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Rural Health
Resources by Topic: Critical Access Hospitals

Community Impact and Benefit Activities of Critical Access, Other Rural, and Urban Hospitals, 2022
Examines the economic and healthcare benefit of Critical Access Hospitals (CAHs) on rural communities. Looks at the services provided, the economic health of CAHs, and the effect this has on their communities broadly. Includes comparisons of community benefit and patient care services indicators provided by CAHs and other rural and urban hospitals.
Author(s): Zachariah Croll, John Gale
Date: 03/2024
Type: Document
Sponsoring organization: Flex Monitoring Team
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March 2024 MedPAC Meeting Transcript
Transcript from the Medicare Payment Advisory Commission's (MedPAC) March 2024 meeting. Covers proposed approaches and research topics related to evaluating rural hospital and clinician payment policies, an assessment of the completeness of Medicare Advantage (MA) encounter data and other sources of information about MA enrollees' healthcare utilization, a preliminary analysis of MA quality, the Acute Hospital Care at Home program, and Medicare inpatient psychiatric service trends and issues.
Additional links: Rural Hospital and Clinician Payment Policy: A Workplan for 2024–2025 - Presentation Slides
Date: 03/2024
Type: Document
Sponsoring organization: Medicare Payment Advisory Commission
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Partnerships to Address Social Needs Across Metropolitan and Non-Metropolitan Prospective Payment System Hospitals and Critical Access Hospitals
Explores the extent to which hospitals partner with community organizations to address population and/or community health needs. Analyzes data from the 2021 American Hospital Association Social Determinants of Health (SDOH) Supplement to describe the number and types of hospital partnerships with community-based organizations. Compares results by hospital type - metropolitan prospective payment system (PPS), Critical Access Hospital (CAH), and non-metropolitan PPS - and by U.S. Census region, ownership status, and accountable care organization (ACO) participation.
Author(s): Whitney E. Zahnd, Khyathi Gadag, Kristin D. Wilson, Keith J. Mueller
Date: 03/2024
Type: Document
Sponsoring organization: RUPRI Center for Rural Health Policy Analysis
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Report to Congress on Medicaid and CHIP, March 2024
Reports on three aspects of Medicaid of interest to Congress: 1) improving the Medicaid beneficiary experience through Medical Care Advisory Committees (MCACs) and federal government actions to aid states, 2) increasing the transparency and improving the monitoring of the denials and appeals process in Medicaid managed care, and 3) reviewing hospital payment policy for the nation's safety-net hospitals. Chapter 3 examines the relationship between disproportionate share hospital (DSH) allotments to states and the number of uninsured individuals, the amounts and sources of hospitals' uncompensated care costs, and the amounts and sources of hospitals' uncompensated care costs. Table 3-1 details DSH spending for urban and rural hospitals and for Critical Access Hospitals.
Date: 03/2024
Type: Document
Sponsoring organization: Medicaid and CHIP Payment and Access Commission
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MedPAC Report to the Congress: Medicare Payment Policy: Skilled Nursing Facility Services: Chapter 6
Discusses payment adequacy for skilled nursing facility (SNF) services. Features statistics on SNF care provided by rural hospitals and Critical Access Hospitals (CAHs) via swing beds and Medicare margins for urban and rural freestanding SNFs in 2022.
Date: 03/2024
Type: Document
Sponsoring organization: Medicare Payment Advisory Commission
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Rural Health Leadership, with Steve Simonin
An episode of the Exploring Rural Health podcast featuring Steve Simonin, President and CEO of Iowa Specialty Hospital and Clinics. Focuses on how healthcare systems can invest in their communities, strategies for ensuring long-term rural health sustainability, and the importance of maintaining communication with state and federal support systems.
Date: 03/2024
Type: Audio
Sponsoring organization: Rural Health Information Hub
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Pre-Rulemaking Measure Review Measures Under Consideration: 2023 Recommendations Report
Reviews the 42 pre-rulemaking quality measures the Battelle's Partnership for Quality Measurement (PQM) considered during the 2023-2024 Pre-Rulemaking Measure Review (PRMR) cycle. Discusses measures for clinician, hospital, and post-acute care/long-term care programs. Includes rural references and considerations throughout.
Date: 02/2024
Type: Document
Sponsoring organization: Partnership for Quality Measurement
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Georgia Department of Community Health Annual Report: Fiscal Year July 1, 2022 - June 30, 2023
Reports on the Georgia Department of Community Health's efforts to improve healthcare access, services, and workforce during the 2023 fiscal year. Provides an overview of the Georgia State Office of Rural Health and its programs supporting rural health facilities, primary care workforce, farmworker health, and more.
Date: 02/2024
Type: Document
Sponsoring organization: Georgia Department of Community Health
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Opioid Stewardship Program Implementation in Rural and Critical Access Hospitals in Arizona
Assesses the implementation of 11 opioid stewardship program (OSP) elements at 17 Arizona Critical Access Hospitals. Compares data between the emergency and inpatient departments and analyzes trends. Discusses standardization of OSPs and both preventing and treating opioid misuse disorder.
Author(s): Benjamin R. Brady, Bianca SantaMaria, Kathryn Tucker Ortiz y Pino, Bridget S. Murphy
Citation: Journal of Opioid Management, 20(1), 21-30
Date: 02/2024
Type: Document
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Lessons Learned from Efforts to Support Vulnerable Critical Access and Other Rural Hospitals
Provides an overview of state and federal programs, demonstrations, and models designed to support Critical Access Hospitals (CAHs) and other rural hospitals. Describes challenges facing CAHs and rural hospitals, including chronic workforce shortages, high operating and staffing costs, inadequate reimbursement, operational and regulatory issues, and the diverse demographics of rural communities. Discusses lessons learned, the new for a new rural hospital model, and next steps.
Author(s): John Gale, Celia Jewell, Karen Pearson
Date: 02/2024
Type: Document
Sponsoring organization: Flex Monitoring Team
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