Rural Health
Resources by Topic: Healthcare business and finance
Merit-based Incentive Payment System (MIPS): Small Practice Countdown to 2026 Performance Year (PY) Data Submission
Checklist outlining the steps small practices must follow to submit Merit-based Incentive Payment System (MIPS) 2026 performance year data. Highlights key dates and links to key resources for small practices.
Date: 08/2026
Sponsoring organization: Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services
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Checklist outlining the steps small practices must follow to submit Merit-based Incentive Payment System (MIPS) 2026 performance year data. Highlights key dates and links to key resources for small practices.
Date: 08/2026
Sponsoring organization: Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services
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Federal Policy Priorities to Strengthen Rural Health and Maximize Rural Health Transformation Program Investments
Presents policy recommendations for Congressional and CMS actions to bolster rural health and ensure Rural Health Transformation Program investments are transparent, durable, and effective. Covers recommendations related to telehealth and health information technology investments, the rural healthcare workforce, and rural hospital programs and eligibility.
Author(s): Daisy Kim, Maya Sandalow
Date: 08/2026
Sponsoring organization: Bipartisan Policy Center
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Presents policy recommendations for Congressional and CMS actions to bolster rural health and ensure Rural Health Transformation Program investments are transparent, durable, and effective. Covers recommendations related to telehealth and health information technology investments, the rural healthcare workforce, and rural hospital programs and eligibility.
Author(s): Daisy Kim, Maya Sandalow
Date: 08/2026
Sponsoring organization: Bipartisan Policy Center
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Calendar Year 2026 Medicare Promoting Interoperability Program Guide for Eligible Hospitals and Critical Access Hospitals
Provides an overview of the requirements of the Medicare Promoting Interoperability Program for calendar year 2026. Covers information about participation requirements, measures, data submission, and helpful resources.
Additional links: Infographic
Date: 07/2026
Sponsoring organizations: Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services, Health Services Advisory Group
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Provides an overview of the requirements of the Medicare Promoting Interoperability Program for calendar year 2026. Covers information about participation requirements, measures, data submission, and helpful resources.
Additional links: Infographic
Date: 07/2026
Sponsoring organizations: Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services, Health Services Advisory Group
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FY 2027 Hospital Inpatient Prospective Payment System and Long-Term Care Hospital Prospective Payment System Final Rule (CMS-1849-F)
Fact sheet providing an overview of the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) fiscal year 2027 hospital inpatient prospective payment system (IPPS) and long-term care hospital prospective payment system (LTCH PPS) final rule. Includes information about the Medicare Promoting Interoperability Program, the Hospital Inpatient Quality Reporting Program, the Long-Term Care Hospital Quality Reporting Program, and more.
Date: 07/2026
Sponsoring organization: Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services
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Fact sheet providing an overview of the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) fiscal year 2027 hospital inpatient prospective payment system (IPPS) and long-term care hospital prospective payment system (LTCH PPS) final rule. Includes information about the Medicare Promoting Interoperability Program, the Hospital Inpatient Quality Reporting Program, the Long-Term Care Hospital Quality Reporting Program, and more.
Date: 07/2026
Sponsoring organization: Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services
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How Medicaid Directors Stay Connected to Members: Lessons from Pennsylvania, Nevada, and Wisconsin
Examines how Medicaid leaders field feedback from their members and stay engaged with their communities. Includes information from a Medicaid director in Nevada who toured the state to learn about local perspectives of Medicaid providers and members living in rural and frontier areas. Wisconsin example shows how feedback was used to inform the state's Rural Health Transformation proposal, while Pennsylvania focused on providing better coordination of services to members.
Author(s): Disha Williams
Date: 07/2026
Sponsoring organization: Center for Health Care Strategies
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Examines how Medicaid leaders field feedback from their members and stay engaged with their communities. Includes information from a Medicaid director in Nevada who toured the state to learn about local perspectives of Medicaid providers and members living in rural and frontier areas. Wisconsin example shows how feedback was used to inform the state's Rural Health Transformation proposal, while Pennsylvania focused on providing better coordination of services to members.
Author(s): Disha Williams
Date: 07/2026
Sponsoring organization: Center for Health Care Strategies
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Mobile Health Operations: A Foundational Planning Guide for Health Centers
Offers guidance to health center leaders and staff regarding the core planning and operational decisions needed to launch, standardize, optimize, and sustain mobile service delivery. Covers service design, workflows and staffing, partnerships, data/technology, regulatory scope and compliance, and performance measurement.
Date: 07/2026
Sponsoring organization: National Association of Community Health Centers
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Offers guidance to health center leaders and staff regarding the core planning and operational decisions needed to launch, standardize, optimize, and sustain mobile service delivery. Covers service design, workflows and staffing, partnerships, data/technology, regulatory scope and compliance, and performance measurement.
Date: 07/2026
Sponsoring organization: National Association of Community Health Centers
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An Exploratory Analysis of U.S. Health System Workforce Trends
Examines the impact of hospital mergers and acquisitions (M&As) and changes in health system affiliations on workforce availability. Utilizes 2018 and 2020-2023 Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality (AHRQ) Compendium of U.S. Health Systems data to examine hospital system membership and system workforce characteristics. Provides breakdowns of primary care physician, all physician, nurse practitioner, and physician assistant workforce supply per bed according to hospital characteristics such as census region, ownership, operating margin, and rurality.
Author(s): Deborah Odihi, Tyler Malone
Date: 07/2026
Sponsoring organization: North Carolina Rural Health Research Program
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Examines the impact of hospital mergers and acquisitions (M&As) and changes in health system affiliations on workforce availability. Utilizes 2018 and 2020-2023 Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality (AHRQ) Compendium of U.S. Health Systems data to examine hospital system membership and system workforce characteristics. Provides breakdowns of primary care physician, all physician, nurse practitioner, and physician assistant workforce supply per bed according to hospital characteristics such as census region, ownership, operating margin, and rurality.
Author(s): Deborah Odihi, Tyler Malone
Date: 07/2026
Sponsoring organization: North Carolina Rural Health Research Program
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Association Between the Declining Conversion Factor and Access to Care for Medicare Beneficiaries
Examines the impact of the inflation-adjusted conversion factor and reduced reimbursement on Medicare beneficiaries' access to care. Utilizes 2005-2023 Medicare fee-for-service data from 4,662,729 unique beneficiaries and provides data breakdowns on conversion factor values and care utilization according to community income, area deprivation index, and urbanicity.
Author(s): Eric W. Christensen, Alexandra R. Drake, Gregory N. Nicola, et al.
Citation: INQUIRY: The Journal of Health Care Organization, Provision, and Financing, 63
Date: 07/2026
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Examines the impact of the inflation-adjusted conversion factor and reduced reimbursement on Medicare beneficiaries' access to care. Utilizes 2005-2023 Medicare fee-for-service data from 4,662,729 unique beneficiaries and provides data breakdowns on conversion factor values and care utilization according to community income, area deprivation index, and urbanicity.
Author(s): Eric W. Christensen, Alexandra R. Drake, Gregory N. Nicola, et al.
Citation: INQUIRY: The Journal of Health Care Organization, Provision, and Financing, 63
Date: 07/2026
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Rural Hospital Financial Performance: Tools for Data-Driven Decision Making
Webinar recording featuring speakers from the Office of the Assistant Secretary for Planning and Evaluation (ASPE) and the North Carolina Rural Health Research Center discussing two data-driven tools, the Rural Hospital Financial Performance Dashboard and the Hospital Financial Distress Index, that can provide valuable insights into the financial health of rural hospitals.
Additional links: Audio Recording, Webinar Slides
Date: 07/2026
Sponsoring organization: Rural Health Information Hub
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Webinar recording featuring speakers from the Office of the Assistant Secretary for Planning and Evaluation (ASPE) and the North Carolina Rural Health Research Center discussing two data-driven tools, the Rural Hospital Financial Performance Dashboard and the Hospital Financial Distress Index, that can provide valuable insights into the financial health of rural hospitals.
Additional links: Audio Recording, Webinar Slides
Date: 07/2026
Sponsoring organization: Rural Health Information Hub
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How Small Rural Hospital Networks Are Leveling the Playing Field with Larger Health Systems
Describes rural hospital networks in Minnesota, North Dakota, and Ohio that have developed to preserve their independence and improve their economies of scale. Discusses how participating hospitals are expanding rural healthcare access and changing how payers recognize and reward rural providers for delivering high-quality care.
Author(s): Sarah Klein
Date: 07/2026
Sponsoring organization: Commonwealth Fund
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Describes rural hospital networks in Minnesota, North Dakota, and Ohio that have developed to preserve their independence and improve their economies of scale. Discusses how participating hospitals are expanding rural healthcare access and changing how payers recognize and reward rural providers for delivering high-quality care.
Author(s): Sarah Klein
Date: 07/2026
Sponsoring organization: Commonwealth Fund
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