A new report, summarizing key takeaways from the 2024 Future of Rural Health Summit, offers a detailed plan to improve health care in rural communities across the United States.

The summit brought together over 40 health experts, clinicians, policy leaders, and researchers, with the goal of creating a roadmap for making health services more accessible, affordable, and tailored to the needs of rural Americans. The report envisions rural communities where health care integrates with public services, local economies, and strong social support networks, and stresses that a successful rural health system must address basic needs like transportation, broadband internet, healthy food, and safe housing, as these significantly impact health.

Developed by the Rural Policy Research Institute (RUPRI), the National Rural Health Association (NRHA), and West Health, the report can be used to guide future policy, research, and program development efforts.

Keith Mueller, RUPRI director, Gerhard Hartman Professor of Health Management and Policy at the University of Iowa College of Public Health, and co-author of the report, emphasized, “Major changes are already underway, but they are being crafted for large population centers and by large health care organizations. We believe rural health can incubate innovations in care delivery and finance that meet their needs and can be models in urban settings.”

The report focuses on four main themes:

• starting with the community,
• getting the message right,
• building on existing resources,
• and filling gaps.

According to the report’s authors, local voices should lead the conversation to ensure solutions meet the true needs of rural areas and the message that rural communities are vital to the country’s economy and identity must be compelling and reach decision-makers at all levels. They emphasize that existing strong health resources in rural areas should be the foundation for expanding services, and tools like health needs assessments should be used to identify and address gaps in care.

The report also suggests:

• new ways to fund and deliver care, including flexible payment models suited to rural realities,
• support for growing the rural health workforce through local training and incentives,
• better use of telehealth supported by broadband investments,
• and stronger partnerships between health providers and community groups.

“We see tremendous opportunity in changes in technology, service modality, and payment to reach aspirational goals,” Muller says.

Mueller added, “We offer a vision for the future and a roadmap for community-driven actions. Final decisions need to be driven by rural people and their communities, engaging local service providers and health care organizations. We are excited about what is possible in rural America, but our excitement is tempered by concerns about policy choices that may crack the fragile infrastructure we have now. I am optimistic and excited to share the report widely and help implement the suggested changes for a better future for rural health systems.”

Kevin Bennett and Carrie Cochran-McClain from NRHA, JT Douglas from West Health Institute, and Eli Steenhoek and Lauren Lavin from the University of Iowa College of Public Health are co-authors of the report.