Medical group practices serving rural and underserved communities play a critical role in maintaining access to care in areas that face persistent challenges related to workforce shortages, resource constraints, broadband access, geographic barriers and a diverse payer mix of Medicare, Medicaid and uninsured patients. Many of these areas are designated Health Professional Shortage Areas (HPSAs), with limited access to primary and specialty care, and face unique recruitment challenges. In certain instances, underserved areas may also include urban areas. As a result, rural and underserved practices frequently operate with leaner staffing models and must often refer patients over long distances for healthcare services.