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Rural Health
Resources by Topic: Healthcare facilities

Modernizing Payment to Critical Access Hospitals: A Proposal for the Next Iteration of the Flex Program
Commentary briefly describing the history the Medicare Rural Hospital Flexibility Program (Flex) and Cost-Based Reimbursement (CBR) for Medicare. Outlines the challenges of CBR for Critical Access Hospitals (CAH) and proposes a new payment system.
Author(s): Clint MacKinney, Keith Mueller, Alva Ferdinand, et al.
Citation: Journal of Rural Health, 39(4), 716-718
Date: 02/2023
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Quality Improvement in Rural Health Care
Policy position paper regarding challenges rural providers face in participating in quality improvement initiatives. Offers policy recommendations on the establishment and support of rural-relevant quality measures.
Author(s): Michelle Mills, Roger Wells
Date: 02/2023
Sponsoring organization: National Rural Health Association
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Federal Credit Assistance and Grant Programs for Rural Businesses: In Brief
Provides an overview of selected federal credit assistance and grant programs that support rural businesses. Covers programs administered by the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA), U.S. Small Business Administration (SBA), and the U.S. Department of Commerce's Economic Development Administration (EDA), as well as the Appalachian Regional Commission (ARC).
Date: 02/2023
Sponsoring organization: Congressional Research Service
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Leadership Dialogue Series: Strengthening Rural Health Care with Jennifer Havens
Discussion between John Haupert, president and CEO of Grady Health System, and Jennifer Havens, CEO of UnityPoint Health – Grinnell Regional Medical Center (GRMC). Describes challenges facing rural hospitals and health systems, as well as access to maternal health services. Explores how GRMC has addressed these challenges and improved care delivery. Transcript is available in the video description.
Date: 02/2023
Sponsoring organization: American Hospital Association
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Associations Between Social Vulnerability and Providing Evidence-Based Diabetes Prevention and Management Activities in South Carolina, 2019
Examines the abilities of Rural Health Clinics (RHCs) and Federally Qualified Health Centers (FQHCs) in South Carolina to implement evidence-based diabetes prevention and management activities in counties with high burden of heart disease, diabetes, and associated social vulnerabilities. Includes a state map showing location of RHCs and FQHCs and data on associations between social vulnerability measures and diabetes prevention and management activities.
Author(s): Jennifer Mandelbaum, Courtney Brightharp, Kristian Myers, Shauna Hicks
Citation: Preventing Chronic Disease, 20
Date: 02/2023
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Rural Hospitals Face Renewed Financial Challenges, Especially in States That Have Not Expanded Medicaid
Provides an overview of rural hospital finances before the COVID-19 pandemic and compares operating margins in hospitals in states that expanded Medicaid with those that did not expand Medicaid. Describes financial trends during pandemic. Highlights selected policy initiatives intended to support rural hospitals or restructure the rural healthcare delivery system.
Author(s): Zachary Levinson, Jamie Godwin, Scott Hulver
Date: 02/2023
Sponsoring organization: KFF
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Data Challenges in Identifying Patients Due for Colorectal Cancer Screening in Rural Clinics
Analyzes barriers to identifying patients in need of colorectal cancer (CRC) screenings in rural Oregon. Explores the effectiveness of rural primary care clinics and Medicaid health plans utilizing electronic health records (EHRs) for CRC outreach and includes corresponding data.
Author(s): Amanda F. Petrik, Jennifer Coury, Jean Hiebert Larson, et al.
Citation: The Journal of the American Board of Family Medicine, 36(1), 118-129
Date: 02/2023
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Patient Transfers to and from Critical Access Hospitals During the COVID-19 Pandemic
Examines inbound and outbound transfer patient volumes among Critical Access Hospitals (CAHs) during the COVID-19 pandemic. Discusses the barriers and facilitators to transferring patients that CAHs experienced. Compares transfer volume and facilitators for outbound transfers by CAH system ownership status.
Author(s): Abigail Wenninger, Madeleine Pick, Megan Lahr
Date: 02/2023
Sponsoring organization: Flex Monitoring Team
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Evaluation of Post-Discharge Engagement for Emergency Department Patients with Opioid Use History Who Received Telehealth Recovery Coaching Services
Examines successful interventions for patients in emergency departments (EDs) who receive peer recovery coach (PRC) services via telehealth that support patients with opioid use disorder (OUD). Analyzes 13 EDs in Indiana who implemented telehealth PRC services starting in 2018, including 7 rural Critical Access Hospitals (CAHs). Includes rate of successful follow-ups proceeding PRC services broken down by patient age, sex, race, drug use method, referral types, and metro, small, or rural living location.
Author(s): Dennis P. Watson, Peter Phalen, Spencer Medcalf, Sarah Messmer, Alan McGuire
Citation: Substance Abuse Treatment, Prevention, and Policy, 18(9)
Date: 02/2023
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Factors Contributing to Reductions in Patient Wait Times at Indian Health Service Emergency Department Facilities: A Mixed-Methods Assessment
Presents findings of a mixed-methods assessment of the change in emergency department wait times at Indian Health Service (IHS) facilities before and after the announcement of wait time standards in 2019. Describes challenges to providing timely access to emergency and primary care, strategies to overcome these challenges, and the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on wait times.
Date: 02/2023
Sponsoring organization: HHS Office of the Assistant Secretary for Planning and Evaluation
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