Rural Health
Resources by Topic: Healthcare business and finance
National Academy for State Health Policy (NASHP) Hospital Cost Tool
Interactive tool providing information on how much hospitals spend on patient care services, how costs relate to the hospital charges, and actual prices paid by health plans. Presents data on a range of measures for hospital revenue, costs, profitability, and break-even points for over 5,000 hospitals nationwide between 2011 and 2023. Includes the ability to view and compare hospital financial metrics at the hospital, state, and health system levels.
Additional links: Hospital Cost Tool and Resources
Date: 02/2025
Sponsoring organization: National Academy for State Health Policy
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Interactive tool providing information on how much hospitals spend on patient care services, how costs relate to the hospital charges, and actual prices paid by health plans. Presents data on a range of measures for hospital revenue, costs, profitability, and break-even points for over 5,000 hospitals nationwide between 2011 and 2023. Includes the ability to view and compare hospital financial metrics at the hospital, state, and health system levels.
Additional links: Hospital Cost Tool and Resources
Date: 02/2025
Sponsoring organization: National Academy for State Health Policy
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Current Medicare Beneficiary Quality Improvement Project (MBQIP) Measures
Chart outlining the required and optional MBQIP measures. Measures are broken down into two categories, core and additional, and then into five domains: global measures, patient safety, patient engagement, care coordination, and emergency department. MBQIP is a Medicare Rural Hospital Flexibility (Flex) quality improvement grant program for Critical Access Hospitals.
Date: 02/2025
Sponsoring organization: Rural Quality Improvement Technical Assistance (RQITA) Resource Center
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Chart outlining the required and optional MBQIP measures. Measures are broken down into two categories, core and additional, and then into five domains: global measures, patient safety, patient engagement, care coordination, and emergency department. MBQIP is a Medicare Rural Hospital Flexibility (Flex) quality improvement grant program for Critical Access Hospitals.
Date: 02/2025
Sponsoring organization: Rural Quality Improvement Technical Assistance (RQITA) Resource Center
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Enhancing Rural Access to Medications for Opioid Use Disorder: Policy Brief and Recommendations to the Secretary
Provides an overview of issues related to opioid use disorder (OUD) in rural areas. Discusses access to medication for opioid use disorder (MOUD), MOUD workforce, telehealth to support access to MOUD, and Medicaid 1115 demonstrations that address OUD. Offers policy recommendations related to regulatory barriers, reimbursement flexibility, workforce, and service site expansion to increase access to MOUD in rural areas.
Date: 01/2025
Sponsoring organization: National Advisory Committee on Rural Health and Human Services
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Provides an overview of issues related to opioid use disorder (OUD) in rural areas. Discusses access to medication for opioid use disorder (MOUD), MOUD workforce, telehealth to support access to MOUD, and Medicaid 1115 demonstrations that address OUD. Offers policy recommendations related to regulatory barriers, reimbursement flexibility, workforce, and service site expansion to increase access to MOUD in rural areas.
Date: 01/2025
Sponsoring organization: National Advisory Committee on Rural Health and Human Services
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AHRQ Summit to Address Emergency Department Boarding: Technical Report
Report from an October 2024 Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality (AHRQ) summit to discuss emergency department boarding. Examines some of emergency physicians' biggest concerns and highlights possible solutions to address boarding head-on, including enhancing measurement and standards, re-aligning hospital incentives, and increasing support to empower emergency physicians to do their jobs effectively. Includes sections on rural patients and rural areas.
Author(s): Robin M. Weinick, Sean Bruna, Rachael M. Boicourt, Sean S. Michael, Laura L. Sessums
Date: 01/2025
Sponsoring organization: Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality
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Report from an October 2024 Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality (AHRQ) summit to discuss emergency department boarding. Examines some of emergency physicians' biggest concerns and highlights possible solutions to address boarding head-on, including enhancing measurement and standards, re-aligning hospital incentives, and increasing support to empower emergency physicians to do their jobs effectively. Includes sections on rural patients and rural areas.
Author(s): Robin M. Weinick, Sean Bruna, Rachael M. Boicourt, Sean S. Michael, Laura L. Sessums
Date: 01/2025
Sponsoring organization: Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality
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Merit-Based Incentive Payment System (MIPS): 2025 Improvement Activities Performance Category Quick Start Guide
Provides an overview of Merit-based Incentive Payment System (MIPS) requirements, data collection, and data submission for the improvement activities performance category for the 2025 performance year. Includes information about special status scoring for small practices and clinicians located in a rural or Health Professional Shortage Area.
Date: 01/2025
Sponsoring organization: Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services
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Provides an overview of Merit-based Incentive Payment System (MIPS) requirements, data collection, and data submission for the improvement activities performance category for the 2025 performance year. Includes information about special status scoring for small practices and clinicians located in a rural or Health Professional Shortage Area.
Date: 01/2025
Sponsoring organization: Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services
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Opioid Use Among Rural Medicare Beneficiaries
Examines trends in prescription opioid use among Medicare beneficiaries in rural areas, utilizing 2010-2017 Medicare Current Beneficiary Survey (MCBS) data. Provides data on receipt of opioid prescriptions among community-dwelling and facility-dwelling beneficiaries, associations between prescribing and chronic overlapping pain conditions (COPCs), and prescriptions exceeding CDC guidelines. Includes rural-urban comparisons.
Author(s): Yvonne Jonk, Heidi O'Connor, Karen Pearson, et al.
Date: 01/2025
Sponsoring organization: Maine Rural Health Research Center
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Examines trends in prescription opioid use among Medicare beneficiaries in rural areas, utilizing 2010-2017 Medicare Current Beneficiary Survey (MCBS) data. Provides data on receipt of opioid prescriptions among community-dwelling and facility-dwelling beneficiaries, associations between prescribing and chronic overlapping pain conditions (COPCs), and prescriptions exceeding CDC guidelines. Includes rural-urban comparisons.
Author(s): Yvonne Jonk, Heidi O'Connor, Karen Pearson, et al.
Date: 01/2025
Sponsoring organization: Maine Rural Health Research Center
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Federal Assistance and Rural Hospital Closings: The Impact of the USDA Community Facilities Program
Examines how the USDA Rural Development Community Facilities (CF) Program's effects on rural hospital closures. Includes data on rural hospital closures and CF investments by region, and analyzes facility survival probability of hospitals which did or did not receive CF funding.
Additional links: Summary
Author(s): Anil Rupasingha, Julia Cho
Date: 01/2025
Sponsoring organization: USDA Economic Research Service
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Examines how the USDA Rural Development Community Facilities (CF) Program's effects on rural hospital closures. Includes data on rural hospital closures and CF investments by region, and analyzes facility survival probability of hospitals which did or did not receive CF funding.
Additional links: Summary
Author(s): Anil Rupasingha, Julia Cho
Date: 01/2025
Sponsoring organization: USDA Economic Research Service
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Colorado Healthcare Affordability and Sustainability Enterprise Annual Report
A report to the Colorado Department of Health Care Policy and Financing regarding the assessment, cost, and administration of healthcare affordability and sustainability fee for Colorado hospitals between October 2023 and September 2024. Discusses rural throughout.
Date: 01/2025
Sponsoring organization: Colorado Healthcare Affordability and Sustainability Enterprise
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A report to the Colorado Department of Health Care Policy and Financing regarding the assessment, cost, and administration of healthcare affordability and sustainability fee for Colorado hospitals between October 2023 and September 2024. Discusses rural throughout.
Date: 01/2025
Sponsoring organization: Colorado Healthcare Affordability and Sustainability Enterprise
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January 2025 MedPAC Meeting Transcript
Transcript from the Medicare Payment Advisory Commission's (MedPAC) January 2025 meeting. Covers payment adequacy and updates for physician and other health professional services, hospital inpatient and outpatient services, skilled nursing facility services, home health agency services, inpatient rehabilitation facility services, outpatient dialysis services, and hospice services. Discusses status reports on Medicare Part D, ambulatory surgical centers, and the Medicare Advantage program, as well as policy options for modifying the cost-sharing liability for beneficiaries who receive care at Critical Access Hospitals. Includes rural references and considerations throughout.
Additional links: Reducing Beneficiary Cost-sharing for Outpatient Services at Critical Access Hospitals
Date: 01/2025
Sponsoring organization: Medicare Payment Advisory Commission
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Transcript from the Medicare Payment Advisory Commission's (MedPAC) January 2025 meeting. Covers payment adequacy and updates for physician and other health professional services, hospital inpatient and outpatient services, skilled nursing facility services, home health agency services, inpatient rehabilitation facility services, outpatient dialysis services, and hospice services. Discusses status reports on Medicare Part D, ambulatory surgical centers, and the Medicare Advantage program, as well as policy options for modifying the cost-sharing liability for beneficiaries who receive care at Critical Access Hospitals. Includes rural references and considerations throughout.
Additional links: Reducing Beneficiary Cost-sharing for Outpatient Services at Critical Access Hospitals
Date: 01/2025
Sponsoring organization: Medicare Payment Advisory Commission
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Medicaid Coverage in Metro and Small Town/Rural Counties, 2023
Presents county-level data for children, non-elderly adults, and seniors insured by Medicaid/CHIP. Utilizes 2023 American Community Survey (ACS) Public Use Microdata Sample (PUMS) data to provide insurance comparisons by county and by state.
Date: 01/2025
Sponsoring organization: Georgetown University Health Policy Institute
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Presents county-level data for children, non-elderly adults, and seniors insured by Medicaid/CHIP. Utilizes 2023 American Community Survey (ACS) Public Use Microdata Sample (PUMS) data to provide insurance comparisons by county and by state.
Date: 01/2025
Sponsoring organization: Georgetown University Health Policy Institute
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