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Rural Health
Resources by Topic: Healthcare facilities

A Comparison of Closed Rural Hospitals and Perceived Impact
Compares characteristics of rural hospitals that have closed or have converted to provide a mix of health services but no inpatient care. Measures perceived impact of rural hospital closures.
Author(s): Sharita R. Thomas, Brystana G. Kaufman, Randy K. Randolph, et al.
Date: 04/2015
Sponsoring organization: North Carolina Rural Health Research Program
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The Value Proposition of Retail Clinics
Describes the role retail clinics can play in improving healthcare access, including in rural areas. Discusses the potential of telehealth use at retail clinics. Offers recommendations for optimizing the value of retail clinics to meet individual and community health needs.
Author(s): Deborah Bachrach, Jonah Frohlich, Allison Garcimonde, Keith Nevitt
Date: 04/2015
Sponsoring organization: Robert Wood Johnson Foundation
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Sole Community Hospitals: Early Indications Show That TRICARE's Revised Reimbursement Rules Have Not Affected Access to Care
Reports on the impact of a January 2014 revision to TRICARE's reimbursement for Sole Community Hospitals (SCHs), which serve primarily rural areas. The new TRICARE reimbursement rules approximate Medicare's for these hospitals. Looks at the impact of revised SCH reimbursement on healthcare access for servicemembers and their dependents. Findings based on claims data, as well as interviews with 10 SCHs and with national stakeholders. Appendices include information on SCHs with a high number of TRICARE admissions.
Additional links: Full Report
Date: 04/2015
Sponsoring organization: Government Accountability Office
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Community Health Centers: A 2013 Profile and Prospects as ACA Implementation Proceeds
Discusses the current and future role of rural and urban community health centers as an integral component in the provision of primary healthcare to accommodate the expansion of patients with health insurance coverage under the Affordable Care Act.
Author(s): Peter Shin, Jessica Sharac, Zoe Barber, Sara J. Rosenbaum, Julia Paradise
Date: 03/2015
Sponsoring organization: George Washington University Milken Institute School of Public Health Department of Health Policy and Management
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Colorado Critical Access Hospitals and Clinics: Improving Communication and Readmission (iCARE) White Paper
Details how the Colorado Rural Health Center's Improving Communication and Readmission (iCARE) program is improving the patient experience at Critical Access Hospitals and Rural Health Clinics in Colorado by enhancing care coordination and lowering readmission rates.
Date: 03/2015
Sponsoring organization: Colorado Rural Health Center
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Evaluation of Hospital-Setting HCIA Awards: First Annual Report, Final
Evaluations of 10 Health Care Innovation Awards Round One projects undertaken in a hospital inpatient or emergency department. Covers projects that involved Critical Access Hospitals and other rural hospitals. Includes projects focused on improved care for sepsis and projects using remote electronic intensive care unit (eICU) services.
Date: 03/2015
Sponsoring organizations: Abt Associates, Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services
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A Guidebook of Professional Practices for Behavioral Health and Primary Care Integration: Observations from Exemplary Sites
Assists primary care and behavioral health practices in identifying professional practices that have developed a successful workforce model of integrated care. Several primary care organizations with effective integrated behavioral health and primary care participated in the study including 3 in rural areas.
Author(s): Deborah J. Cohen, Melinda M. Davis, Jennifer D. Hall, Emma C. Gilchrist, Benjamin F. Miller
Date: 03/2015
Sponsoring organization: Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality
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A Critique of the Office of the Inspector General's Report on Swing Beds in Critical Access Hospitals
Evaluates the methods and data of a March 2015 report from the Office of the Inspector General (OIG), U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, commenting on Medicare reimbursement policy for swing bed services in Critical Access Hospitals (CAHs).
Author(s): Kristin L. Reiter, G. Mark Holmes
Date: 03/2015
Sponsoring organization: North Carolina Rural Health Research Program
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Emergency Department Visits and Proximity to Patients' Residences, 2009-2010
Provides data on how often patients go to the emergency department (ED) closest to their home. Includes comparisons for patients living inside metropolitan statistical areas (MSAs) and outside MSAs, with data on whether patients visited the closest ED by patient age, hospital visit volume, and ED wait times.
Author(s): Amy M. Brown, Sandra L. Decker, Frederic W. Selck
Date: 03/2015
Sponsoring organization: National Center for Health Statistics
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MedPAC Report to the Congress: Medicare Payment Policy, 2015
Annual review of Medicare payment policies, with recommendations to Congress. Discussions of rural aspects of Medicare payment policies are included throughout the report.
Date: 03/2015
Sponsoring organization: Medicare Payment Advisory Commission
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