Healthcare Insights
Top 25 rural health clinics by total visits
According to the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS), rural health clinics were established in 1977 as a method of providing healthcare access to Medicare patients in rural areas of the U.S. This includes access to physicians as well as other healthcare professionals, such as nurse practitioners, physician assistants, clinical psychologists, and more.
What is a rural health clinic?
A rural health clinic is exactly as described—a facility that provides outpatient healthcare services to rural and often underserved communities. They provide a typical assortment of services, such as check-ups, treatment of minor illnesses, and chronic disease management. Some larger rural health clinics may even offer mental health care or lab work.
To qualify as a rural health clinic, facilities must meet specific criteria, including:
- Location in a non-urbanized area as defined by the U.S. Census Bureau
- Employ at least one nurse practitioner or physician’s assistant
- Have a nurse practitioner, physician’s assistant, or nurse-midwife working at least half the time a clinic is open
- Offer routine diagnostic services and more
Using Definitive Healthcare’s ClinicView product, we created a list of the top 25 rural health clinics ranked by their total number of patient visits, according to the most recent 12-month interval tracked in our database.
| Rank | RHC name | City | State | Definitive ID | Total visits | Explore dataset |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Access Medical Clinic - Salem | Salem | AR | 955214 | 282,464 | Explore |
| 2 | UnityPoint Clinic Family Medicine - Belle Plaine | Belle Plaine | IA | 8050 | 190,459 | Explore |
| 3 | Quincy Medical Group - 1025 Main | Quincy | IL | 11572 | 175,643 | Explore |
| 4 | San Luis Walk-in Clinic - Babbitt Lane | San Luis | AZ | 7490 | 175,425 | Explore |
| 5 | Primary Care Centers of Eastern Kentucky - Hazard | Hazard | KY | 8396 | 171,558 | Explore |
| 6 | Physicians Park Primary Care | Poplar Bluff | MO | 9639 | 145,158 | Explore |
| 7 | Evergreen Family Medicine | Roseburg | OR | 10393 | 137,521 | Explore |
| 8 | East Mississippi Medical Clinic | Meridian | MS | 9029 | 133,760 | Explore |
| 9 | Hutchinson Clinic - Hutchinson | Hutchinson | KS | 8320 | 128,342 | Explore |
| 10 | Family Health Care Associates - Pineville | Pineville | WV | 10744 | 104,262 | Explore |
| 11 | Beverly Hills Medical Clinic | Beverly Hills | FL | 7704 | 101,123 | Explore |
| 12 | Jones Regional Medical Center Family Medicine - Anamosa | Anamosa | IA | 8491 | 91,995 | Explore |
| 13 | Medical Arts Clinic | Farmington | MO | 9913 | 84,021 | Explore |
| 14 | London Womens Care | London | KY | 9093 | 78,992 | Explore |
| 15 | Sequoia Family Medical Center - Porterville | Porterville | CA | 11076 | 78,324 | Explore |
| 16 | Center for Medical Arts Rural Health | Carbondale | IL | 8355 | 73,878 | Explore |
| 17 | Walla Walla Clinic - Main Campus | Walla Walla | WA | 11607 | 73,385 | Explore |
| 18 | Vance Family Medicine | Henderson | NC | 11305 | 67,870 | Explore |
| 19 | Pediatrics In Brevard - Melbourne | Melbourne | FL | 7783 | 67,520 | Explore |
| 20 | Lynden Family Medicine | Lynden | WA | 10894 | 67,508 | Explore |
| 21 | Clark Clinic - Sumter County Clinic | Bushnell | FL | 7787 | 65,871 | Explore |
| 22 | Quantum Healthcare Associates | Hazard | KY | 9465 | 65,276 | Explore |
| 23 | CHRISTUS Trinity Clinic - Mineola | Mineola | TX | 11151 | 61,934 | Explore |
| 24 | Rankin Rural Medical Clinic | Richland | MS | 9723 | 61,506 | Explore |
| 25 | Ferguson Medical Group - Sikeson | Sikeston | MO | 9521 | 58,579 | Explore |
Fig. 1 Data is from the Definitive Healthcare ClinicView product and aggregated from the most recent 12-month interval tracked in our database. Data is sourced from the Medicare Cost Report release. Accessed October 2024.
Which rural health clinics have the most total visits?
Access Medical Clinic in Salem, Arkansas had by far the most total patient visits in 2023 with 282,464. This facility also belongs to a network of family practice, urgent care, and pediatric care physician groups throughout Arkansas and the southern U.S.
The rural health clinic with the second-highest volume of patient visits was UnityPoint Clinic Family Medicine - Belle Plaine, with 190,459. The clinic is located in Belle Plaine, Iowa which is surrounded by farmland for dozens of miles in every direction. This walk-in clinic is one of the only care options for the over 25,000 citizens of Benton County, which could explain why its visitor numbers are so high.
Rounding out the top three is Quincy Medical Group. Located in Quincy, Illinois, this rural health clinic had 175,643 total patient visits last year. This facility belongs to the Quincy Medical Group network, which also has multiple imaging centers, ambulatory surgery centers, and physician group locations across the Midwest.
How many rural health clinics are in the U.S.?
Definitive Healthcare tracks over 6,000 rural health clinics (RHCs), more than 5,200 of which are currently active. According to the National Association of Rural Health Clinics (NARHC), these clinics provide primary care services to over seven million people across 47 states. The states that have the most rural health clinics in the U.S. are Missouri (369), Kentucky (355), and Texas (332).
These facilities focus on providing both primary care as well as preventive care to Medicare patients across the rural U.S.
In addition, many rural health systems belong to state-wide health systems. Of the clinics mentioned in the list above, 52% reported being affiliated with one. Health system membership could aid in securing staffing, either through the health system itself or through negotiations with a staffing company.
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