Rural Health
Resources by Topic: Healthcare quality
Merit-Based Incentive Payment System (MIPS): 2026 Reporting MIPS Quality Measures through Medicare Part B Claims Quick Start Guide for Small Practices
Provides details on how small practices can report quality measures through Medicare Part B claims measures. Highlights changes to these measures in 2026, score redistribution policies for small practices, and information for clinicians at Critical Access Hospitals.
Date: 12/2025
Sponsoring organization: Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services
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Provides details on how small practices can report quality measures through Medicare Part B claims measures. Highlights changes to these measures in 2026, score redistribution policies for small practices, and information for clinicians at Critical Access Hospitals.
Date: 12/2025
Sponsoring organization: Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services
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Measuring State Flex Program Impact: Tools to Support Outcome Measurement and Evaluation
Toolkit designed to help State Flex Programs (SFPs) with manage and document project performance and comply with the Federal Office of Rural Health Policy's expectations regarding outcome measurement and reporting. Provides blank worksheets for SFPs as they work through the steps for their projects, as well as links to outcome measurement resources.
Additional links: Webinar Recording
Author(s): John Gale, Bridget Harr
Date: 12/2025
Sponsoring organization: Flex Monitoring Team
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Toolkit designed to help State Flex Programs (SFPs) with manage and document project performance and comply with the Federal Office of Rural Health Policy's expectations regarding outcome measurement and reporting. Provides blank worksheets for SFPs as they work through the steps for their projects, as well as links to outcome measurement resources.
Additional links: Webinar Recording
Author(s): John Gale, Bridget Harr
Date: 12/2025
Sponsoring organization: Flex Monitoring Team
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When the Hospital CEO Becomes the Patient: Rural Maternal Care Up Close
A conversation with Eilidh Pederson, CEO of Western Wisconsin Health, focused on her experience giving birth at a rural Critical Access Hospital. Discusses high-quality maternal healthcare access in rural communities.
Author(s): Tom Haederle, Julia Resnick, Eilidh Pederson
Date: 12/2025
Sponsoring organization: American Hospital Association
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A conversation with Eilidh Pederson, CEO of Western Wisconsin Health, focused on her experience giving birth at a rural Critical Access Hospital. Discusses high-quality maternal healthcare access in rural communities.
Author(s): Tom Haederle, Julia Resnick, Eilidh Pederson
Date: 12/2025
Sponsoring organization: American Hospital Association
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Merit-Based Incentive Payment System (MIPS): Traditional MIPS Scoring Guide for the 2025 Performance Year
Provides details on how scores are calculated for the Merit-Based Incentive Payment System (MIPS), one of two tracks under the Medicare Quality Payment Program. Explains the four performance categories that affect Medicare Physician Fee Schedule payments: quality, cost, improvement activities, and promoting interoperability. Includes information for small practices.
Date: 12/2025
Sponsoring organization: Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services
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Provides details on how scores are calculated for the Merit-Based Incentive Payment System (MIPS), one of two tracks under the Medicare Quality Payment Program. Explains the four performance categories that affect Medicare Physician Fee Schedule payments: quality, cost, improvement activities, and promoting interoperability. Includes information for small practices.
Date: 12/2025
Sponsoring organization: Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services
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Merit-Based Incentive Payment System (MIPS): 2025 Merit-Based Incentive Payment (MIPS) Value Pathways (MVPs) Implementation Guide
Provides an overview of the Merit-based Incentive Payment System (MIPS) Value Pathways (MVPs), a voluntary reporting option that can be used to meet MIPS reporting requirements for the 2025 performance year. Describes subgroup reporting, reporting requirements, scoring, performance feedback and public reporting, and how to register to report an MVP. Includes information on considerations and exceptions for small practices and clinicians in a rural or Health Professional Shortage Area.
Date: 12/2025
Sponsoring organization: Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services
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Provides an overview of the Merit-based Incentive Payment System (MIPS) Value Pathways (MVPs), a voluntary reporting option that can be used to meet MIPS reporting requirements for the 2025 performance year. Describes subgroup reporting, reporting requirements, scoring, performance feedback and public reporting, and how to register to report an MVP. Includes information on considerations and exceptions for small practices and clinicians in a rural or Health Professional Shortage Area.
Date: 12/2025
Sponsoring organization: Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services
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Calendar Year 2026 Hospital Outpatient Prospective Payment System (OPPS) and Ambulatory Surgical Center Final Rule (CMS-1834-FC)
Fact sheet providing an overview of the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) final rule regarding updates and changes to the Medicare payments for hospital outpatient and Ambulatory Surgical Center (ASC) services for calendar year 2026. Summarizes provisions regarding changes to hospital price transparency; Intensive Outpatient Program (IOP) and partial hospital program rate setting; updates to the Hospital Outpatient Quality Reporting (OQR), Ambulatory Surgical Center Quality Reporting (ASCQR), and Rural Emergency Hospital Quality Reporting (REHQR) Programs; hospital quality start ratings; and more.
Date: 11/2025
Sponsoring organization: Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services
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Fact sheet providing an overview of the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) final rule regarding updates and changes to the Medicare payments for hospital outpatient and Ambulatory Surgical Center (ASC) services for calendar year 2026. Summarizes provisions regarding changes to hospital price transparency; Intensive Outpatient Program (IOP) and partial hospital program rate setting; updates to the Hospital Outpatient Quality Reporting (OQR), Ambulatory Surgical Center Quality Reporting (ASCQR), and Rural Emergency Hospital Quality Reporting (REHQR) Programs; hospital quality start ratings; and more.
Date: 11/2025
Sponsoring organization: Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services
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A New Rural Blueprint: Strategic Partnerships That Keep Care Local
Discusses the Wisconsin High Value Network (WHVN), a clinically integrated network (CIN) focused on value-based care arrangements, data sharing, and quality improvement initiatives. Describes WHVN's strategic partnerships, governance, specialty care network, and more.
Date: 11/2025
Sponsoring organization: American Hospital Association
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Discusses the Wisconsin High Value Network (WHVN), a clinically integrated network (CIN) focused on value-based care arrangements, data sharing, and quality improvement initiatives. Describes WHVN's strategic partnerships, governance, specialty care network, and more.
Date: 11/2025
Sponsoring organization: American Hospital Association
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Facilitators of Strong Quality and Financial Outcomes in Critical Access Hospitals
Examines leadership traits, management strategies, and other governance and collaboration-based supports for positive quality and financial outcomes in Critical Access Hospitals (CAHs), utilizing insights from interviews of leaders at 10 CAHs which met high financial and quality benchmarks. Provides interview excerpts and identifies themes.
Author(s): Robert Barclay, Zoe Pringle, Megan Lahr, et al.
Date: 11/2025
Sponsoring organization: Flex Monitoring Team
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Examines leadership traits, management strategies, and other governance and collaboration-based supports for positive quality and financial outcomes in Critical Access Hospitals (CAHs), utilizing insights from interviews of leaders at 10 CAHs which met high financial and quality benchmarks. Provides interview excerpts and identifies themes.
Author(s): Robert Barclay, Zoe Pringle, Megan Lahr, et al.
Date: 11/2025
Sponsoring organization: Flex Monitoring Team
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Operational Challenges and Adaptive Leadership in Emergency Departments in the United States of America: A Mixed-Methods Analysis
Analyzes perspectives from emergency department (ED) leadership regarding operational challenges such as overcrowding, staffing shortages, and diminishing quality of care and provider well-being. Utilizes survey and interview data from ED leaders to examine adaptive strategies, evidence-based protocols, cross-professional collaboration, and more, with a focus on rural contexts included.
Author(s): Emmanuel Animashaun, Ellen Barnie Peprah, Olaoluwa Olorunfemi, et al.
Citation: BMC Emergency Medicine, 25, 241
Date: 11/2025
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Analyzes perspectives from emergency department (ED) leadership regarding operational challenges such as overcrowding, staffing shortages, and diminishing quality of care and provider well-being. Utilizes survey and interview data from ED leaders to examine adaptive strategies, evidence-based protocols, cross-professional collaboration, and more, with a focus on rural contexts included.
Author(s): Emmanuel Animashaun, Ellen Barnie Peprah, Olaoluwa Olorunfemi, et al.
Citation: BMC Emergency Medicine, 25, 241
Date: 11/2025
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Characteristics of Critical Access Hospitals with High Financial and Quality Metric Performance
Examines Critical Access Hospital (CAH) financial and quality performance utilizing Medicare Beneficiary Quality Improvement Project (MBQIP) data. Provides characteristics of CAHs and their respective measures according to 5 financial and 5 quality benchmarks.
Author(s): Lauren Wallace, George H Pink, Kristie Thompson, et al.
Date: 11/2025
Sponsoring organization: Flex Monitoring Team
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Examines Critical Access Hospital (CAH) financial and quality performance utilizing Medicare Beneficiary Quality Improvement Project (MBQIP) data. Provides characteristics of CAHs and their respective measures according to 5 financial and 5 quality benchmarks.
Author(s): Lauren Wallace, George H Pink, Kristie Thompson, et al.
Date: 11/2025
Sponsoring organization: Flex Monitoring Team
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