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Rural Health Information Hub

Rural Health
Resources by Topic: Healthcare business and finance

Rural Hospitals: Here Today, Gone Tomorrow
Describes the conditions facing rural hospitals and their communities contributing to the high rate of rural hospital closure. Discusses state and federal legislation, policies, and programs developed to support rural hospitals. Provides data for 15 Southern states including their state and rural populations, percentage of population uninsured, Medicaid expansion status, percentage at high financial risk, and number of rural hospital closures.
Author(s): Nick Bowman
Date: 11/2019
Type: Document
Sponsoring organization: Southern Legislative Conference of The Council of State Governments
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Project Sustainability Action Plan SAMPLE: Center States Rural Health Network
Provides a reference model for rural communities to use when establishing a sustainability action plan. Topics covered include strategic thinking, marketing, operational review, financial outlook, network sustainability assessment, and opportunities for sustainability.
Date: 10/2019
Type: Document
Sponsoring organizations: National Rural Health Resource Center, Rural Health Innovations
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Urban and Rural Hospitalizations in Mississippi: Overview and Trend Analyses, 2014-2018
Results of a rural health surveillance system established by the Mississippi State Department of Health to monitor and report on the health status of rural residents and the capacity of the local healthcare systems serving this population. Features county-level maps and statistics from 2014-2018 on inpatient care, numbers of hospitals, hospital beds, percent of hospitalizations, and payment models, with breakdowns by metropolitan, micropolitan, and rural areas.
Date: 10/2019
Type: Document
Sponsoring organization: Mississippi State Department of Health
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Analysis of Buprenorphine Prescribing Patterns Among Advanced Practitioners in Medicaid
Presentation slides from an October/November 2019 public meeting, describing the effects of the Comprehensive Addiction and Recovery Act of 2016 on access to opioid use disorder treatment for Medicaid beneficiaries. Includes information on urban and rural trends in prescribing.
Author(s): John Wedeles
Date: 10/2019
Type: Presentation Slides
Sponsoring organization: Medicaid and CHIP Payment and Access Commission
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Financial Incentives to Improve Community Health
Slides presented at the 2019 National Organization of State Offices of Rural Health (NOSORH) Annual Meeting discussing several federal initiatives as a result of the Affordable Care Act (ACA), including the Medicare Shared Savings Program and Accountable Care Organizations (ACOs), resulting in controlled costs, improved quality of care, and offering financial incentives. Identifies how State Offices of Rural Health can support health organizations to participate successfully in these initiatives.
Author(s): Keith Mueller
Date: 10/2019
Type: Presentation Slides
Sponsoring organization: National Organization of State Offices of Rural Health
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Estimate of Federal Payment Reductions to Hospitals Following the ACA: 2010-2029: Estimates and Methodology
Estimates the reduction in Medicare hospital payments due to sequestration from 2010 to 2029, not including reductions enacted under the Affordable Care Act (ACA). Demonstrates how other legislative acts and regulatory changes by the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) reduced federal payments to hospitals over the same period. Highlights how reductions in Medicare payments for bad debt impacted Critical Access Hospitals (CAHs).
Date: 10/2019
Type: Document
Sponsoring organizations: American Hospital Association, Federation of American Hospitals
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States' Medicaid Fee-for-Service Nursing Facility Payment Policies
Spreadsheet outlining each state's Medicaid fee-for-service (FFS) nursing facility payment policy. Lists how each state sets the payment rate and any adjustments and supplemental payments. Includes information on rural/urban aspects of setting or adjustment to the payment in each state.
Date: 10/2019
Type: Document
Sponsoring organization: Medicaid and CHIP Payment and Access Commission
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CAH Participation in Flex Financial and Operational Improvement Activities, 2015–2018
Examines patterns of Critical Access Hospital (CAH) participation in activities funded by the Medicare Rural Hospital Flexibility (Flex) Program. Looks at CAHs' participation in financial and operational improvement activities, with information by various hospital characteristics including risk of financial distress.
Author(s): Kathleen Knocke, Kristin Reiter, George H. Pink
Date: 10/2019
Type: Document
Sponsoring organization: Flex Monitoring Team
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Community Health Centers Continue Steady Growth, But Challenges Loom
An overview of the performance of community health centers (CHCs) compiled from data reported annually to the federal government through the Uniform Data System (UDS) between 2000-2018. Data includes the total number of CHCs nationwide and in rural areas, patient demographics, patient volume, health insurance coverage, types of services rendered, number of health center staff, and health center revenue. Discusses the impact of growth on CHCs particularly in Medicaid expansion states.
Author(s): Jessica Sharac, Peter Shin, Sara Rosenbaum, et al.
Date: 09/2019
Type: Document
Sponsoring organizations: Geiger Gibson Program in Community Health, RCHN Community Health Foundation
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Electronic Prescribing of Controlled Substances among Office-Based Physicians, 2017
Examines rates of electronic prescribing of controlled substances (EPCS), with information by type of physician practice, including rural or urban location, practice size, practice ownership, physician specialty, and technology available. EPCS is mandated for Medicare Part D providers by 2021, through the Substance Use-Disorder Prevention that Promotes Opioid Recovery and Treatment (SUPPORT) for Patients and Communities Act.
Author(s): Sonal Parasrampuria, Martin Blanco, Wesley Barker
Date: 09/2019
Type: Document
Sponsoring organization: Office of the National Coordinator for Health Information Technology
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