialty Distribution of U.S. Physicians Trained to Treat Opioid Use Disorder
    Journal Article
    WWAMI Rural Health Research Center
    Date: 01/2015
    Examines the distribution of physicians authorized to treat opioid use disorder in the United States, and proposes increasing access to office-based treatment as a promising strategy to address rising rates of opioid use disorder in rural areas.
  • How Might the Medicare Prescription Drug, Improvement, and Modernization Act of 2003 Affect the Financial Viability of Rural Pharmacies? An Analysis of Preimplementation Prescription Volume and Payment Sources in Rural and Urban Areas
    Journal Article
    North Carolina Rural Health Research and Policy Analysis Center
    Date: 2005
    Presents descriptive information on mail-order prescriptions, volume, and payer type of retail prescriptions in rural vs. urban areas. Together, these data provide a baseline for evaluating how implementation of the Medicare Prescription Drug, Improvement, and Modernization Act may affect the financial viability of rural independent pharmacies.
  • Identifying Adverse Drug Events in Rural Hospitals: An Eight-State Study
    Policy Brief
    University of Minnesota Rural Health Research Center
    Date: 05/2017
    Analyzes the prevalence of Adverse Drug Events (ADEs) in rural hospitals, including both CAHs and rural PPS hospitals, related to four categories of drugs: steroids, antibiotics, opiates / narcotics, and anticoagulants in 2013 for eight states. It also examines whether or not these hospitals' ADE rates varied based on hospital characteristics.
  • Illicit Drug and Opioid Use Disorders Among Non-Metropolitan Residents
    Policy Brief
    Rural and Underserved Health Research Center
    Date: 01/2018
    We provide estimates of the prevalence of illicit drug and opioid use disorders among non-metropolitan adults ages 18-64. Prevalence rates did not decline from 2011-2013 to 2014-2015 despite the implementation of major substance use treatment policies. Of particular concern, heroin use disorder prevalence increased in recent years.
  • Implementation of Telepharmacy in Rural Hospitals: Potential for Improving Medication Safety
    Policy Brief
    Upper Midwest Rural Health Research Center
    Date: 03/2009
    This policy brief describes successful telepharmacy activities being implemented in rural hospitals and analyzes policy issues related to the implementation of telepharmacy projects in rural hospitals.
  • Implementation of Telepharmacy in Rural Hospitals: Potential for Improving Medication Safety (Final Report)
    Upper Midwest Rural Health Research Center
    Date: 12/2008
    Findings from this report describe successful telepharmacy activities being implemented in rural hospitals and analyze policy issues related to the implementation of telepharmacy projects in rural hospitals.
  • Improving Prescription Drug Coverage for Rural Medicare Beneficiaries: Key Rural Considerations and Objectives for Legislative Proposals
    Maine Rural Health Research Center, RUPRI Center for Rural Health Policy Analysis
    Date: 06/2000
    This policy paper combines the work from current projects of the Maine Rural Health Research Center and the Rural Health Panel of the Rural Policy Research Institute to provide a statement of specific rural considerations and objectives for any proposal that would add a prescription drug benefit to the Medicare program.
  • Independently Owned Pharmacy Closures in Rural America
    Policy Brief
    RUPRI Center for Rural Health Policy Analysis
    Date: 07/2008
    This brief focuses on rural pharmacy closure because of the potential threat such closures present to access to any local pharmacy services in a community.
  • Independently Owned Pharmacy Closures in Rural America, 2003-2010
    RUPRI Center for Rural Health Policy Analysis
    Date: 06/2011
    This policy brief provides information about the closure of rural, independently owned pharmacies, including pharmacies that are the sole source of access to local pharmacy services, from 2003 through 2010.
  • Issues Confronting Rural Pharmacies After a Decade of Medicare Part D
    Policy Brief
    RUPRI Center for Rural Health Policy Analysis
    Date: 04/2017
    This brief reports on a survey of very rural independent pharmacies designed to assess threats to their sustainability. Major, immediate issues included delays in updates to maximum allowable costs (MACS), charges for remuneration fees, competition from mail order pharmacies; and, status as a "non-preferred pharmacy" for Medicare Part D plans.
  • The Key Role of Sole Community Pharmacists in Their Local Healthcare Delivery Systems
    North Carolina Rural Health Research and Policy Analysis Center
    Date: 03/2009
    This brief presents findings from a survey of 401 community pharmacists who are the only retail providers in their communities. It documents their extended relationships with other healthcare providers and the additional healthcare services these pharmacists provide to their patients.
  • Loss of Community Pharmacies Since 2006: State Experiences
    RUPRI Center for Rural Health Policy Analysis
    Date: 04/2009
    This brief presents the latest data from a continuous monitoring of the status of rural pharmacies by the RUPRI Center. The brief includes a table showing the data by state.
  • Medicaid Expansion and Access to Naloxone in Metropolitan and Nonmetropolitan Areas
    Journal Article
    Rural and Underserved Health Research Center
    Date: 11/2022
    This study evaluated the association of Medicaid expansion at the state level on the number of naloxone prescriptions dispensed and the percentage paid by Medicaid. Increasing the percentage of Medicaid-paid naloxone prescriptions improved access in metro areas.
  • Medicare Beneficiaries' Access to Pharmacy Services in Small Rural Towns: Implications of Contracting Patterns of Sole Community Pharmacies With Part D Plans
    North Carolina Rural Health Research and Policy Analysis Center
    Date: 01/2009
    This report describes the contracting patterns of sole rural community pharmacies to assess the extent to which each pharmacy contracts with the most commonly used PDPs available in their state.
  • Medicare Beneficiary Access to Prescription Drugs in Rural Areas
    Policy Brief
    RUPRI Center for Rural Health Policy Analysis
    Date: 08/2022
    Declines in the number of retail pharmacies in rural areas have raised concerns about beneficiary access to prescription medications when their local pharmacy closes. The purpose of this policy brief is to identify the types of pharmacies used by beneficiaries in rural areas with limited or no access to local pharmacies.
  • Medicare Reforms: The Rural Perspective
    NORC Walsh Center for Rural Health Analysis
    Date: 04/2000
    This policy analysis brief discusses Medicare reforms considered by the National Bipartisan Commission on the Future of Medicare (created by the Balanced Budget Act of 1997), including prescription drug coverage, funding graduate medical education, and increasing the eligibility age.
  • Medicare-Paid Naloxone: Trends in Nonmetropolitan and Metropolitan Areas
    Policy Brief
    Rural and Underserved Health Research Center
    Date: 05/2021
    Naloxone is an opioid overdose reversal medication. Medicare beneficiaries benefit from access to naloxone because they have high rates of high-dose prescription opioids. This brief examines trends in Medicare-paid naloxone dispensing rates in nonmetropolitan versus metropolitan areas from 2014 to 2018.
  • A National Study Comparing Resident Medication Use in Rural and Non-Rural Assisted Living Facilities
    Southwest Rural Health Research Center
    Date: 02/2005
    In addition to comparing rural and non-rural assisted living residents' medication utilization, this study examined the prevalence of inappropriately prescribed medications and drug-to-drug interactions among residents of rural and non-rural assisted living facilities.
  • One Year In: Sole Community Rural Independent Pharmacies and Medicare Part D (Final Report)
    North Carolina Rural Health Research and Policy Analysis Center, RUPRI Center for Rural Health Policy Analysis
    Date: 09/2007
    This report describes the experiences of 51 rural, independently owned pharmacies that are the sole providers of pharmacy services in their communities one year after implementation of the Medicare Part D prescription drug benefit.
  • One Year In: Sole Community Rural Independent Pharmacies and Medicare Part D (Findings Brief)
    North Carolina Rural Health Research and Policy Analysis Center, RUPRI Center for Rural Health Policy Analysis
    Date: 10/2007
    This brief describes the experiences of 51 rural independently-owned pharmacies that are the sole providers of pharmacy services in their communities one year after implementation of the Medicare Part D prescription drug benefit.
  • Opioid-Related Visits to Rural Emergency Departments
    Policy Brief
    Maine Rural Health Research Center
    Date: 02/2021
    The purpose of this project was to compare rural and urban opioid-related emergency department visits. Data from the Nationwide Emergency Department Sample were used to examine rural and urban opioid-related visits over time and to compare the outcomes of these visits.
  • Perceived Treatment Need and Utilization for Illicit Drug and Opioid Use Disorders in Non-Metropolitan Areas
    Policy Brief
    Rural and Underserved Health Research Center
    Date: 01/2018
    The vast majority of non-metropolitan adults 18-64 who satisfy criteria for an illicit drug use or opioid use disorder do not perceive a need for treatment or receive formal substance use treatment. Despite policies to increase treatment access during the 2008-2015 study period, we found few changes in perceived treatment need and utilization.
  • Pharmacist Staffing and the Use of Technology in Small Rural Hospitals: Implications for Medication Safety (Brief)
    Policy Brief
    Upper Midwest Rural Health Research Center
    Date: 01/2006
    This study's results indicate that many small rural hospitals have limited hours of onsite pharmacist coverage and many either don't have a pharmacy computer or don't use it for clinical purposes. Implementation of protocols related to medication use and key medication safety practices are areas where small rural hospitals could improve.
  • Pharmacist Staffing and the Use of Technology in Small Rural Hospitals: Implications for Medication Safety (Full Report)
    Upper Midwest Rural Health Research Center
    Date: 12/2005
    This study's results show that many small rural hospitals have limited hours of onsite pharmacist coverage and a significant number don't have a pharmacy computer or don't use one for clinical purposes. Implementation of protocols related to medication use and key medication safety practices are areas where small rural hospitals could improve.
  • Pharmacist Staffing, Technology Use and Implementation of Medication Safety Practices in Rural Hospitals
    Journal Article
    Upper Midwest Rural Health Research Center
    Date: 2006
    Reports the capacity of small rural hospitals to implement medication safety practices, with a focus on pharmacist staffing and the availability of technology.
  • Practice Predictors of Buprenorphine Prescribing by Family Physicians
    Journal Article
    Rural and Underserved Health Research Center
    Date: 01/2020
    Physicians may prescribe buprenorphine if they obtain a waiver, but relatively few family physicians do so. This paper examines the association between practice characteristics and the likelihood that a family physician will prescribe buprenorphine, based on a survey of physicians seeking board certification in family medicine.
  • Prevalence of Evidence-Based Safe Medication Practices in Small Rural Hospitals
    RUPRI Center for Rural Health Policy Analysis
    Date: 04/2008
    This issue brief presents the findings of a national survey whose purpose was to describe the prevalence of evidence-based, safe medication practices, including the use of voluntary medication error reporting, in the nation's smallest hospitals.
  • Profile of Sole Community Pharmacists' Prescription Sales and Overall Financial Position
    Rapid Response to Requests for Rural Data Analysis
    Date: 08/2009
    We conducted a survey of community pharmacists who owned the only retail outlets in their communities. Pharmacist-owners in independent pharmacies located at least 10 miles from the next closest retail pharmacy were interviewed to determine their reliance on prescription sales and to understand their stores' current financial positions.
  • Reliance on Independently Owned Pharmacies in Rural America
    Policy Brief
    RUPRI Center for Rural Health Policy Analysis
    Date: 11/2007
    This policy brief provides locations of independently owned pharmacies in rural America that are the sole sources of access to local pharmaceutical services. In more than 2,000 rural communities, the only local pharmacy is independently owned, and in 1,044 of those communities, there is no other pharmacy within 10 miles.
  • Resources to Reduce Adverse Drug Events in Rural Hospitals
    Policy Brief
    University of Minnesota Rural Health Research Center
    Date: 05/2017
    This policy brief provides resources that could be used to decrease Adverse Drug Events (ADEs) in rural hospitals.
  • Rural and Urban Differences in Primary Care Pain Treatment by Clinician Type
    Policy Brief
    University of Minnesota Rural Health Research Center
    Date: 04/2020
    In this brief, we compare 2017 opioid prescribing rates among physicians and nurse practitioners within primary care practices and how these differ for rural versus urban areas.
  • Rural and Urban Pharmacy Presence – Pharmacy Deserts
    Policy Brief
    RUPRI Center for Rural Health Policy Analysis
    Date: 08/2022
    This policy brief continues the RUPRI Center's ongoing examination of the availability of community pharmacies and their provided services in rural areas of the U.S. The brief also provides a deeper analysis of counties with no retail pharmacies (i.e. pharmacy deserts) based on metropolitan/nonmetropolitan locations.
  • Rural Hospitals' Experience With the 340B Drug Pricing Program
    Policy Brief
    NORC Walsh Center for Rural Health Analysis, North Carolina Rural Health Research and Policy Analysis Center
    Date: 09/2007
    This policy brief describes the results of surveys of rural hospitals participating in the 340B drug-pricing program and of rural eligible but non-participating hospitals. It includes information on factors affecting participation in the program and the benefits and challenges of participation.
  • Rural Pharmacy Closures: Implications for Rural Communities
    RUPRI Center for Rural Health Policy Analysis
    Date: 01/2013
    This study documents the closure of local retail pharmacies in which the pharmacist was the only clinical provider available in the community at the time the pharmacy closed. This brief describes the characteristics of the communities and retail pharmacies in question.
  • Rural/Urban Disparities in Pneumococcal Vaccine Service Delivery Among the Fee-for-Service Medicare Population
    Policy Brief
    Rural and Underserved Health Research Center
    Date: 02/2018
    Using 2014 Medicare data, we found a significant disparity in pneumococcal vaccine service delivery to fee-for-service Medicare beneficiaries. Although primary care providers delivered the majority of pneumococcal vaccines to this population, pharmacy providers delivered a significantly greater proportion of vaccines in rural versus urban counties.
  • Sole Community Pharmacies and Part D Participation: Implications for Rural Residents (Findings Brief)
    North Carolina Rural Health Research and Policy Analysis Center
    Date: 02/2009
    This findings brief describes the contracting rates of sole rural community pharmacies in 16 states to assess the extent to which each pharmacy contracts with the most commonly used prescription drug plans available in their state.
  • Stand-Alone Prescription Drug Plans Dominated the Rural Market in 2011
    RUPRI Center for Rural Health Policy Analysis
    Date: 09/2012
    This report shows that as of May 2011, 59.1% of rural Medicare beneficiaries were enrolled in Medicare Part D through insurance plans that provide coverage for prescription medications. It also provides further detail, including urban and rural enrollment by type of plan and by state.
  • Telepharmacy Rules and Statutes: A 3-Year Update for All 50 States
    Policy Brief
    RUPRI Center for Rural Health Policy Analysis, Rapid Response to Requests for Rural Data Analysis
    Date: 07/2020
    This policy brief analyzed administrative rules and legislative statutes governing each state's pharmacy practice. Key features of telepharmacy regulations were investigated for comparative analysis. Twenty-one states currently authorize retail telepharmacy, but between these states the regulatory activity varies considerably.
  • Telepharmacy Rules and Statutes: A 50-State Survey
    Policy Brief
    RUPRI Center for Rural Health Policy Analysis
    Date: 04/2017
    This is summary analysis reviews administrative rules and legislative statutes governing the practice of telepharmacy in all 50 states. Telepharmacy is specifically authorized in 23 states and 16 states have no rules or legislation authorizing telepharmacy. Other states have pilot programs or waivers that would enable telepharmacy.
  • Telepharmacy Rules and Statutes: A 50-State Survey (Journal Article)
    Journal Article
    RUPRI Center for Rural Health Policy Analysis
    Date: 05/2018
    Peer-reviewed paper identifying state-enacted regulations and legislation authorizing use of community telepharmacy initiatives and describing implications for patients in underserved rural communities. Also provides a table listing states that permit telepharmacy, and pilot programs and waivers that enable telepharmacy initiatives.
  • Understanding the Impacts of the Medicare Modernization Act: Concerns of Congressional Staff
    Journal Article
    Maine Rural Health Research Center, RUPRI Center for Rural Health Policy Analysis, Upper Midwest Rural Health Research Center
    Date: 2005
    The most efficient mechanism for research to affect policy is to provide policy makers with information on issues about which they have voiced concern. The Rural Policy Research Institute's Health Panel conducted 2 focus groups with 16 congressional staff in 2004 to identify a set of researchable questions concerning rural healthcare.
  • Update on Rural Independently Owned Pharmacy Closures in the United States, 2003-2021
    Policy Brief
    RUPRI Center for Rural Health Policy Analysis, Rapid Response to Requests for Rural Data Analysis
    Date: 08/2022
    Independently owned retail pharmacies in rural areas experienced a higher rate of closure than micropolitan and metropolitan areas. Closures have raised concerns about access to prescription medications as well as pharmacist-provided primary care services, which are often the sole source in rural areas for obtaining health services.
  • Update: Independently Owned Pharmacy Closures in Rural America
    Policy Brief
    RUPRI Center for Rural Health Policy Analysis
    Date: 06/2014
    This brief examines the closure of independently owned rural pharmacies in the United States from 2003 to 2013 and its effects on rural Americans' access to medications and other pharmacy services. This report is an update to past publications from RUPRI.
  • Update: Independently Owned Pharmacy Closures in Rural America, 2003-2018
    Policy Brief
    RUPRI Center for Rural Health Policy Analysis
    Date: 07/2018
    Rural pharmacies play an important role in health service delivery to rural populations. This RUPRI Center brief updates previous findings on the continued decline in the number of independently owned rural pharmacies since the implementation of Medicare Part D. This brief provides follow-up data on rural pharmacy closures through March 2018.
  • Update: Rural/Urban Disparities in Pneumococcal Vaccine Service Delivery Among the Fee-for-Service Medicare Population, 2012-2015
    Policy Brief
    Rural and Underserved Health Research Center
    Date: 11/2018
    Delivery of pneumococcal vaccines to fee-for-service Medicare beneficiaries increased 380% from 2014-2015 as a result of uptake of pneumococcal conjugate vaccine (PCV13). However, a significant rural-urban disparity remains. Pharmacy providers delivered a significantly greater proportion of vaccines in rural versus urban counties.
  • Voices From the Field: A Qualitative Study of the Challenges and Promising Practices of Rural Public Health in Addressing HIV and Hepatitis C
    Journal Article
    Maine Rural Health Research Center
    Date: 05/2021
    Interviewing public health professionals from six rural states, researchers examined the challenges involving HIV, HCV, and serving rural people who inject drugs and determined strategies to address those challenges.
  • Workforce Issues Among Sole Community Pharmacies
    North Carolina Rural Health Research and Policy Analysis Center, RUPRI Center for Rural Health Policy Analysis
    Date: 07/2009
    This brief explores the shared experiences of sole community pharmacist-owners regarding the challenges facing the pharmacy workforce in their communities and their concerns about their pharmacies' futures.