Rural Health
Resources by Topic: Critical Access Hospitals
Housing Shortages Are Making Recruitment and Retention Even More Challenging for Some Rural Healthcare Providers
Provides an overview of rural housing shortages and affordability concerns. Explains the impact of housing issues on the rural healthcare workforce. Features a housing development program involving a Critical Access Hospital in Colorado and an Oregon hotel conversion that combines units for healthcare workers and supportive housing.
Citation: Rural Monitor
Date: 12/2023
Sponsoring organization: Rural Health Information Hub
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Provides an overview of rural housing shortages and affordability concerns. Explains the impact of housing issues on the rural healthcare workforce. Features a housing development program involving a Critical Access Hospital in Colorado and an Oregon hotel conversion that combines units for healthcare workers and supportive housing.
Citation: Rural Monitor
Date: 12/2023
Sponsoring organization: Rural Health Information Hub
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Hospitals' Electronic Access to Information Needed to Treat COVID-19
Explores acute care hospitals' ability to access electronic access to information necessary to treat COVID-19 patients in 2021. Examines differences in information availability by hospital characteristics, including rurality and Critical Access Hospital (CAH) status, and engagement in interoperable exchange.
Author(s): Chelsea Richwine, Jordan Everson, Vaishali Patel
Citation: JAMIA Open, 6(4)
Date: 12/2023
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Explores acute care hospitals' ability to access electronic access to information necessary to treat COVID-19 patients in 2021. Examines differences in information availability by hospital characteristics, including rurality and Critical Access Hospital (CAH) status, and engagement in interoperable exchange.
Author(s): Chelsea Richwine, Jordan Everson, Vaishali Patel
Citation: JAMIA Open, 6(4)
Date: 12/2023
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2022 National and State Healthcare-Associated Infections Progress Report
Examines progress on reducing healthcare-associated infection rates for 6 types of infections in Acute Care Hospitals, Critical Access Hospitals, Inpatient Rehabilitation Facilities, and Long-term Acute Care Hospitals. Compares observed versus expected infection rates using 2015 baseline data. Includes national and state data tables on infection-specific standardized infection ratios (SIRs) and standardized utilization ratios (SURs) for each facility type.
Date: 11/2023
Sponsoring organization: Centers for Disease Control and Prevention
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Examines progress on reducing healthcare-associated infection rates for 6 types of infections in Acute Care Hospitals, Critical Access Hospitals, Inpatient Rehabilitation Facilities, and Long-term Acute Care Hospitals. Compares observed versus expected infection rates using 2015 baseline data. Includes national and state data tables on infection-specific standardized infection ratios (SIRs) and standardized utilization ratios (SURs) for each facility type.
Date: 11/2023
Sponsoring organization: Centers for Disease Control and Prevention
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A Comparison of Non-Operating Revenue between Rural and Urban Hospitals
Compares the relative percentage and composition of non-operating revenue (NOR) among Critical Access Hospitals (CAHs), rural Prospective Payment System (R-PPS) hospitals, and urban Prospective Payment System (U-PPS) hospitals from 2011-2019. Describes how hospitals can use NOR to offset negative operating incomes. Presents data on the composition of NOR by hospital type and ownership.
Author(s): Ariana Pitcher, Ruoyu Zhang, Susie Gurzenda, George Pink, Kristin L. Reiter
Date: 11/2023
Sponsoring organization: Flex Monitoring Team
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Compares the relative percentage and composition of non-operating revenue (NOR) among Critical Access Hospitals (CAHs), rural Prospective Payment System (R-PPS) hospitals, and urban Prospective Payment System (U-PPS) hospitals from 2011-2019. Describes how hospitals can use NOR to offset negative operating incomes. Presents data on the composition of NOR by hospital type and ownership.
Author(s): Ariana Pitcher, Ruoyu Zhang, Susie Gurzenda, George Pink, Kristin L. Reiter
Date: 11/2023
Sponsoring organization: Flex Monitoring Team
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Hospital Consumer Assessment of Healthcare Providers and Systems Overview: Vendor Directory
Provides information about the benefits and challenges of implementing a HCAHPS survey process in small rural hospitals, specifically Critical Access Hospitals (CAHs). Includes a full directory of vendors currently authorized to perform HCAHPS data collection.
Date: 11/2023
Sponsoring organization: National Rural Health Resource Center
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Provides information about the benefits and challenges of implementing a HCAHPS survey process in small rural hospitals, specifically Critical Access Hospitals (CAHs). Includes a full directory of vendors currently authorized to perform HCAHPS data collection.
Date: 11/2023
Sponsoring organization: National Rural Health Resource Center
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Performance Management/Program Evaluation Guide: Medicare Rural Hospital Flexibility (Flex) Program
Offers guidance to state Flex program coordinators to incorporate performance management and evaluation into Flex program operations as required by the Flex Program Cooperative Agreement. Supports the state's capacity for assessing program activities, making improvements, and establishing if activities are effective. Defines key terms and concepts, discusses reporting requirements, demonstrates a performance year work plan, covers data collection, and provides examples of goals and measures to be included in the evaluation plan.
Additional links: Flex Program Glossary of Evaluation Terms, Quick List: Flex Program Evaluation Resources
Date: 10/2023
Sponsoring organization: National Rural Health Resource Center
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Offers guidance to state Flex program coordinators to incorporate performance management and evaluation into Flex program operations as required by the Flex Program Cooperative Agreement. Supports the state's capacity for assessing program activities, making improvements, and establishing if activities are effective. Defines key terms and concepts, discusses reporting requirements, demonstrates a performance year work plan, covers data collection, and provides examples of goals and measures to be included in the evaluation plan.
Additional links: Flex Program Glossary of Evaluation Terms, Quick List: Flex Program Evaluation Resources
Date: 10/2023
Sponsoring organization: National Rural Health Resource Center
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Early Learnings From the Rural Health Redesign Center and its Rural Emergency Hospital Technical Assistance Center
Provides a brief overview of the Rural Emergency Hospital (REH) designation and the Rural Health Redesign Center's Rural Emergency Hospital Technical Assistance Center (REH-TAC). Describes the characteristics of Critical Access Hospitals (CAHs) and rural prospective payment system (PPS) hospitals that have explored REH conversion and have sought technical assistance from REH-TAC. Includes data on net patient revenue, operating income, margins, annualized 340B revenue, and more, by hospital type. Highlights common concerns raised by hospitals exploring REH conversion.
Date: 10/2023
Sponsoring organization: Rural Health Redesign Center
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Provides a brief overview of the Rural Emergency Hospital (REH) designation and the Rural Health Redesign Center's Rural Emergency Hospital Technical Assistance Center (REH-TAC). Describes the characteristics of Critical Access Hospitals (CAHs) and rural prospective payment system (PPS) hospitals that have explored REH conversion and have sought technical assistance from REH-TAC. Includes data on net patient revenue, operating income, margins, annualized 340B revenue, and more, by hospital type. Highlights common concerns raised by hospitals exploring REH conversion.
Date: 10/2023
Sponsoring organization: Rural Health Redesign Center
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Georgia Counties Offering CON-Authorized Obstetrical (OB) Services
County-level map showing the location of obstetrical (OB) services authorized by Georgia's Certificate of Need program. Distinguishes between rural and urban counties containing OB facilities, and identifies counties containing Critical Access Hospitals with OB facilities.
Date: 10/2023
Sponsoring organization: Georgia State Office of Rural Health
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County-level map showing the location of obstetrical (OB) services authorized by Georgia's Certificate of Need program. Distinguishes between rural and urban counties containing OB facilities, and identifies counties containing Critical Access Hospitals with OB facilities.
Date: 10/2023
Sponsoring organization: Georgia State Office of Rural Health
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MBQIP Quality Measures National Annual Report - 2022
Summarizes quality measure reporting rates and performance among Critical Access Hospitals (CAHs) in 2022. Presents data on the four Medicare Beneficiary Quality Improvement Project (MBQIP) domains: patient safety/inpatient, outpatient, patient engagement, and care transitions.
Author(s): Megan Lahr, Alyssa Furukawa, Madeleine Pick, Robert Barclay
Date: 10/2023
Sponsoring organization: Flex Monitoring Team
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Summarizes quality measure reporting rates and performance among Critical Access Hospitals (CAHs) in 2022. Presents data on the four Medicare Beneficiary Quality Improvement Project (MBQIP) domains: patient safety/inpatient, outpatient, patient engagement, and care transitions.
Author(s): Megan Lahr, Alyssa Furukawa, Madeleine Pick, Robert Barclay
Date: 10/2023
Sponsoring organization: Flex Monitoring Team
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Provision of Hospice Services by Critical Access Hospitals: Strengths and Challenges
Describes the characteristics of Critical Access Hospitals (CAHs) that report providing hospice services by analyzing data from the 2021 American Hospital Association (AHA) annual survey. Presents findings from qualitative interviews with seven CAHs who report providing hospice care, including how CAHs provide hospice services, the advantages CAHs may have when providing end-of-life care, and what CAH-specific barriers exist in providing such care.
Author(s): Robert Barclay, Megan Lahr, Hannah MacDougall, Abigail Wenninger
Date: 10/2023
Sponsoring organization: Flex Monitoring Team
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Describes the characteristics of Critical Access Hospitals (CAHs) that report providing hospice services by analyzing data from the 2021 American Hospital Association (AHA) annual survey. Presents findings from qualitative interviews with seven CAHs who report providing hospice care, including how CAHs provide hospice services, the advantages CAHs may have when providing end-of-life care, and what CAH-specific barriers exist in providing such care.
Author(s): Robert Barclay, Megan Lahr, Hannah MacDougall, Abigail Wenninger
Date: 10/2023
Sponsoring organization: Flex Monitoring Team
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