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Rural Health
Resources by Topic: Healthcare business and finance

Reassessing Financial Peer Groups for Critical Access Hospitals
Policy brief analyzing the influence of hospital, geographic, and community characteristics on the financial performance and conditions of Critical Access Hospitals (CAHs). Discusses the current factors of net patient revenue, government ownership, provision of long-term care, and operation of a Rural Health Clinic (RHC), which are used to determine peer groups for the Critical Access Hospital Financial Indicators Report (CAHFIR).
Author(s): Walter L. Hawkins, Kristin L. Reiter, George H. Pink
Date: 11/2016
Sponsoring organization: Flex Monitoring Team
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"How Can We Talk about Patient-centered Care without Patients at the Table?" Lessons Learned from Patient Advisory Councils
Reports on a survey of patient advisory council (PAC) members associated with 8 primary care clinics and Federally Qualified Health Clinics (FQHCs), both rural and urban, in Northern California. Focuses on how PACs are developed, challenges faced, and the benefits of effective PACs.
Author(s): Anjana E. Sharma, Rachel Willard-Grace, Andrew Willis, et al.
Citation: Journal of the American Board of Family Medicine, 29(6), 775-784
Date: 11/2016
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Impact of Race/Ethnicity and Socioeconomic Status on Risk-Adjusted Readmission Rates: Implications for the Hospital Readmissions Reduction Program
Examines what would happen to hospitals' excess readmission ratios and potential penalties if socioeconomic status and race/ethnicity were added to the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services risk-adjustment algorithm. Includes information on potential change in penalties for metropolitan, micropolitan, and nonmetro hospitals.
Author(s): Grant R. Martsolf, Marguerite L. Barrett, Audrey J. Weiss, et al.
Citation: Inquiry, 53
Date: 10/2016
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State Office of Rural Health Roadmap for Working with Vulnerable Hospitals
Toolkit designed to assist State Offices of Rural Health (SORHs) when working with vulnerable hospitals and communities. Outlines the types of technical assistance (TA) that SORHs may provide before and after hospital closures and includes resources to help SORHs facilitate that assistance. Provides a self-assessment to help SORHs determine their capacity and select the appropriate levels of TA, as well as sample Critical Access Hospital needs assessments and benchmarking reports.
Date: 10/2016
Sponsoring organization: National Organization of State Offices of Rural Health
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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
Sponsoring organization: Maine Rural Health Research Center
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The Impact of the Low Volume Hospital (LVH) Program on the Viability of Small, Rural Hospitals
Compares rural low volume hospitals (LVH) with non-LVH (Inpatient Prospective Payment System) hospitals. Discusses the financial impact of removing the LVH program and returning to the 2005 LVH classification and payment adjustment, and the effect this will have on Medicare beneficiaries.
Author(s): Rebecca G. Whitaker, G. Mark Holmes, George H. Pink
Date: 10/2016
Sponsoring organization: North Carolina Rural Health Research Program
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Rural Hospital Participation and Performance in Value-Based Purchasing and Other Delivery System Reform Initiatives
Reports on the participation of delivery system reform initiatives by rural hospitals, and discusses the supporting factors and challenges for successful participation. Includes data comparing rural and urban Hospital Value-Based Payment (HVBP) performance.
Author(s): Karen E. Joynt, Nguyen Nguyen, Lok Wong Samson, et al.
Date: 10/2016
Sponsoring organization: HHS Office of the Assistant Secretary for Planning and Evaluation
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Trends in Risk of Financial Distress among Rural Hospitals
Illustrates the proportion of rural hospitals, including Critical Access Hospitals (CAHs), at high risk of financial distress by Census region and Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) payment type for the 2013-2016 period.
Author(s): Brystana G. Kaufman, Randy Randolph, George H. Pink, Mark Holmes
Date: 10/2016
Sponsoring organization: North Carolina Rural Health Research Program
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Task Force on Ensuring Access in Vulnerable Communities, Rural and Frontier: Executive Summary and Report
Reviews characteristics of South Dakota's rural and frontier communities. Identifies innovative healthcare delivery and payment models and makes state and federal policy recommendations to improve rural health. Highlights the importance of Critical Access Hospitals (CAHs). Linked map includes locations of South Dakota CAHs, Rural Health Clinics, and more.
Additional links: South Dakota Vulnerable Communities Task Force Map
Date: 09/2016
Sponsoring organization: South Dakota Association of Healthcare Organizations
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North Sunflower Medical Center Successfully Addressing Chronic Care Management
Documents North Sunflower Medical Center's (NSMC) progress as part of the Small Rural Hospital Transition (SRHT) project, particularly in the areas of discharge planning and follow-up, placing patients in the correct level of care, and chronic disease management. NSMC is a 25-bed Critical Access Hospital located in Ruleville, Mississippi.
Date: 09/2016
Sponsoring organization: National Rural Health Resource Center
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