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Rural Health Information Hub

Rural Health
Resources by Topic: Critical Access Hospitals

Population Health Outcome Measurement Strategies for State Flex Programs
Presents a framework for population health outcome measurement strategies for State Flex Programs (SFPs). Outlines a series of sequential steps, including identifying the needs to be addressed, educational programming, developing shared learning collaboratives/cohorts to support performance improvement, and implementing interventions. Offers practical examples of population health improvement performance improvement activities with short, intermediate, and long-term outcomes to document program impact over time.
Author(s): John Gale, Celia Jewell, Sara Kahn-Troster
Date: 07/2023
Sponsoring organization: Flex Monitoring Team
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Emergency Medical Services Outcome Measurement Strategies for State Flex Programs
Presents a framework regarding emergency medical services (EMS) outcome measurement for State Flex Programs (SFPs). Outlines a series of sequential steps, including identifying the needs to be addressed, educational programming, developing shared learning collaboratives/cohorts to support performance improvement, and implementing interventions. Offers practical examples of EMS performance improvement activities with short, intermediate, and long-term outcomes.
Author(s): John Gale, Karen Pearson, Celia Jewell, Sara Kahn-Troster, Kenneth Rosati
Date: 07/2023
Sponsoring organization: Flex Monitoring Team
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Quality Time: Sharing PIE - Fall Prevention Strategies
Podcast episode discussing how two quality improvement leaders implemented fall prevention strategies at their Critical Access Hospitals. Describes different strategies to identify and reduce fall risks.
Date: 07/2023
Sponsoring organization: Stratis Health
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Delta Region Community Health Systems Development (DRCHSD) Program: Revenue Cycle Management Best Practices Guide
Offers rural hospital executives and management teams best practice concepts in revenue cycle management by assisting them in identifying performance improvement within their hospitals and departments. Provides State Offices of Rural Health (SORH) directors and Flex Program coordinators a better understanding of the revenue cycle best practices to help them design educational training programs to support rural hospital administrators with performance improvement.
Additional links: Check List
Date: 07/2023
Sponsoring organizations: BKD CPAs & Advisors, National Rural Health Resource Center
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South Dakota Critical Access Hospitals
County-level map of South Dakota showing locations of Critical Access Hospitals (CAHs).
Date: 07/2023
Sponsoring organization: South Dakota Office of Rural Health
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North Carolina Office of Rural Health Service Points and Coverage Map SFY 2023
County-level map of service points receiving North Carolina Office of Rural Health support. Includes Critical Access Hospitals, Community Health Grantees, Rural Health Centers, Small Rural Hospitals, and more.
Date: 06/2023
Sponsoring organization: North Carolina Office of Rural Health
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Telehealth Adoption in Kentucky Prior to the COVID-19 Pandemic
Reports statistics and data on the adoption of telehealth, including remote patient monitoring, in Kentucky before the COVID-19 pandemic. Compares rural and urban areas with U.S. averages, and highlights adoption rates in Critical Access and short-term acute care hospitals. Discusses the implications of pre-pandemic telehealth adoption for COVID-19 response in Kentucky.
Author(s): Claudia A. Rhoades
Date: 06/2023
Sponsoring organization: Blueprint Kentucky
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Arkansas Rural Hospital Assessment: Final Report
An assessment of 18 rural Arkansas hospitals with regard to their financial stability, workforce challenges, facilities, distance from other facilities, sustainability, and more. Compares Critical Access Hospitals (CAH) and non-CAHs in the state. Discusses decision-making around the Rural Emergency Hospital designation.
Author(s): Alvarez & Marsal Public Sector Services LLC
Date: 06/2023
Sponsoring organization: Arkansas Department of Finance & Administration
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The Impact of COVID-19 on CAH Financial Indicators
Describes the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on Critical Access Hospital (CAH) financial indicators. Compares summary statistics on CAH financial indicators across eight categories in the six years prior to the pandemic (April 2015 - March 2020) to the same metrics during the pandemic (April 2020 - March 2022).
Author(s): Laura McFadyen, George Pink, Susie Gurzenda, Kristie W. Thompson, Kristin L. Reiter
Date: 06/2023
Sponsoring organization: Flex Monitoring Team
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The Impact of COVID-19 Funding on Profitability of Critical Access Hospitals
Examines the impacts of COVID-19 Public Health Emergency (PHE) funding on Critical Access Hospitals (CAHs). Compares CAH operating margins in the six years prior to the pandemic (April 2015 - March 2020) to operating margins during the pandemic (April 2020 - March 2022). Offers estimates to what CAH profitability would have been if CAHs did not receive PHE funding.
Author(s): Laura McFadyen, George Pink, Susie Gurzenda, Kristie W. Thompson, Kristin L. Reiter
Date: 06/2023
Sponsoring organization: Flex Monitoring Team
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