Rural Health
Resources by Topic: Healthcare quality
MBQIP Quality Measures National Annual Report - 2023
Summarizes quality measure reporting rates and performance among Critical Access Hospitals (CAHs) in 2023. Presents data on the four Medicare Beneficiary Quality Improvement Project (MBQIP) domains: patient safety/inpatient, outpatient, patient engagement, and care transitions.
Author(s): Megan Lahr, Alyssa Furukawa, Madeleine Pick, Robert Barclay
Date: 06/2025
Sponsoring organization: Flex Monitoring Team
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Summarizes quality measure reporting rates and performance among Critical Access Hospitals (CAHs) in 2023. Presents data on the four Medicare Beneficiary Quality Improvement Project (MBQIP) domains: patient safety/inpatient, outpatient, patient engagement, and care transitions.
Author(s): Megan Lahr, Alyssa Furukawa, Madeleine Pick, Robert Barclay
Date: 06/2025
Sponsoring organization: Flex Monitoring Team
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2023 Quality Payment Program Experience Report
Reports on the clinician experience for those participating in the Quality Payment Program in 2023. Presents data on Merit-based Incentive Payment System (MIPS) eligibility and participation rates for clinicians in small practices and rural areas, mean and median final scores for 2023 and 2025 payment adjustments, and payment adjustment trends from 2021 through 2023.
Date: 06/2025
Sponsoring organization: Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services
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Reports on the clinician experience for those participating in the Quality Payment Program in 2023. Presents data on Merit-based Incentive Payment System (MIPS) eligibility and participation rates for clinicians in small practices and rural areas, mean and median final scores for 2023 and 2025 payment adjustments, and payment adjustment trends from 2021 through 2023.
Date: 06/2025
Sponsoring organization: Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services
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National Health Center Financial and Operational Performance Analysis: 2020–2023
Examines financial and operational characteristics of Federally Qualified Health Centers (FQHCs) from 2020-2023. Explores FQHC growth and expansion, patient and payer mix, revenue and growth mix, staffing and productivity, operational trends, financial performance, and more. Compares data on rural FQHCs to urban and national FQHC data. Requires name, email address, and organization information to download.
Date: 06/2025
Sponsoring organization: Capital Link
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Examines financial and operational characteristics of Federally Qualified Health Centers (FQHCs) from 2020-2023. Explores FQHC growth and expansion, patient and payer mix, revenue and growth mix, staffing and productivity, operational trends, financial performance, and more. Compares data on rural FQHCs to urban and national FQHC data. Requires name, email address, and organization information to download.
Date: 06/2025
Sponsoring organization: Capital Link
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MedPAC Report to the Congress: Medicare and the Health Care Delivery System, June 2025
Evaluates Medicare payment issues and provides recommendations to the U.S. Congress. Covers proposed reforms to the physician fee schedule updates and the accuracy of relative payment rates; supplemental benefits in Medicare Advantage; home healthcare use among Medicare Advantage enrollees; Part D prescription drug plans for beneficiaries in fee-for-service Medicare and Medicare Advantage; Medicare beneficiaries in nursing homes; the inclusion of rural providers in current Medicare fee-for-service quality reporting programs; and recommendations related to reducing beneficiary cost sharing for outpatient services at Critical Access Hospitals. Includes rural references throughout.
Additional links: Executive Summary
Date: 06/2025
Sponsoring organization: Medicare Payment Advisory Commission
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Evaluates Medicare payment issues and provides recommendations to the U.S. Congress. Covers proposed reforms to the physician fee schedule updates and the accuracy of relative payment rates; supplemental benefits in Medicare Advantage; home healthcare use among Medicare Advantage enrollees; Part D prescription drug plans for beneficiaries in fee-for-service Medicare and Medicare Advantage; Medicare beneficiaries in nursing homes; the inclusion of rural providers in current Medicare fee-for-service quality reporting programs; and recommendations related to reducing beneficiary cost sharing for outpatient services at Critical Access Hospitals. Includes rural references throughout.
Additional links: Executive Summary
Date: 06/2025
Sponsoring organization: Medicare Payment Advisory Commission
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Quality Payment Program (QPP) 2023: Participation and Payment Results At-a-Glance
Provides an overview of the results of the Quality Payment Program (QPP) for the 2023 performance year. Highlights the percentages of small and rural providers receiving negative, neutral, and positive payment adjustments for 2025.
Date: 06/2025
Sponsoring organization: Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services
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Provides an overview of the results of the Quality Payment Program (QPP) for the 2023 performance year. Highlights the percentages of small and rural providers receiving negative, neutral, and positive payment adjustments for 2025.
Date: 06/2025
Sponsoring organization: Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services
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Iowa Community Health Centers and Value-Based Care
Describes how Iowa Primary Care Association (Iowa PCA) and two sister organizations, IowaHealth+ and INConcertCare, pursued value-based care opportunities before joining the Medicare Shared Savings Program. Discusses the network's Medicaid value-based care contract; a partnership with Main Street Health to expand value-based contracting and provide more comprehensive, integrated primary care to patients with Medicare Advantage; data analytics; strategic planning and roadmaps; and next steps.
Date: 06/2025
Sponsoring organization: Rural Health Value
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Describes how Iowa Primary Care Association (Iowa PCA) and two sister organizations, IowaHealth+ and INConcertCare, pursued value-based care opportunities before joining the Medicare Shared Savings Program. Discusses the network's Medicaid value-based care contract; a partnership with Main Street Health to expand value-based contracting and provide more comprehensive, integrated primary care to patients with Medicare Advantage; data analytics; strategic planning and roadmaps; and next steps.
Date: 06/2025
Sponsoring organization: Rural Health Value
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2018 National Healthcare Quality and Disparities Report
Provides a comprehensive summary and data analysis of healthcare quality and access in the U.S. Includes a discussion of disparities encountered by race/ethnicity and geographic locations along the rural-urban continuum. Addresses access to healthcare, patient safety, person-centered care, care coordination, affordability, healthy living, and effective treatment.
Date: 06/2025
Sponsoring organization: Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality
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Provides a comprehensive summary and data analysis of healthcare quality and access in the U.S. Includes a discussion of disparities encountered by race/ethnicity and geographic locations along the rural-urban continuum. Addresses access to healthcare, patient safety, person-centered care, care coordination, affordability, healthy living, and effective treatment.
Date: 06/2025
Sponsoring organization: Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality
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Obstetric Care in Rural Critical Access Hospitals: A Domestic Application of the World Health Organization Emergency Obstetric Care Framework in Rural Communities
Examines emergency obstetric readiness in rural Critical Access Hospitals (CAHs) that do not have obstetric units. Reports on facility assessments in Montana utilizing the World Health Organization (WHO) Emergency Obstetric Care (EmOC) framework to assess CAHs for emergency obstetric care readiness.
Author(s): Annie L. Glover, Diane Brown, Carly Holman, Megan Nelson
Citation: Journal of Rural Health, 41(2)
Date: 05/2025
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Examines emergency obstetric readiness in rural Critical Access Hospitals (CAHs) that do not have obstetric units. Reports on facility assessments in Montana utilizing the World Health Organization (WHO) Emergency Obstetric Care (EmOC) framework to assess CAHs for emergency obstetric care readiness.
Author(s): Annie L. Glover, Diane Brown, Carly Holman, Megan Nelson
Citation: Journal of Rural Health, 41(2)
Date: 05/2025
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Community Health Centers: Leading Innovation in Health Care
Presents graphs, charts, and data highlighting services provided by Community Health Centers, characteristics of the patients served, and progress made in improving access to healthcare. Reports on health centers' historical growth and recent trends, financial health, healthcare screening and disease prevention, management of chronic diseases, maternal and child health, workforce and service utilization, health information technology, and more. Includes urban-rural comparisons and maps with data by state throughout.
Author(s): Sarah Hurlbert, Mahima Singeetham, Amy Flowers
Date: 05/2025
Sponsoring organization: National Association of Community Health Centers
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Presents graphs, charts, and data highlighting services provided by Community Health Centers, characteristics of the patients served, and progress made in improving access to healthcare. Reports on health centers' historical growth and recent trends, financial health, healthcare screening and disease prevention, management of chronic diseases, maternal and child health, workforce and service utilization, health information technology, and more. Includes urban-rural comparisons and maps with data by state throughout.
Author(s): Sarah Hurlbert, Mahima Singeetham, Amy Flowers
Date: 05/2025
Sponsoring organization: National Association of Community Health Centers
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Emergency Department Boarding, Inpatient Census, and Interhospital Transfer Acceptances
Examines hospital crowding by analyzing associations between emergency department (ED) boarding and inpatient census with interhospital transfer (IHT) acceptances. Utilizes 2019-2023 data from an academic, level I trauma center in a southwestern state to compare urban and rural transfer requests and if the requests were accepted or denied.
Author(s): Margaret Greenwood-Ericksen, Neil Kamdar, Kjirsten Swenson, et al.
Citation: JAMA Network Open, 8(5)
Date: 05/2025
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Examines hospital crowding by analyzing associations between emergency department (ED) boarding and inpatient census with interhospital transfer (IHT) acceptances. Utilizes 2019-2023 data from an academic, level I trauma center in a southwestern state to compare urban and rural transfer requests and if the requests were accepted or denied.
Author(s): Margaret Greenwood-Ericksen, Neil Kamdar, Kjirsten Swenson, et al.
Citation: JAMA Network Open, 8(5)
Date: 05/2025
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