Rural Health Research Gateway

The Arkansas Rural Behavioral Health Access Network hopes to answer a question known to rural providers everywhere: How do we make sure all patients are able to get the care they need? Published by the Rural Health Information Hub.

https://ow.ly/CfUz50Z5F5M

A New Network of Rural Providers in Arkansas Looks to Take On The 'Needs and Pain Points' of Behavioral Healthcare - The Rural Monitor The Arkansas Rural Behavioral Health Access Network hopes to answer a question known to rural providers everywhere: How do we make sure all patients are able to get the care they need?

The Intersect program at Arbor Family Health connects chronic disease patients with nurse health coaches and clinical pharmacists. Published by the Rural Health Information Hub.

https://ow.ly/BZvi50Z4u9j

Where Primary Care and Clinical Pharmacy Services 'Intersect': Louisiana Program Helps Patients Understand and Manage Medications - The Rural Monitor The Intersect program at Arbor Family Health connects chronic disease patients with nurse health coaches and clinical pharmacists.

Researchers from WWAMI Rural Health Research Center will share recently published research on youth behavioral health services at our upcoming webinar.

📅 June 17
Register: https://ow.ly/Yi5q50Z6iRc

For most hospitals, there was little change in wage index values over the five-year period but for the hospitals with low wage indexes, there was a considerable increase. Rural PPS hospitals experienced increases in median and mean wage index values, while urban PPS hospitals saw small decreases.

https://ow.ly/EicN50YZLJx

Publication Details: Medicare Wage Index Trends in Rural and Urban Hospitals Before and During the Low Wage Index Policy, 2018–2022 - Rural Health Research Gateway Summary and citation information for the document Medicare Wage Index Trends in Rural and Urban Hospitals Before and During the Low Wage Index Policy, 2018–2022, produced by North Carolina Rural Health Research and Policy Analysis Center.

“So we need to make opportunities for rural kids to think about health care careers and make education available,” Carrie Henning-Smith, co-director of the University of Minnesota Rural Health Research Center, says. “It’s not rocket science.”

https://ow.ly/RPqW50Z4tWN

Research on mental health offers hope Two researchers bring crucial clarity to the nature of su***de and other mental health issues, paving the way for prevention and better treatments.

🚨Rural Health Research Alert🚨

"Medicare Advantage Enrollment Update 2025"

This policy brief is part of the RUPRI Center's ongoing annual series analyzing Medicare Advantage (MA) enrollment trends. It examines both total and rural/urban (nonmetropolitan/metropolitan) enrollment patterns, as well as shifts in the types of MA plans selected by beneficiaries. The brief also explores how past policy changes may have influenced these enrollment dynamics.

Key Findings:

• MA enrollment in 2025 grew 1.5 percent from 2024, marking the smallest annual increase in a decade. However, growth remained higher in nonmetropolitan counties (2.5 percent) than metropolitan counties (1.4 percent).
• Despite past projections, nonmetropolitan MA pe*******on did not exceed 50 percent in 2025. Instead, it reached 49.2 percent, compared to 56.8 percent in metropolitan counties.
• Much of the growth in nonmetropolitan MA enrollment remains in local preferred provider organization plans.

https://ow.ly/uECc50Z5FJt

Publication Details: Medicare Advantage Enrollment Update 2025 - Rural Health Research Gateway Summary and citation information for the document Medicare Advantage Enrollment Update 2025, produced by Rapid Response to Requests for Rural Data Analysis, RUPRI Center for Rural Health Policy Analysis.

Star rating component scores for "staying healthy" and "managing chronic conditions" are consistently higher in metropolitan areas. Conversely, "member experience with the health plan" is reported to be lower for metropolitan beneficiaries than nonmetropolitan beneficiaries. The main source of improvement in nonmetropolitan areas is the change in the "health plan customer service" domain.

https://ow.ly/ySbv50YZLHU

Publication Details: Trends in Medicare Advantage Quality for Nonmetropolitan Enrollees, 2019-2023 - Rural Health Research Gateway Summary and citation information for the document Trends in Medicare Advantage Quality for Nonmetropolitan Enrollees, 2019-2023, produced by RUPRI Center for Rural Health Policy Analysis.

“The big question for a lot of these hospitals is how to improve access,” says Dan Shane, associate professor at the University of Iowa’s RUPRI Center for Rural Health Policy Analysis.

https://ow.ly/fAc050Z4tOg

Time for ‘Novel Ideals’: Rural Health Leaders Share Strategies Amid Budget Constraints Through tech-enabled transformation, rural healthcare providers try to find their footing as the funding landscape changes.

Salary growth was lowest in the West (11.98%) and highest in the South (21.77%). In 2022, average salary expense per FTE in 2022 was highest in the West ($80,578) and lowest in the South ($67,726).

https://ow.ly/JirX50YZLuA

Publication Details: Geographic Variation in Average Salary Expense Among Rural Hospitals Nationwide, 2018–2022 - Rural Health Research Gateway Summary and citation information for the document Geographic Variation in Average Salary Expense Among Rural Hospitals Nationwide, 2018–2022, produced by North Carolina Rural Health Research and Policy Analysis Center.

Hospital wages increased steadily across all hospital types between 2018 and 2022. Urban hospitals consistently paid higher wages, and rural-urban wage differences remained stable.

https://ow.ly/hIpv50YZLo6

Publication Details: Average Salary Expense in Rural and Urban Hospitals Before and During the Low Wage Index Policy, 2018–2022 - Rural Health Research Gateway Summary and citation information for the document Average Salary Expense in Rural and Urban Hospitals Before and During the Low Wage Index Policy, 2018–2022, produced by North Carolina Rural Health Research and Policy Analysis Center.