Rural Health
Resources by Topic: Healthcare business and finance
Evaluation of the Maryland Total Cost of Care Model: Progress Report
Provides an overview of the Maryland Total Cost of Care Model and evaluates the first four years of the program, 2019-2022. Explores the effects of the model on Medicare spending; service use, including preventable hospital use; and healthcare quality measures. Estimates the potential impact of switching Maryland to the Medicare prospective payment system (PPS) on Medicare spending and service use, including implications for rural and safety net hospitals.
Additional links: Appendices, Findings at a Glance, Transformation Spotlight
Date: 04/2024
Sponsoring organizations: Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services, Mathematica
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Provides an overview of the Maryland Total Cost of Care Model and evaluates the first four years of the program, 2019-2022. Explores the effects of the model on Medicare spending; service use, including preventable hospital use; and healthcare quality measures. Estimates the potential impact of switching Maryland to the Medicare prospective payment system (PPS) on Medicare spending and service use, including implications for rural and safety net hospitals.
Additional links: Appendices, Findings at a Glance, Transformation Spotlight
Date: 04/2024
Sponsoring organizations: Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services, Mathematica
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2023 National CAH Quality Inventory & Assessment National Report
Presents a high-level summary of key data points from the October-December 2023 National Critical Access Hospital (CAH) Quality Inventory and Assessment. Includes data on CAH system affiliation; median average daily census and emergency department volume; hospital inpatient, behavioral health and specialty care, and outpatient and other service lines; and CAH quality payment model participation.
Author(s): Megan Lahr, Robert Barclay, Madeleine Pick
Date: 04/2024
Sponsoring organization: Flex Monitoring Team
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Presents a high-level summary of key data points from the October-December 2023 National Critical Access Hospital (CAH) Quality Inventory and Assessment. Includes data on CAH system affiliation; median average daily census and emergency department volume; hospital inpatient, behavioral health and specialty care, and outpatient and other service lines; and CAH quality payment model participation.
Author(s): Megan Lahr, Robert Barclay, Madeleine Pick
Date: 04/2024
Sponsoring organization: Flex Monitoring Team
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Assessing the Impact of COVID-19 on Rural Hospitals
Explores the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on rural hospital financial performance. Presents data on profitability and patient care margin trends from 2017 to 2022. Describes characteristics of rural hospitals in three categories of patient care margins: those that always had negative margins, always had positive margins, and those with mixed margins. Discusses the impact of COVID-19 relief funding on total hospital margins.
Author(s): Saleema A. Karim, Nathan W. Carroll, Paula H. Song, Adam Atherly
Date: 04/2024
Sponsoring organizations: American Hospital Association, Department of Health Administration at the Virginia Commonwealth University College of Health Professions
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Explores the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on rural hospital financial performance. Presents data on profitability and patient care margin trends from 2017 to 2022. Describes characteristics of rural hospitals in three categories of patient care margins: those that always had negative margins, always had positive margins, and those with mixed margins. Discusses the impact of COVID-19 relief funding on total hospital margins.
Author(s): Saleema A. Karim, Nathan W. Carroll, Paula H. Song, Adam Atherly
Date: 04/2024
Sponsoring organizations: American Hospital Association, Department of Health Administration at the Virginia Commonwealth University College of Health Professions
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Medicare Payment for Rural or Geographically Isolated Hospitals
Displays data on Medicare payment adjustments for Sole Community Hospitals, Medicare-Dependent Hospitals, Low-Volume Hospitals, and Critical Access Hospitals. Includes information on the number of qualifying hospitals by state and eligibility criteria.
Date: 04/2024
Sponsoring organization: Congressional Research Service
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Displays data on Medicare payment adjustments for Sole Community Hospitals, Medicare-Dependent Hospitals, Low-Volume Hospitals, and Critical Access Hospitals. Includes information on the number of qualifying hospitals by state and eligibility criteria.
Date: 04/2024
Sponsoring organization: Congressional Research Service
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Protecting, Connecting and Thriving: Rural Public Health and Healthcare
Webinar recording of a panel discussing rural public health topics including rural health disparities, mortality, COVID-19, Medicaid coverage, primary care, graduate medical education, and services for veterans. Transcript is available in the video description.
Date: 04/2024
Sponsoring organizations: The RURAL Study, University of Texas Health Science Center at San Antonio
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Webinar recording of a panel discussing rural public health topics including rural health disparities, mortality, COVID-19, Medicaid coverage, primary care, graduate medical education, and services for veterans. Transcript is available in the video description.
Date: 04/2024
Sponsoring organizations: The RURAL Study, University of Texas Health Science Center at San Antonio
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Community Health Centers and Value-Based Payment
Discusses the role of Federally Qualified Health Centers and Rural Health Clinics, alternative payment models, and the challenges with implementing value-based payment.
Author(s): Janet Weiner
Date: 04/2024
Sponsoring organization: University of Pennsylvania Leonard Davis Institute of Health Economics
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Discusses the role of Federally Qualified Health Centers and Rural Health Clinics, alternative payment models, and the challenges with implementing value-based payment.
Author(s): Janet Weiner
Date: 04/2024
Sponsoring organization: University of Pennsylvania Leonard Davis Institute of Health Economics
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Rural Age-Friendly Health Systems, with Alan Morgan, Rani Snyder, and Jed Hansen
An episode of the Exploring Rural Health podcast featuring Alan Morgan, CEO of the National Rural Health Association, Rani Snyder, Vice President for Program at John A. Hartford Foundation, and Jed Hansen, Executive Director of the Nebraska Rural Health Association. Focuses on the Rural Age-Friendly Initiative, a John A. Hartford/NRHA partnership.
Date: 04/2024
Sponsoring organization: Rural Health Information Hub
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An episode of the Exploring Rural Health podcast featuring Alan Morgan, CEO of the National Rural Health Association, Rani Snyder, Vice President for Program at John A. Hartford Foundation, and Jed Hansen, Executive Director of the Nebraska Rural Health Association. Focuses on the Rural Age-Friendly Initiative, a John A. Hartford/NRHA partnership.
Date: 04/2024
Sponsoring organization: Rural Health Information Hub
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KanCare Unwinding Data by Age and County as of Feb. 29, 2024
An interactive data table that depicts Medicaid unwinding in Kansas related to the end of the COVID-19 federal Public Health Emergency in March 2023. Allows user to select for rurality, age group, and county, showing corresponding approved, discontinued, or reinstatement window insurance coverage counts and rates.
Author(s): Alex Ferguson, Wen-Chieh Lin
Date: 04/2024
Sponsoring organization: Kansas Health Institute
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An interactive data table that depicts Medicaid unwinding in Kansas related to the end of the COVID-19 federal Public Health Emergency in March 2023. Allows user to select for rurality, age group, and county, showing corresponding approved, discontinued, or reinstatement window insurance coverage counts and rates.
Author(s): Alex Ferguson, Wen-Chieh Lin
Date: 04/2024
Sponsoring organization: Kansas Health Institute
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Dental Therapy Resource Guide
Describes the role of dental therapists in expanding access to dental health care in rural communities. Outlines the status of state laws and regulations regarding dental therapy education and practice as of August 2021. Compares the scope of practice of dental therapists to other dental care providers.
Date: 04/2024
Sponsoring organization: National Association of Community Health Centers
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Describes the role of dental therapists in expanding access to dental health care in rural communities. Outlines the status of state laws and regulations regarding dental therapy education and practice as of August 2021. Compares the scope of practice of dental therapists to other dental care providers.
Date: 04/2024
Sponsoring organization: National Association of Community Health Centers
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Report on Prevention of Out-Of-Network Ground Ambulance Emergency Service Balance Billing
Recommendations from the Ground Ambulance and Patient Billing Advisory Committee, convened between May and November, 2023, to protect consumers from balance billing and protect their access to emergency services. Features sections on rural ambulance services and community paramedicine.
Date: 03/2024
Sponsoring organization: Ground Ambulance and Patient Billing Advisory Committee
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Recommendations from the Ground Ambulance and Patient Billing Advisory Committee, convened between May and November, 2023, to protect consumers from balance billing and protect their access to emergency services. Features sections on rural ambulance services and community paramedicine.
Date: 03/2024
Sponsoring organization: Ground Ambulance and Patient Billing Advisory Committee
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