This website is being reviewed for updates. Some information is offline. We apologize for any inconvenience.
Skip to main content
Rural Health Information Hub

Rural Health
Resources by Topic: Critical Access Hospitals

The Clinical and Business Cases for Opening a Maternity Care Unit in a CAH
A case study of a rural North Carolina partnership that worked together to add a new wing for a maternity unit at a 25-bed Critical Access Hospital. Explains how the service was planned to be financially viable. Describes maternal and infant health disparities in the region and discusses how this new service will meet the needs of patients.
Date: 01/2022
Sponsoring organization: American Hospital Association
view details
"It's the Relationships": Q&A with Peggy Broussard Wheeler
An interview with Peggy Broussard Wheeler, Vice President of Policy at the California Hospital Association. Covers the challenges rural hospitals face during the pandemic, health equity efforts, workforce issues, and more. Discusses how rural hospitals work together to address concerns.
Author(s): Allee Mead
Citation: Rural Monitor
Date: 01/2022
Sponsoring organization: Rural Health Information Hub
view details
Distressed Minnesota Community Hospitals, 2019
Explores the characteristics of financially distressed hospitals in Minnesota. Presents data by hospital type, including Critical Access Hospital (CAH) designation and rural status.
Date: 01/2022
Sponsoring organization: Minnesota Department of Health
view details
Mississippi Rural Health Plan 2022
Provides an overview of health status and healthcare systems in rural Mississippi, identifies priorities, and describes plans for rural health improvement. Defines rural areas and facilities, and presents an overview of State Office of Rural Health funding and programs. Includes statistics on demographics, health workforce, Critical Access Hospital performance, and population health indicators.
Date: 2022
Sponsoring organizations: Mississippi Public Health Institute (MSPHI), Mississippi State Department of Health, The Mississippi Center for Rural Health and Population Studies
view details
Health Care Facilities in Pennsylvania, 2022
County-level map showing locations and numbers of short-term care hospitals, Critical Access Hospitals, Rural Health Clinics, and Federally Qualified Health Centers, with shadings indicating urban and rural counties.
Date: 2022
Sponsoring organization: Center for Rural Pennsylvania
view details
Wisconsin Critical Access Hospitals
County-level map showing locations of Wisconsin Critical Access Hospitals (CAHs) and list of CAHs by county.
Date: 12/2021
Sponsoring organization: Wisconsin Office of Rural Health
view details
Medicare and Beneficiaries Pay More for Preadmission Services at Affiliated Hospitals Than at Wholly Owned Settings
Provides an overview of the Medicare diagnosis-related group (DRG) window policy. Examines how much Medicare and Medicare beneficiaries paid affiliated settings, including Critical Access Hospitals, for admission-related outpatient services in 2019 that would have otherwise been covered by the DRG policy at wholly-owned hospitals. Offers recommendations to the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) for updating the DRG policy.
Date: 12/2021
Sponsoring organization: Office of Inspector General (HHS)
view details
December 2021 MedPAC Meeting Transcript
Transcript from the Medicare Payment Advisory Commission's (MedPAC) December 2021 meeting. Covers payment adequacy and updates for hospital inpatient and outpatient services and the mandated report on changes to the low-volume hospital payment adjustment, physician and other health professional services, ambulatory surgical center services, outpatient dialysis services, and hospice services. Highlights the effect of COVID-19 relief funding on rural hospital margins, rural hospital bypass, and rural hospice payment utilization, among other rural references.
Date: 12/2021
Sponsoring organization: Medicare Payment Advisory Commission
view details
Outcome Measures for State Flex Program Financial and Operational Improvement Interventions
Discusses strategies for State Flex Programs (SFP) to monitor Critical Access Hospital (CAH) financial and operational improvement (FOI) interventions and the underlying theories of the activities. Provides recommendations for short- and intermediate-term outcome measures to assist SFPs in monitoring FOI initiatives.
Author(s): John Gale, Sara Kahn-Troster, Zach Croll
Date: 12/2021
Sponsoring organization: Flex Monitoring Team
view details
Quality Time: Sharing PIE - Patient and Family Engagement
Podcast episode discussing ways two Critical Access Hospital (CAH) engage patients and families in the healthcare process, how the CAHs gather feedback about the patient and family experiences, and how the CAHs use this information to inform their quality improvement efforts. Also describes how the COVID-19 pandemic affected patient experience and engagement activities.
Date: 12/2021
Sponsoring organization: Stratis Health
view details