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Rural Health Information Hub

Rural Health
Resources by Topic: Critical Access Hospitals

Marcum & Wallace Memorial Hospital Successfully Impacts Project Outcomes
Highlights the progress of Kentucky's Marcum and Wallace Memorial Hospital as they worked through the Small Rural Hospital Transition (SRHT) project in 2015. By participating in the SRHT project, Marcum & Wallace was able to make significant improvements to emergency department operations, swing bed services, 340B usage, and more.
Date: 08/2016
Sponsoring organization: National Rural Health Resource Center
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Population Health Strategies of Critical Access Hospitals
Provides examples of population health strategies developed by Critical Access Hospitals (CAHs) from 8 different rural communities that have significantly contributed to the improvement of population health and the health of their community.
Author(s): John Gale, Andrew Coburn, Karen Pearson, Zachariah Croll, George Shaler
Date: 08/2016
Sponsoring organization: Flex Monitoring Team
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Medicaid Outpatient Payment Policy
Provides an overview of Medicaid payment policies for outpatient hospital services. Attached Excel sheet includes details for each state, including adjustments for rural geography and for Critical Access Hospitals.
Additional links: State Medicaid Payment Policies for Outpatient Hospital Services
Date: 07/2016
Sponsoring organization: Medicaid and CHIP Payment and Access Commission
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Health Outside Hospital Walls
Outlines how Chadron Community Hospital and Health Services (CCHHS) in Chadron, Nebraska, is leveraging the changing healthcare environment to prioritize population health and fill needed service gaps within the community. As part of the focus on overall community health, CCHHS took leadership in an assisted living facility, funded a large scholarship fund to help cultivate a skilled local workforce, and assumed management of the community action agency.
Date: 07/2016
Sponsoring organization: Rural Health Value
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Variation in Interoperability among U.S. Non-Federal Acute Care Hospitals in 2015
Discusses how health information is shared between hospitals, includes a review of the methods used and the rate of exchange between providers and health systems. Includes data and statistics on electronic health records (EHR), Health Information Exchange (HIE), and specific information about lower rates of EHR and HIE use of both in small, rural, and Critical Access Hospitals (CAHs).
Author(s): Vaishali Patel, JaWanna Henry, Yuriy Pylypchuk, Talisha Searcy
Date: 07/2016
Sponsoring organization: Assistant Secretary for Technology Policy/Office of the National Coordinator for Health Information Technology
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Deliberation Makes a Difference: Preparation Strategies for TeamSTEPPS Implementation in Small and Rural Hospitals
Reports on a study of TeamSTEPPS implementation at 14 Critical Access Hospitals (CAHs) in Iowa. Offers recommendations for preparing for and implementing the TeamSTEPPS quality improvement initiative based on the results.
Author(s): Xi Zhu, Jure Baloh, Marcia M. Ward, Greg L. Stewart
Citation: Medical Care Research and Review, 73(3), 283-307
Date: 06/2016
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Medicare Copayments for Critical Access Hospital Outpatient Services - Update
Estimates the impact of Medicare Part B coinsurance on beneficiaries receiving outpatient services at Critical Access Hospitals (CAHs), and identifies the Medicare fee-for-service (FFS) proportion of key services provided in CAHs.
Author(s): Allison Briggs, Matthew Toth, Sara Freeman
Date: 06/2016
Sponsoring organization: Medicare Payment Advisory Commission
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Hospital Compare Quality Measure Results for CAHs, Q2 2014 - Q1 2015
Discusses the reporting rates and performance of U.S. Critical Access Hospitals (CAHs) on CMS Hospital Compare quality measures. Includes data and statistics comparing inpatient and outpatient CAH participation, state rankings, process of care, median time to receiving care, and structural quality measures. Also includes links to state-specific reports for 45 states.
Author(s): Michelle Casey, Tami Swenson, Alex Evenson
Date: 06/2016
Sponsoring organization: Flex Monitoring Team
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Association Between the Value-Based Purchasing Pay for Performance Program and Patient Mortality in US Hospitals: Observational Study
Examines the impact of Medicare's Hospital Value-Based Purchasing (HVBP) program on mortality for pneumonia, heart failure, and acute myocardial infarction by comparing data from acute care hospitals participating in the program to data from over 1,300 Critical Access Hospitals (CAHs) and 44 hospitals in Maryland not in the program.
Author(s): Jose F. Figueroa, Yusuke Tsugawa, Jie Zheng, E. John Orav, Ashish K. Jha
Citation: BMJ, 9(353), i2214
Date: 05/2016
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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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