U.S. Government Solutions
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Video
Insight Express Series 8: Rural Health
Oct 06, 2026
Rural healthcare access is shaped by more than geography. It reflects availability of local facilities and clinicians, the realities of insurance and pharmacy access, and the infrastructure needed to support new models of care. Drawing on real-world data and analytics, this 6-part video blog series explores the interconnected challenges rural communities face and shows why effective solutions must be grounded in the distinct needs and resources of each community.
Feature 1: Rural is Not an Archetype
Rural healthcare access is not a single, uniform challenge. Rural populations are present across every state, but local care pathways vary based on coverage, provider availability, infrastructure, and treatment needs. This episode examines why rural communities require locally informed strategies and how real-world data can identify where access is most fragile and whether new investment is improving care.
Speaker: Nandini Selvam PhD, MPH, VP & General Manager, IQVIA Government Solutions
Feature 2: The Long Road to Care
Rural patients have access to fewer hospitals, emergency rooms, staffed beds, and affiliated providers close to home. When care is unavailable locally, specialty referrals frequently require substantially longer travel. This episode examines how limited facility and provider availability creates a measurable physical access burden and why the loss of even one local access point can have an outsized effect on rural communities.
Speaker: Scott Biggs, Director, Strategic Supplier Services, IQVIA
Feature 3: When the Nearest Door Closes
Rural pharmacies are critical healthcare access points, supporting prescriptions, prevention, counseling, and care continuity. With fewer alternatives available, a single rural pharmacy closure can disrupt care for more than half of local pharmacy patients. This episode examines the growing impact of pharmacy closures and why they should be viewed as a healthcare access and infrastructure challenge, not only a retail issue.
Speaker: Silvia Valkova, Senior Principal, Consulting Services, IQVIA Government Solutions, IQVIA
Feature 4: Who is Actually Delivering Rural Care
The rural healthcare workforce is changing as physician counts decline and nurse practitioners, and physician associates deliver a growing share of care. NPs and PAs now write half of all rural prescriptions, with even larger roles in several therapeutic areas. This episode explores why rural engagement strategies must reflect the clinicians diagnosing patients, initiating treatment, and managing ongoing conditions.
Speaker: Abby Enevoldsen, Associate Consultant, Market Access Strategy Consulting, IQVIA
Feature 5: Same Coverage, Harder Access
Insurance coverage indicates whether a therapy may be available, but it does not show whether a patient can successfully obtain it. In oncology, rural patients overcame prior authorization and step rejections about half as often as metro patients, even within the same payer channels. This episode examines why usable access depends on moving patients from prescription to treatment.
Speaker: Kelly Phalen, Associate Consultant, Market Access Strategy Consulting, IQVIA
Feature 6: Innovation Needs Infrastructure
Telehealth and remote patient monitoring can extend healthcare access, but technology cannot replace the care system itself. Digital adoption is scaling fastest in communities where broadband and supporting infrastructure already exist. This episode examines why connectivity, workforce capacity, reimbursement, digital literacy, and clinical workflows are necessary to translate digital innovation into meaningful access for rural patients.
Speaker: Jennifer Alexander, Director, Strategic Supplier Services, IQVIA
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