Rural Health
Research Gateway

Physicians

Completed Projects

Listed by project completion date. You can also view these projects alphabetically.

2023

  • Overcoming Barriers to Providing Rural Obstetrical Training for Physicians
    Rural communities struggle to maintain obstetrical (OB) services, due in part to scarce rural training opportunities for obstetricians and family physicians. This study described the availability, characteristics, and output of residency and fellowship programs offering rural OB training and identified solutions to support this training.
    Research center: WWAMI Rural Health Research Center
    Topics: Healthcare access, Maternal health, Physicians, Women, Workforce
  • Rural and Urban Primary Care Physicians' Colorectal Screening Performance
    The objectives of this project were to profile, compare, and further understand rural versus urban differences in colorectal screening performance among primary care physicians nationally.
    Research center: Rural and Underserved Health Research Center
    Topics: Cancer, Chronic diseases and conditions, Health promotion and disease prevention, Healthcare access, Physicians
  • Rural Family Physicians' Ability to Address Patients' Social Determinants of Health Needs
    This project examines how practice-level and community-level characteristics are associated with a family physician's assessment of their practice's ability to address patients' social needs.
    Research center: Rural and Underserved Health Research Center
    Topics: Health disparities and health equity, Physicians, Poverty, Social determinants of health
  • Rural-Urban Differences in Performance of Clinicians Participating in MIPS
    This project used quantitative methods to compare MIPS performance and reported measures for clinicians working in rural and urban areas, overall, and by practice size; evaluated differences in spending per beneficiary, overall, and stratified by drugs and medical services for rural and urban clinicians participating in MIPS; and compared MIPS performance and spending for clinicians serving a large proportion of racial/ethnic minorities in rural and urban areas.
    Research center: RUPRI Center for Rural Health Policy Analysis
    Topics: Health disparities and health equity, Healthcare financing, Physicians, Quality

2022

  • Rural and Urban Variation in Family Physicians' Demographics and Practices
    This project examined changes in personal demographics of family physicians comparing urban and rural areas, how these changes aligned with those of the populations they serve, and how rural physician practices have changed over time. This project used American Board of Family Medicine data.
    Research center: Rural and Underserved Health Research Center
    Topics: Health disparities and health equity, Minority health, Physicians, Rural statistics and demographics

2021

  • The Current Distribution of the General Surgery Workforce in Rural America
    This project described the current national supply and distribution of general surgeons in rural vs. urban areas of the United States as well as geographic variability in the supply of general surgeons across the rural/urban and intra-rural dimensions at the regional level.
    Research center: WWAMI Rural Health Research Center
    Topics: Critical Access Hospitals (CAHs), Health services, Healthcare access, Hospitals and clinics, Physicians, Rural statistics and demographics, Workforce
  • Tobacco Treatment in Rural Primary Care
    This study used the National Ambulatory Medical Care Survey to compare rural and urban rates and predictors of tobacco counseling and tobacco treatment medication prescribing by primary care providers to their smoking patients.
    Research center: Maine Rural Health Research Center
    Topics: Physicians, Substance use and treatment
  • What Is the Geographic Distribution of the Workforce with a DEA Waiver to Prescribe Buprenorphine?
    This project updated statistics on the supply of providers (physicians, nurse practitioners and physician assistants) with a Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) waiver to prescribe buprenorphine and examine supply trends over time and also established baseline numbers of other eligible providers (e.g., midwives, clinical nurse specialists).
    Research center: WWAMI Rural Health Research Center
    Topics: Health services, Healthcare access, Mental and behavioral health, Nurses and nurse practitioners, Physician assistants, Physicians, Substance use and treatment, Workforce

2020

  • Team-Based Primary Care in Rural Communities
    This project will describe primary care practice structure in rural communities and quantify characteristics of primary care teams associated with high-quality care.
    Research center: University of Minnesota Rural Health Research Center
    Topics: Allied health professionals, Healthcare access, Nurses and nurse practitioners, Physicians, Quality, Rural statistics and demographics, Workforce
  • The Supply and Distribution of the Primary Care Health Workforce in Rural America
    This study will describe the supply and distribution of primary care providers in the rural U.S. at national, regional, and state levels using the most recent data available. Primary care health professionals include family physicians, general practitioners, general internists, pediatricians, nurse practitioners, and physician assistants.
    Research center: WWAMI Rural Health Research Center
    Topics: Nurses and nurse practitioners, Physician assistants, Physicians, Workforce
  • The Supply and Rural-Urban Distribution of the Obstetrical Care Workforce in the U.S.
    This project will use multiple data sources to characterize the distribution of the obstetrical care workforce in the U.S., comparing health professional-to-population ratios in rural and urban areas. Health professionals examined in this study include obstetricians, family physicians, and certified nurse midwives.
    Research center: WWAMI Rural Health Research Center
    Topics: Healthcare access, Maternal health, Physicians, Workforce
  • Who Provides Mental Health Services to Rural Medicare Beneficiaries?
    Most rural counties do not have a psychiatrist to care for the common conditions of depression or anxiety. This study describes the provider workforce that cares for rural elderly patients with depression/anxiety, including regional and rural-urban variations in mental healthcare provision.
    Research center: WWAMI Rural Health Research Center
    Topics: Health services, Medicare, Mental and behavioral health, Nurses and nurse practitioners, Physician assistants, Physicians, Substance use and treatment, Workforce

2019

  • Predictors of Buprenorphine Prescribing by Family Physicians in Rural Areas Nationally
    This project examined how physician and practice-level characteristics are associated with family physicians prescribing buprenorphine for opioid use disorder across rural and urban areas. The study made use of a unique dataset collected among family physicians nationally in 2017.
    Research center: Rural and Underserved Health Research Center
    Topics: Health disparities and health equity, Health services, Mental and behavioral health, Pharmacy and prescription drugs, Physicians, Substance use and treatment
  • The Rural MACRA Experience
    The Rural MACRA Experience project studied rural effects of the new Medicare Quality Payment Program (QPP) implementation and operation. Rural QPP effects included provider eligibility, program preparation and data collection challenges, data analysis bias, and differential fiscal impact.
    Research center: RUPRI Center for Rural Health Policy Analysis
    Topics: Healthcare financing, Medicare, Physicians
  • What Impact Will Unified GME Accreditation Have on Rural-focused Physician Residencies
    The impending unification of allopathic and osteopathic graduate medical education (GME) under a single accreditation system has uncertain implications for small and rural-focused residency programs. This study aimed to (1) quantify the rural practice outcomes of residencies in rurally-relevant specialties such as pediatrics, internal medicine, obstetrics/gynecology, emergency medicine, surgery, anesthesia, and psychiatry, and (2) interview key stakeholders to identify anticipated challenges of the accreditation merger and potential policies to strengthen vulnerable rural-focused residencies during the transition.
    Research center: WWAMI Rural Health Research Center
    Topic: Physicians

2018

2017

  • Rural Implications of Quality-Based Physician Payment Reform
    The purpose of this project is to assess existing national data about the quality of care provided by rural physicians, and to determine what additional information will be needed as CMS moves towards inclusion of all physicians in payment reforms based on quality.
    Research center: University of Minnesota Rural Health Research Center
    Topics: Physicians, Quality

2016

  • Influence of State Policies and Practices on J-1 Visa Waiver Physicians Service in Rural Areas
    This study will collect information from all states regarding their efforts to track IMG practice after their Conrad 30 program waiver obligations are satisfied, quantify long-term retention for states with available data, and assess how state policies shape IMG practice and long-term retention.
    Research center: WWAMI Rural Health Research Center
    Topics: International Medical Graduates (IMGs), Physicians, Workforce
  • Novel Master File of Rural Family Medicine Residency Training: Program Models and Graduate Outcomes
    This study expands current work by the WWAMI RHRC to establish a comprehensive database of rural-focused family medicine residency training programs. We will use this database to (1) create a typology of rural-focused family medicine training and (2) evaluate program graduates' outcomes and the success of different program models.
    Research center: WWAMI Rural Health Research Center
    Topics: Physicians, Workforce
  • Rural Training Track Technical Assistance Program
    This project looks into the Rural Training Track Technical Assistance (RTT-TA) Program which is a recognized model for addressing rural primary care physician shortages. The WWAMI RHRC has led the research component to investigate RTT program characteristics, graduate outcomes, and factors affecting RTT sustainability and resilience.
    Research center: WWAMI Rural Health Research Center
    Topics: Physicians, Workforce
  • What Are the Possible Impacts of Nurse Practitioners and Physician Assistants on Future Provision of Primary Care in Rural Areas?
    This study will explore how many nurse practitioners (NPs), physician assistants (PAs) and physicians will be required to meet rural health care demand resulting from expanded access to health insurance through implementation of the Affordable Care Act (ACA).
    Research center: WWAMI Rural Health Research Center
    Topics: Nurses and nurse practitioners, Physician assistants, Physicians, Workforce

2015

2014

  • Supply of Physicians Waivered to Treat Opioid Addiction in Rural America: Policy Options to Remedy Critical Shortages
    This study will determine the extent to which a trained workforce exists in rural America that has received the necessary waiver to treat opioid addiction in outpatient settings with buprenorphine, a highly effective medication. It will identify areas with critical shortages and discuss policy options for expanding the supply of these qualified providers.
    Research center: WWAMI Rural Health Research Center
    Topics: Physicians, Substance use and treatment, Workforce

2013

  • Aging of the Rural Generalist Physician Workforce: Will Some Locations Be More Affected than Others?
    This study will identify rural locations with high proportions of generalist physicians nearing retirement age.
    Research center: WWAMI Rural Health Research Center
    Topics: Physicians, Workforce
  • Current Contribution of Physicians, Advanced Practice Nurses, and Physician Assistants to the Rural Primary Care Workforce
    This two-year, multi-state study is examining the practices of rural physicians, nurse practitioners (NPs), and physician assistants (PAs) regarding their primary care visit productivity and scope of practice. Through surveys, this study will examine the contributions of physicians, NPs, and PAs by state, degree of practice rurality, practice characteristics, and primary care HPSA status in order to provide information on a range of rural primary care workforce needs.
    Research center: WWAMI Rural Health Research Center
    Topics: Nurses and nurse practitioners, Physician assistants, Physicians, Workforce
  • Impact of Payment Policy on Access to Physician Care in Rural America
    Profiles of physician practices will be constructed that specify the percent of payments derived from specific current procedural terminology (CPT) codes, dichotomized into evaluation and management (often considered to define primary care) or procedural. Differences across rural practices and between rural and urban practices will be analyzed, with implications for payment policies intended to reward rural primary care.
    Research center: RUPRI Center for Rural Health Policy Analysis
    Topics: Health services, Medicare, Physicians
  • Progress Toward Meaningful Use of Health Information Technology Among Rural Physician Practices
    This project will assess progress toward the meaningful use of health information technology among rural physician practices, using several sources of data. This empirical analysis will be supplemented by a qualitative assessment of rural physician practices' experiences with the meaningful use of health IT, working with two quality improvement organizations (QIOs)/Regional Extension Centers (RECs).
    Research center: University of Minnesota Rural Health Research Center
    Topics: Health information technology, Physicians

2011

  • Patient-Centered Medical Home: A Model for Rural Physician Practices and Communities?
    Rural practices will need to meet the expectations inherent in the patient-centered medical home (PCMH) model or lose any payment advantage that comes with participating as a PCMH. The goal of this project is to assess rural readiness to adopt services seen as part of a PCMH.
    Research center: RUPRI Center for Rural Health Policy Analysis
    Topics: Health services, Physicians

2010

  • Exploring the Black Box: Design and Implementation Issues of P4P for Rural Physicians
    Information about how pay-for-performance (P4P) payment systems work in ambulatory care settings, and in particular, how rural physicians might be affected, is scarce. This study employs qualitative research methods to explore the design and implementation of P4P systems and to investigate effects of P4P on rural physicians in a variety of settings.
    Research center: NORC Walsh Center for Rural Health Analysis
    Topics: Emergency medical services (EMS) and trauma, Healthcare financing, Physicians
  • Future of Family Medicine and Implications for Primary Care Physician Supply
    This project describes recent trends in medical student interest and national match rates in primary care and family medicine, the effect of increasing proportions of female physicians on rural practice patterns, and implications of declining interest in primary care on health and the health workforce.
    Research center: WWAMI Rural Health Research Center
    Topics: Physicians, Workforce
  • Rural Family Medicine Residency Training Survey: Follow-up to 2000 Survey
    National survey of family medicine residency training programs to quantify the amount and location of rural training. The survey also identified training that occurs in federally-qualified health centers.
    Research center: WWAMI Rural Health Research Center
    Topics: Physicians, Workforce

2009

  • Stay or Leave: Evidence from a Cohort of Young Rural Physicians
    This project aims to improve understanding of the dynamics of physician practice location decision making by examining and analyzing changes in practice locations for a sample of rural physicians.
    Research center: NORC Walsh Center for Rural Health Analysis
    Topics: Physicians, Workforce

2008

  • National Changes in Physician Supply
    This project describes the supply of allopathic and osteopathic physicians in rural and urban areas of the US. Study results will provide a current picture of rural physician supply and its variation by state and by region.
    Research center: WWAMI Rural Health Research Center
    Topics: International Medical Graduates (IMGs), Physicians, Workforce

2007

2006

  • Rural-Urban Physician Payment Differences Across the Nation: Methodological Changes
    This project will simulate the effects of changes to the methodologies used to calculate the three geographic practice cost indices currently used to adjust physician payment across the 89 Medicare payment areas in the U.S. and territories. Changes to the payment formula will be analyzed to determine potential impact on payment across areas and revenues for rural physician practices.
    Research center: RUPRI Center for Rural Health Policy Analysis
    Topics: Medicare, Physicians, Workforce

2005

  • Access to Physician Care for the Rural Medicare Elderly
    This study described where Medicare beneficiaries in five states obtain their health care, how far they travel for that care, and the mix of physician specialties from which they obtain ambulatory care. Special attention was paid to beneficiaries who have dual Medicare-Medicaid status, who reside in poorer income areas, and who live in designated Health Professional Shortage Areas.
    Research center: WWAMI Rural Health Research Center
    Topics: Aging, Chronic diseases and conditions, Health services, Medicare, Physicians, Poverty
  • Chartbook of Family Practice Graduate Medical Education Programs in Rural America
    Little is known about the volume, location, and types of rural training for family physicians. This project will produce a chartbook that makes previously unreported information about family physician residency directors more fully available to medical educators and other policymakers.
    Research center: WWAMI Rural Health Research Center
    Topics: Physicians, Workforce
  • Informing Primary Care Depression Intervention: A Comparison of Hospitalization Rates in Depressed Rural and Urban Patients
    The goal in this research was to examine whether or not there is a differential impact of enhanced depression care on patient outcomes in rural versus urban primary care settings and whether differences are mediated by receiving evidence-based care (pharmacotherapy and specialty care counseling).
    Research center: WICHE Center for Rural Mental Health Research
    Topics: Mental and behavioral health, Physicians
  • Is Medicare Beneficiary Access to Primary Care Physicians At Risk?
    This project examined the impact of changes in Medicare payment to physicians on access to care for rural beneficiaries.
    Research center: RUPRI Center for Rural Health Policy Analysis
    Topics: Medicare, Physicians
  • Is Rural Residency Training of Family Physicians an Endangered Species? An Interim Follow-up to the 1999 National BBA Study
    This study examined the proportion of rural-based family medicine residencies that have ceased operations since 2000, the residency-match experiences of the surviving programs, the proportion of U.S. medical school graduates and international medical graduates, major issues confronting these rural residencies, and likely impacts of these changes on the preparation of future family physicians for rural America.
    Research center: WWAMI Rural Health Research Center
    Topics: International Medical Graduates (IMGs), Physicians, Workforce

2004

  • Establishing a Fair Payment for Rural Physicians
    This project will analyze differences in physician payment as a function of practice location and simulate policy choices that change the current payment formula.
    Research center: RUPRI Center for Rural Health Policy Analysis
    Topics: Physicians, Workforce

2003

2002

2001

2000

1999

Unknown

  • The Rural/Urban Practice Location Patterns of Women Medical School Graduates
    While women are becoming an increasingly large percentage of the graduates of medical schools, they are much less likely to locate their practices in rural towns. This study involved a survey including questions about where the residents preferred to locate and how much they thought they would be practicing in the future.
    Research center: WWAMI Rural Health Research Center
    Topics: Physicians, Women, Workforce