Rural Health
Resources by Topic: Healthcare business and finance
What Telehealth Gets Right and What's Missing: A National Multistakeholder Study of Access and Sustainability
Explores the perspectives of telehealth patients and providers, as well as policymakers and administrators, regarding the impacts of telehealth on increasing healthcare access. Summarizes three sets of themes that emerged from semistructured interviews of 62 participants. Offers recommendations for improving the accessibility and sustainability of telehealth across each theme.
Author(s): Saif Khairat, John Geracitano, Andrea Huang, et al.
Citation: The Permanente Journal
Date: 09/2026
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Explores the perspectives of telehealth patients and providers, as well as policymakers and administrators, regarding the impacts of telehealth on increasing healthcare access. Summarizes three sets of themes that emerged from semistructured interviews of 62 participants. Offers recommendations for improving the accessibility and sustainability of telehealth across each theme.
Author(s): Saif Khairat, John Geracitano, Andrea Huang, et al.
Citation: The Permanente Journal
Date: 09/2026
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September 2026 MedPAC Meeting Transcript
Transcript from the Medicare Payment Advisory Commission's (MedPAC) September 2026 meeting. Covers the context for Medicare payment policy, issues relating to Medicare Part D and potential policy directions, MedPAC's work plan regarding ambulatory surgical centers, the use of post-acute care services by beneficiaries in fee-for-service Medicare and Medicare Advantage, and Medicare Advantage risk adjustment at the plan level.
Date: 09/2026
Sponsoring organization: Medicare Payment Advisory Commission
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Transcript from the Medicare Payment Advisory Commission's (MedPAC) September 2026 meeting. Covers the context for Medicare payment policy, issues relating to Medicare Part D and potential policy directions, MedPAC's work plan regarding ambulatory surgical centers, the use of post-acute care services by beneficiaries in fee-for-service Medicare and Medicare Advantage, and Medicare Advantage risk adjustment at the plan level.
Date: 09/2026
Sponsoring organization: Medicare Payment Advisory Commission
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RHC Billing - Fall
Recording of a September 3, 2026, webinar providing an overview of traditional Medicare billing guidelines for Rural Health Clinics. Part of the Rural Health Clinic Technical Assistance Series.
Additional links: Presentation Slides
Date: 09/2026
Sponsoring organization: National Association of Rural Health Clinics
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Recording of a September 3, 2026, webinar providing an overview of traditional Medicare billing guidelines for Rural Health Clinics. Part of the Rural Health Clinic Technical Assistance Series.
Additional links: Presentation Slides
Date: 09/2026
Sponsoring organization: National Association of Rural Health Clinics
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Medicare Advantage: Plan Options and Enrollment Trends in Arkansas
Explains how Medicare Advantage plans affect healthcare delivery, Medicare enrollment, and payment practices in Arkansas. Includes discussion of reimbursement challenges in rural hospitals.
Author(s): Jennifer Wessel, Chris Ray
Date: 09/2026
Sponsoring organization: Arkansas Center for Health Improvement
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Explains how Medicare Advantage plans affect healthcare delivery, Medicare enrollment, and payment practices in Arkansas. Includes discussion of reimbursement challenges in rural hospitals.
Author(s): Jennifer Wessel, Chris Ray
Date: 09/2026
Sponsoring organization: Arkansas Center for Health Improvement
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Tele-Hospitalist Services to Support the Opening of a New Rural Hospital
Describes a tele-hospitalist model designed to support the Medical University of South Carolina Health System (MUSC Health) Black River, a 25-bed rural hospital in South Carolina that opened in 2023. Examines the operational and clinical performance of MUSC Health Black River during its first six quarters of operation, including patient volume, payer mix, average daily census (ADC), 30-day readmissions, and more.
Author(s): Yotam Papo, Jillian Harvey, Dunc Williams Jr., et al.
Citation: Journal of Hospital Medicine, 21(9), 1075-1080
Date: 09/2026
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Describes a tele-hospitalist model designed to support the Medical University of South Carolina Health System (MUSC Health) Black River, a 25-bed rural hospital in South Carolina that opened in 2023. Examines the operational and clinical performance of MUSC Health Black River during its first six quarters of operation, including patient volume, payer mix, average daily census (ADC), 30-day readmissions, and more.
Author(s): Yotam Papo, Jillian Harvey, Dunc Williams Jr., et al.
Citation: Journal of Hospital Medicine, 21(9), 1075-1080
Date: 09/2026
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Annual Overview of Hospital-Level Changes in Obstetric Services Availability, 2010-2024
First annual report describing changes to the availability of obstetric services at short-term acute care hospitals. Examines the number of hospitals that lost obstetric services and the percentage of all hospitals without obstetric services between 2010 and 2024. Presents data on urban and rural hospitals by state and nationally.
Author(s): Julia D. Interrante, Kevan O'Hanlon, Emily C. Sheffield, Katy B. Kozhimannil
Date: 09/2026
Sponsoring organization: University of Minnesota Rural Health Research Center
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First annual report describing changes to the availability of obstetric services at short-term acute care hospitals. Examines the number of hospitals that lost obstetric services and the percentage of all hospitals without obstetric services between 2010 and 2024. Presents data on urban and rural hospitals by state and nationally.
Author(s): Julia D. Interrante, Kevan O'Hanlon, Emily C. Sheffield, Katy B. Kozhimannil
Date: 09/2026
Sponsoring organization: University of Minnesota Rural Health Research Center
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Kansas RHT Program Annual Report - Year 1
Reports on the first year of Rural Health Transformation Program (RHTP) in Kansas. Details the state policy actions, uses of funds, recipients of funds, and progress reports for each program funded by RHTP.
Date: 08/2026
Sponsoring organization: Arkansas Department of Health
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Reports on the first year of Rural Health Transformation Program (RHTP) in Kansas. Details the state policy actions, uses of funds, recipients of funds, and progress reports for each program funded by RHTP.
Date: 08/2026
Sponsoring organization: Arkansas Department of Health
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High-Deductible Health Plans in Rural and Urban Populations: Outpatient Utilization and Out-of-Pocket Costs
Policy brief exploring rural-urban differences in High-Deductible Health Plan enrollment, subsequent healthcare use, and out-of-pocket costs. Features demographics and statistics with breakdowns by urban and rural areas.
Author(s): Aaron P. Smith, Jeffery Talbert
Date: 08/2026
Sponsoring organization: Rural and Underserved Health Research Center
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Policy brief exploring rural-urban differences in High-Deductible Health Plan enrollment, subsequent healthcare use, and out-of-pocket costs. Features demographics and statistics with breakdowns by urban and rural areas.
Author(s): Aaron P. Smith, Jeffery Talbert
Date: 08/2026
Sponsoring organization: Rural and Underserved Health Research Center
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Top Provider Enrollment Mistakes in Rural Primary Care & Behavioral Health - and How to Fix Them
Recording of an August 31, 2026, webinar describing common Medicare provider enrollment mistakes that can result in application denials, credentialing delays, disrupted cash flows, and more. Identifies practical strategies to prevent or address these errors.
Additional links: Presentation Slides
Date: 08/2026
Sponsoring organization: National Association of Rural Health Clinics
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Recording of an August 31, 2026, webinar describing common Medicare provider enrollment mistakes that can result in application denials, credentialing delays, disrupted cash flows, and more. Identifies practical strategies to prevent or address these errors.
Additional links: Presentation Slides
Date: 08/2026
Sponsoring organization: National Association of Rural Health Clinics
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Washington's Health Workforce Sentinel Network Findings Brief: Rural Health Workforce, Spring 2026
Reports on rural health workforce challenges in Washington State using survey response data from healthcare employers. Highlights topics including workforce recruitment and retention, facility-level needs and challenges, workforce pathway and early-career education strategies, and AI use.
Date: 08/2026
Sponsoring organizations: The Health Workforce Sentinel Network, UW Center for Health Workforce Studies
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Reports on rural health workforce challenges in Washington State using survey response data from healthcare employers. Highlights topics including workforce recruitment and retention, facility-level needs and challenges, workforce pathway and early-career education strategies, and AI use.
Date: 08/2026
Sponsoring organizations: The Health Workforce Sentinel Network, UW Center for Health Workforce Studies
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