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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2026 RHC Billing 101 - 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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Rural Health Transformation Toolkit
Provides information and resources for state policymakers regarding rural health and the Rural Health Transformation Program. Links to resources describing how states have approached the RHTP application, policies on maternal health and oral health in rural communities, and more.
Date: 09/2026
Sponsoring organization: National Conference of State Legislatures
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Provides information and resources for state policymakers regarding rural health and the Rural Health Transformation Program. Links to resources describing how states have approached the RHTP application, policies on maternal health and oral health in rural communities, and more.
Date: 09/2026
Sponsoring organization: National Conference of State Legislatures
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Medicare Telehealth Trends Report
Describes the trends of telehealth utilization among Medicare beneficiaries between January 1, 2020, and March 31, 2026. Presents data on the percentage of Medicare beneficiaries that used a telehealth service by calendar quarter and by Medicaid eligibility, type of Medicare eligibility, demographic characteristics, and rural/urban residence.
Date: 09/2026
Sponsoring organization: Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services
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Describes the trends of telehealth utilization among Medicare beneficiaries between January 1, 2020, and March 31, 2026. Presents data on the percentage of Medicare beneficiaries that used a telehealth service by calendar quarter and by Medicaid eligibility, type of Medicare eligibility, demographic characteristics, and rural/urban residence.
Date: 09/2026
Sponsoring organization: Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services
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Financial Analysis 2025, Rural Hospitals: An Annual Report on the Financial Health of Pennsylvania Rural Hospitals
Provides data on general acute care (GAC) hospitals located in rural counties, as defined by the Center for Rural Pennsylvania. Features financial statistics for GAC hospitals from 2022-2025, with breakdowns by urban and rural areas.
Date: 08/2026
Sponsoring organization: Pennsylvania Health Care Cost Containment Council
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Provides data on general acute care (GAC) hospitals located in rural counties, as defined by the Center for Rural Pennsylvania. Features financial statistics for GAC hospitals from 2022-2025, with breakdowns by urban and rural areas.
Date: 08/2026
Sponsoring organization: Pennsylvania Health Care Cost Containment Council
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North Carolina RHT Program Annual Report - Year 1
Reports on the first year of the Rural Health Transformation Program (RHTP) in North Carolina. Details the state policy actions, uses of funds, recipients of funds, and progress reports for each initiative funded by RHTP.
Date: 08/2026
Sponsoring organization: North Carolina Department of Health and Human Services
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Reports on the first year of the Rural Health Transformation Program (RHTP) in North Carolina. Details the state policy actions, uses of funds, recipients of funds, and progress reports for each initiative funded by RHTP.
Date: 08/2026
Sponsoring organization: North Carolina Department of Health and Human Services
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