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Rural Health Information Hub

Rural Health
Resources by Topic: Healthcare facilities

Rural Hospital Service Lines: Changes Over Time and Impacts on Profitability
Analyzes associations between changes in service lines and profitability at rural hospitals, utilizing 2010-2021 Medicare cost report data. Includes data on service lines including Rural Health Clinics (RHCs), traditional clinics, CT scans, MRI scans, delivery rooms, nurseries, anesthesiology, electrocardiology, and more.
Author(s): Brian E. Whitacre, Claudia A. Rhodes, Alison F. Davis
Citation: Journal of Healthcare Management, 69(5), 350-367
Date: 10/2024
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An Updated Model of Rural Hospital Financial Distress
Discusses a potential model to predict financial distress in rural hospitals, including negative cash flow margin, negative equity, or closure of facility. Tests 2,311 rural hospitals from 2013 to 2019 with the model and discusses its potential to predict financial distress and create accurate assessments.
Author(s): Tyler L. Malone, George H. Pink, George M. Holmes
Citation: Journal of Rural Health
Date: 10/2024
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Younger and Rural Children are More Likely to be Hospitalized for SARS-CoV-2 Infections
Examines patient characteristics and likelihood of hospitalization among children with SARS-CoV-2, utilizing May 2020-April 2022 Arkansas Children's Hospital data. Analyzes hospitalization rates during each wave of the COVID-19 pandemic with demographic data breakdowns, including comparisons between rural and urban children.
Author(s): Rebecca M. Cantu, Sara C. Sanders, Grace A. Turner, et al.
Citation: PLoS ONE, 19(10), e0308221
Date: 10/2024
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Health Care Transparency: CMS Needs More Information on Hospital Pricing Data Completeness and Accuracy
Provides an overview of the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) hospital price transparency requirements before and after 2024 updates to the requirements. Describes users' experiences with hospital pricing data before the 2024 updates. Examines CMS's enforcement of hospital price transparency requirements and offers recommendations to CMS regarding the sufficiency and accuracy of the data reported. Table 3 compares CMS enforcement actions by hospitals' rural or urban designation between 2021 and 2023.
Additional links: Full Report
Date: 10/2024
Sponsoring organization: Government Accountability Office
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One or Two Health Systems Controlled the Entire Market for Inpatient Hospital Care in Nearly Half of Metropolitan Areas in 2022
Examines the competitiveness of hospital markets in 2022 by analyzing RAND Hospital Data and American Hospital Association (AHA) survey data. Presents data on the share of metropolitan statistical areas (MSAs) controlled by a small number of health systems, the level of market concentration in MSAs, and the share of hospitals affiliated with health systems over time. Compares the share of hospitals affiliated with health systems in rural and non-rural areas.
Author(s): Jamie Godwin, Zachary Levinson, Tricia Neuman
Date: 10/2024
Sponsoring organization: KFF
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Farmworker Health Clinics in North Carolina
County-level map showing locations and contact information for farmworker health clinics in North Carolina. Includes text in English and Spanish.
Date: 10/2024
Sponsoring organization: North Carolina Department of Health and Human Services
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Medicare Payment Basics: Federally Qualified Health Center and Rural Health Clinic Payment Systems
Presents an overview of Medicare payments for Federally Qualified Health Centers (FQHCs) and Rural Health Clinics (RHCs). Details how the all-inclusive rate (AIR) is calculated for RHCs and how the national statutory payment limit applies to provider-based RHCs enrolled in Medicare before December 31, 2020, and whether they part of a hospital with fewer than 50 beds. Includes information on special payment rules for certain services provided by FQHCs and RHCs.
Date: 10/2024
Sponsoring organization: Medicare Payment Advisory Commission
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Medicare Payment Basics: Outpatient Hospital Services Payment System
Outlines Medicare's payments for outpatient hospital services, including considerations for rural sole community hospitals.
Date: 10/2024
Sponsoring organization: Medicare Payment Advisory Commission
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Medicare Payment Basics: Long-term Care Hospitals Payment System
Overview of Medicare payments for long-term care hospitals (LTCH) and services. Discusses the LTCH prospective payment system (PPS) and payment rate settings for LTCH and site-neutral cases.
Date: 10/2024
Sponsoring organization: Medicare Payment Advisory Commission
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Medicare Payment Basics: Inpatient Psychiatric Facilities Services Payment System
Overview of Medicare's payment system for inpatient psychiatric services provided in freestanding hospitals or specialized hospital-based units. Demonstrates how payments for these services are adjusted to reflect geographic differences in labor costs, and cost of care by facility and patient characteristics.
Date: 10/2024
Sponsoring organization: Medicare Payment Advisory Commission
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