We’re a small team with big ideas.
Current Research Priorities
Prior Authorization and Rural Oncology
Prior authorization (PA) is necessary for the majority of cancer treatments and procedures, yet PA is also viewed as the biggest challenge in health care behind costs (AHA) and is associated with delayed care and increased anxiety among patients (Thom et al.) PA also disproportionately impacts rural providers, who are less likely to have the staff and time to submit PA requests and handle PA denials (MGMA). We are investigating PA in rural oncology practices.
Read our ASCO Abstract: Impact of prior authorization for oncology medications on practices with majority rural patient populations.
Financial Impacts of Oncology Services on Rural Hospitals
Oncology is a revenue generator for hospitals; anecdotally, many health care executives and mid- to senior-career oncologists say that oncology can cross-subsidize other, costlier specialties. Given increasing rural hospital closures in the United States, oncology may play an important role in financially stabilizing rural hospitals. However, oncology is also highly multidisciplinary and incurs substantial start-up costs. We are investigating the financial impacts of oncology service lines on rural hospitals.
The Minimum Viable Rural Oncology Program
Which cancer services need to be physically available locally, which can be provided through regional partnerships, and which can safely be delivered through tele-oncology or other hub-and-spoke models? Rural oncology practices need these answers to inform their hiring and investment strategies. We aim to provide the field’s first evidence-based recommendations on minimum viable services for rural oncology practices.
Partner with us!
We provide rural cancer research support and expertise to external partners.
We have assisted rural oncology providers across the nation with their research, and our support has led external partners to publish peer-reviewed manuscripts and present at academic and professional conferences such as the American Society of Clinical Oncology (ASCO) Quality Care Symposium. If you are in need of targeted rural cancer research support for your project, please reach out to us to see if RCI can help you.
Previous Research Projects and Manuscript Archive
Rural Pediatric and Young Adult Cancers
Jacobson I., Levasseur L., Hankins L., Kamboj A., and Schroeder Z. May 2026. “Pediatric and Adolescent Cancer Incidence Rates in 29 Non-Metropolitan U.S. Counties: An Analysis of Publicly Available Data.” Pediatric Blood & Cancer, doi: 10.1002/1545-5017.70407
Jacobson I., Hankins L., Levasseur L., and Schroder Z. Aug 2026. “Childhood cancer incidence rates outside major U.S. metropolitan statistical areas (MSAs), 1999-2022: A CDC WONDER descriptive analysis.” Cancer Epidemiology. 10.1016/j.canep.2026.103200
Rural Women’s Health and Cancer
Jacobson I., Gully B., Eldien A., and McGovern E. Oct 2025. “Breast cancer screening method prevalences in rural and urban women post-pandemic.” The Journal of Rural Health. doi:10.1111/jrh.70089
Eldien A., Hankins L., Neilson T., and Jacobson I. Aug 2026. “Rural-urban differences in cervical cancer screening patterns: A cross-sectional analysis of the 2021 National Health Interview Survey (NHIS).” The Journal of Rural Health, doi:10.1111/jrh.70210
Quality of Rural Cancer Care and Patient Experiences
Schroeder, Z. July 2023. “The struggles that are faced with a rural cancer diagnosis: My personal story.” The Journal of Rural Health, doi:10.1111/jrh.12778
Jacobson I., Schroeder Z., and Swenson W. Mar 2026. “Loneliness is Differentially Associated with Increased Cancer Mortality in Rural and Urban U.S. Counties.” Journal of General Internal Medicine, doi: 10.1007/s11606-026-10315-8
Jacobson I., Markley P., and Kamboj J. Mar 2026. “Rural-Urban Differences in Cancer Worry, Fatalism, and Attitudes Towards Research Progress.” Cancer Causes & Control, doi:10.1007/s10552-026-02147-y
Jacobson I., Armstrong A., and Schroeder Z. June 2026. “Social support as a novel predictor of healthcare affordability among adults with a lifetime history of cancer.” Discover Public Health, doi: 10.1186/s12982-026-02334-x
Jacobson I., Swenson W., and McGovern E. June 2026. “Available insurance plans do not meet the needs of rural U.S. adults with a history of cancer.” Discover Public Health, doi: 10.1186/s12982-026-02387-y
Jacobson I., Swenson A., Schroeder Z., McGovern E., Northrup G., and Swenson W. Sep 2026. “Loneliness is Correlated with Cancer Mortality in U.S. Counties: An Ecological Analysis.” Supportive Care in Cancer. DOI: 10.1007/s00520-026-11258-w
Rural Cancer Care Delivery
Swenson W., McGovern E., Schroeder Z., and Swenson A. Sep 2023. “Human-Centered Design: A Possible Solution to Rural Clinical Trial Enrollment". Oncology Issues, doi:10.3928/25731777-20230920-07
Swenson W. Dec 2023. “Bridging The Rural Health Care Gap: The 340B Program.” Health Affairs, doi:10.1377/hlthaff.2023.01092
Swenson W. Feb 2024. “Thank You for Being Here: Insights From Rural Oncology Practice.” The Journal of Clinical Oncology Practice, doi:10.1200/OP.23.00760
Swenson W., Lindow M., Reycraft J., Bjerga L., Schroeder Z., Swenson A., and McGovern E. Apr 2024. “The Case for Decentralizing Cancer Care: The Rural Oncology Home.” The New England Journal of Medicine Catalyst, doi:10.1056/CAT.23.0344
Walker M., Burton K., Collazo-Irizzary D., Swenson W., Pritchett J,. LoConte N., and Narayan A. Dec 2025. “Challenges and Opportunities for Rural Multidisciplinary Lung Cancer Care.” Journal of the American College of Radiology, doi: 10.1016/j.jacr.2025.08.020
Jacobson I., McGovern E., and Swenson W. Dec 2025. “Bridging the Rural Cancer Gap: Why Clinical Trials Must Include Rural Patients.” Cancer Causes & Control, doi:10.1007/s10552-025-02106-z
Swenson A., Kray C., Swenson A., Northrup B., Eldien A., Armstrong A., Mitchell M., Schroeder Z., Pritchett J., Jacobson I., and Swenson W. Sep 2026. “Most Chemotherapy Administration Sites Are Rural: Evidence from the Minnesota All Payer Claims Database and a Framework for State-Level Cancer Care Surveillance.” The Journal of Clinical Oncology Practice. [accepted]