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Rural Health Information Hub

Other Case Studies and Collections of Program Examples: Healthcare business and finance

In addition to RHIhub's Rural Health Models and Innovations rural program examples, you may also want to browse other case studies, databases, and websites with collections of health programs.

Each resource listed below uses its own criteria for selecting program examples, which may range from programs known to be effective based on research to anecdotal accounts. In each resource, you may want to review information on the level of evidence required for a program's inclusion.

May include non-rural programs that could be applicable to rural health delivery.

Coteau des Prairies Keeping Services Close to Home
Follows South Dakota-based Coteau des Prairies Health System's (CDP) progress as part of the Small Rural Hospital Transition (SRHT) project. CDP completed a financial operational assessment (FOA) with the goal of positioning the hospital for future financial success. Primary areas of improvement include revenue cycle management, HCAHPS scores, executive communication, and swing bed utilization.
Additional links: One-Page Summary
Date: 08/2017
Sponsoring organization: National Rural Health Resource Center
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Monroe County Hospital Achieving Outcomes
Examines the gains made by Monroe County Hospital, located in Monroeville, Alabama, as part of the Small Rural Hospital Transition project. During the project, the 35-bed prospective payment system (PPS) hospital focused on improving patient education and transitions of care, integrating pharmacists, implementing bedside reporting, and reducing readmission rates. The changes have resulted in improved community engagement and prepared MCH for value-based purchasing.
Date: 04/2017
Sponsoring organization: National Rural Health Resource Center
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Madison County Memorial Hospital: Making the Most of FOA
Documents Madison County Memorial Hospital's (MCMH) successes from participating in the Small Rural Hospital Transition (SRHT) project. Top accomplishments include improving relationships with the community and other providers, business office operations, leadership development, and transitions of care, as well as developing outpatient rehab services. MCMH is a 25-bed, nonprofit Critical Access Hospital located in Madison, Florida.
Date: 03/2017
Sponsoring organization: National Rural Health Resource Center
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Global Budget Process as an Alternative Payment Model
Analyzes the all-payer hospital rate-setting system of McCready Health in rural Maryland. Discusses the Total Patient Revenue (TPR) system and corresponding essential functions such as rate setting, strategic planning, and care coordination.
Date: 03/2017
Sponsoring organization: Rural Health Value
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Vermont Care Network Advocates for Behavioral Health and Developmental Disability Agencies
Highlights the work of the Vermont Care Network, which supports 16 non-profit agencies that provide behavioral health and developmental disability services in the state. Discusses cross-sector collaboration and integration of mental health, substance use, and developmental disability services with primary care.
Author(s): Jenn Lukens
Citation: Rural Monitor
Date: 03/2017
Sponsoring organization: Rural Health Information Hub
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Innovations in Rural Health System Development: Recruiting and Retaining Maine's Health Care Workforce
Illustrates examples of rural-focused medical education programs to support an adequate supply of physicians in rural Maine. Discusses behavioral and oral health workforce development, and promising programs utilizing other types of healthcare workers such as community paramedics and community health workers (CHWs) to increase the availability and accessibility of healthcare in rural Maine and in other rural regions of the U.S.
Author(s): Amanda Burgess, Andrew F. Coburn
Date: 11/2016
Sponsoring organizations: Maine Health Access Foundation, Maine Rural Health Research Center
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Innovations in Rural Health System Development: Governance
Discusses the need for collaboration between healthcare facilities and their communities, including ideas for new approaches to governance to help make these transitions happen. Provides examples of hospital/health system collaborations and population health programs from throughout the U.S.
Author(s): Sara Kahn-Troster, Andrew F. Coburn
Date: 11/2016
Sponsoring organizations: Maine Health Access Foundation, Maine Rural Health Research Center
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Innovations in Rural Health System Development: Moving Rural Health Systems to Value-Based Payment
Offers examples of rural health system transformation models and strategies from Maine and other regions of the U.S. to assist rural communities in moving forward with value-based payment systems.
Author(s): Sara Kahn-Troster, Andrew F. Coburn
Date: 11/2016
Sponsoring organizations: Maine Health Access Foundation, Maine Rural Health Research Center
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Project ECHO's Complex Care Initiative: Building Capacity to Help "Superutilizers" in Underserved Communities
Describes a case study from the University of New Mexico's Project ECHO (Extension for Community Health Outcomes) program, which uses telehealth to support primary care clinicians in underserved areas. Focuses on a project targeting Medicaid beneficiaries with substance abuse and mental health issues, with details on two primary care teams being supported, including one in a rural New Mexico community.
Author(s): Martha Hostetter, Sarah Klein, Douglas McCarthy
Date: 08/2016
Sponsoring organization: Commonwealth Fund
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Pender Community Hospital Surpassing Project Goals
Explains how Pender Community Hospital (PCH), a 21-bed Critical Access Hospital (CAH) located in Pender, Nebraska, improved its financial and operational performance through the Small Rural Hospital Transition (SRHT) Project. Focuses discussion on relocating the clinic, enhancing retail pharmacy and swing bed services, increasing marketing efforts, and restructuring therapy programs.
Date: 05/2016
Sponsoring organization: National Rural Health Resource Center
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