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Rural Health
Resources by Topic: Health reform

Healthcare Eligibility and Availability and Healthcare Reform: Are We Addressing Rural Women's Barriers to Accessing Care?
Reports the results from a focus group of women living in seven rural Illinois counties to identify barriers in accessing healthcare prior to the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act (ACA). Covers potential gaps in the legislation and how they can add to the existing barriers rural populations experience when accessing healthcare.
Author(s): Kristine Zimmermann, Leslie Carnahan, Ellen Paulsey, Yamile Molina
Citation: Journal of Health Care for the Poor and Underserved, 27(4A), 204-219
Date: 11/2016
Type: Document
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Evaluation of Hospital-Setting HCIA Awards: Third Annual Report, Final
Third and final report evaluating 10 Health Care Innovation Awards Round One projects undertaken in a hospital inpatient or emergency department. Presents awardee-specific information on program impact and lessons learned. Includes projects that involved Critical Access Hospitals and other rural hospitals. Includes projects focused on improved care for sepsis and projects using remote electronic intensive care unit (eICU) services.
Additional links: Addendum, March 2017
Date: 11/2016
Type: Document
Sponsoring organizations: Abt Associates, Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services
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Health Insurance CO-OPs: Product Availability and Premiums in Rural Counties
Describes the role of CO-OPs, their regional distribution, and national prevalence in rural and urban counties. Compares the number of products available in counties with and without CO-OP plans in 2014 and 2015.
Author(s): Erika C. Ziller, Zachariah Croll, Andrew F. Coburn
Date: 10/2016
Type: Document
Sponsoring organization: Maine Rural Health Research Center
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State Innovation Models (SIM) Initiative Evaluation: Model Test Year Two Annual Report
Second annual report detailing the findings of CMS's State Innovation Models (SIM) Initiative, which tests the ability of the governments in six states - Arkansas, Maine, Massachusetts, Minnesota, Vermont, and Oregon - to accelerate health system transformation in the areas of delivery systems, payment models, information technology, workforce development, and more. Presents results from the second of three planned site visits to the states, including interviews, focus groups, and surveys. Connections made throughout to issues specifically affecting rural healthcare.
Date: 08/2016
Type: Document
Sponsoring organizations: Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services, RTI International
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Evaluation of the Round Two Health Care Innovation Awards (HCIA R2): First Annual Report
Summarizes the first year evaluation results of the 39 Health Care Innovation Awards Round Two projects. Includes findings for the individual grantees, which include 14 projects that serve rural areas.
Date: 08/2016
Type: Document
Sponsoring organizations: Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services, Mathematica Policy Research
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Hospital Closures and the Current Healthcare Climate: The Future of Rural Hospitals in the USA
Discusses impact of Affordable Care Act on rural hospitals, including financial considerations, and explores steps that may be taken in order to ensure that these facilities remain open.
Author(s): Soma Balasubramanian, Erick Jones
Citation: Rural and Remote Health, 16(3), 3935
Date: 07/2016
Type: Document
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Stroudwater Population Health
An 8-part video series designed to help rural healthcare organizations transition from payment for volume to payment for value and advance population health strategies. Each part discusses an important strategy for achieving population health, including: quality and efficiency, network relationships and service rationalization, employer-sponsored health plans and fee-for-service payments, shared savings plans, and full risk payments and capitation.
Date: 06/2016
Type: Video/Multimedia
Sponsoring organization: Stroudwater Associates
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Medicaid Payment and Delivery System Reform: Challenges and Opportunities for Rural Health Systems
An analysis of the impact of the Affordable Care Act (ACA) on rural Medicaid programs across the U.S. Examines their acceptance of alternate payment models and their applications of delivery system reform. Provides policy recommendations supporting integrated and comprehensive primary care delivery and rural participation in value-based payment and delivery system reforms.
Additional links: Policy Brief
Author(s): Keith J. Mueller, Charlie Alfero, Andrew F. Coburn, et al.
Date: 06/2016
Type: Document
Sponsoring organization: Rural Policy Research Institute Rural Health Panel
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Comprehensive Primary Care Plus - A Rural Commentary
Review of Comprehensive Primary Care Plus (CPC+), a program of the Center for Medicare & Medicaid Innovation (CMMI) initiative, designed to enhance the delivery of primary healthcare and support the shift from volume-based to value-based healthcare payment. Offers a rural perspective, noting the importance and challenges of this payment model for rural healthcare.
Author(s): A. Clinton MacKinney
Date: 06/2016
Type: Document
Sponsoring organization: Rural Health Value
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Does ACA Insurance Coverage Expansion Improve the Financial Performance of Rural Hospitals?
Findings brief discussing perceptions of rural hospital administrators, state hospital associations, and State Offices of Rural Health, concerning changes in payer mix, changes in uncompensated care and unreimbursed cost, and financial performance in their respective hospitals or states.
Author(s): Kristie Thompson, Kristin Reiter, Rebecca Whitaker, Sharita Thomas
Date: 06/2016
Type: Document
Sponsoring organization: North Carolina Rural Health Research Program
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