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Rural Health
Resources by Topic: Healthcare facilities

Report to Congress on Medicaid and CHIP, March 2020
Reports on three aspects of Medicaid: improving the structure of Disproportionate Share Hospital (DSH) payments, state reporting on the quality of care for individuals covered by Medicaid or the State Children's Health Insurance Program (CHIP), and the timeliness and quality of Medicaid demonstration evaluations. Chapter 1 examines the relationship between DSH allotments to states and the number of uninsured individuals, the amounts and sources of hospitals' uncompensated care costs, and the amounts and sources of hospitals' uncompensated care costs. Table 1-1 details DSH spending for urban and rural hospitals and for Critical Access Hospitals.
Date: 03/2020
Sponsoring organization: Medicaid and CHIP Payment and Access Commission
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Issue Brief: Creating a High-value Telehealth Strategy
Explores how hospitals can use telehealth services to improve patient outcomes and reduce costs. Discusses approaches to deliver telehealth services and provides guidelines to consider when developing a telehealth strategy. Provides examples of how rural hospitals are using telehealth services to meet community needs.
Date: 03/2020
Sponsoring organization: American Hospital Association
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Trends in Electronic Health Record Use Among Residential Care Communities: United States, 2012, 2014, and 2016
Examines electronic health record (EHR) use trends and health information exchange (HIE) capability among residential care communities. Includes data by metropolitan statistical area (MSA) status, comparing MSA and non-MSA areas.
Author(s): Christine Caffrey, Christopher Cairns, Vincent Rome
Date: 03/2020
Sponsoring organization: National Center for Health Statistics
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The Effects of Medicaid Expansion under the ACA: Studies from January 2014 to January 2020
Updates a literature review on the impact of state Medicaid expansions on insurance coverage, access to care, and economic measures. Addresses the impact of Medicaid expansion on rural insurance rates and hospital finances.
Author(s): Madeline Guth, Rachel Garfield, Robin Rudowitz
Date: 03/2020
Sponsoring organization: KFF
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The Rural Health Safety Net Under Pressure: Rural Hospital Vulnerability
Examines financial and operational metrics for closed hospitals in the 36 months prior to closure. Identifies 453 rural facilities vulnerable to closure and the performance variables that have the greatest impact on a facility's likelihood of closure.
Date: 02/2020
Sponsoring organization: Chartis Center for Rural Health
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Val Verde Regional Medical Center Implements SMART ER
Describes Val Verde Regional Medical Center's (VVRMC) progress as part of the Small Rural Hospital Transition (SRHT) Project focused on care transitions and healthcare quality. VVRMC is a 47-bed hospital in Del Rio, Texas. Discusses how VVRMC collected data and implemented protocols to improve patient satisfaction.
Date: 02/2020
Sponsoring organization: National Rural Health Resource Center
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Safety in Numbers: Hospital Performance on Leapfrog's Surgical Volume Standard Based on Results of the 2019 Leapfrog Hospital Survey
Compares hospital and surgeon volume for 8 high-risk procedures to Leapfrog's minimum volume standards. Identifies the percent of rural hospitals that meet Leapfrog's volume standard for each procedure, as well as the percent of rural hospitals that do not electively perform these procedures.
Date: 02/2020
Sponsoring organization: Leapfrog Group
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Medicare: Information on Medicare-Dependent Hospitals
Provides an overview of the Medicare-dependent hospital (MDH) program, how the MDH designation differs from other rural hospital designations, and how MDH hospitals have changed over time. Discusses the decrease in the number of MDHs over time. Examines a variety of operational and financial metrics across MDHs over time.
Additional links: Full Report
Date: 02/2020
Sponsoring organization: Government Accountability Office
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Making a Difference for Generations to Come: School-Based Oral Healthcare in Louisiana
Features a Louisiana Federally Qualified Health Center that offers primary care oral health assessment and fluoride varnishes in school-based health centers. Discusses the impact that access to childhood oral health services may have into adulthood.
Author(s): Kay Miller Temple
Citation: Rural Monitor
Date: 02/2020
Sponsoring organization: Rural Health Information Hub
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Notes from the Field: Characteristics of Million Hearts Hypertension Control Champions, 2012–2019
Reports on characteristics of the Million Hearts Hypertension Control Champions in 2019. Champions were clinicians, practices, health centers, and health systems that achieved ≥80% blood pressure control rates among their patients with hypertension. Also includes information on the Hypertension Control Champions from 2012-2018. Provides counts for programs serving urban, rural, and both urban and rural locations.
Author(s): Matthew D. Ritchey, Judy Hannan, Hilary K. Wall, Mary G. George, Laurence S. Sperling
Citation: MMWR (Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report), 69(7), 196-197
Date: 02/2020
Sponsoring organization: Centers for Disease Control and Prevention
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