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Rural Health Information Hub

Rural Health
Resources by Topic: Healthcare quality

Hospice: CMS Flexibilities to Fight COVID-19
Outlines specific regulatory waivers and Medicare flexibilities for hospice providers issued in response to the COVID-19 pandemic. Includes information on payments for COVID-19 vaccines and therapeutics. Identifies whether each waiver or flexibility has been terminated, will end at the conclusion of the public health emergency, or has become permanent.
Date: 05/2023
Sponsoring organization: Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services
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Home Health Agencies: CMS Flexibilities to Fight COVID-19
Outlines specific regulatory waivers and Medicare flexibilities for home health agencies issued in response to the COVID-19 pandemic. Includes information on whether each waiver or flexibility has been terminated, will end at the conclusion of the public health emergency, or has become permanent.
Date: 05/2023
Sponsoring organization: Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services
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Pinckneyville Community Hospital Spotlight Video
Discusses how the Delta Region Community Health Systems Development Program helped Pinckneyville Community Hospital improve overall community health and wellness and decrease emergency room admissions by focusing on care coordination and working with community partners, collaborating with a nearby hospital, and addressing the social determinants of health in their community. Transcript available below description.
Date: 05/2023
Sponsoring organization: National Rural Health Resource Center
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Midwives: Information on Births, Workforce, and Midwifery Education
Presents data on midwife-attended births, the midwifery workforce, and challenges to obtaining midwifery care. Discusses midwifery education programs, the number of students in these programs, midwifery educational challenges, and available federal financial support through the Health Resources and Services Administration (HRSA) and the Indian Health Service (IHS). Describes challenges to measuring the quality of maternal healthcare, including midwifery care.
Additional links: Full Report
Date: 04/2023
Sponsoring organization: Government Accountability Office
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Augmenting Project ECHO for Opioid Use Disorder with Data-Informed Quality Improvement
Discusses the feasibility of training clinics that are participating in a Project ECHO virtual collaborative to implement quality initiative (QI) projects that mitigate opioid overdose and mortality. Provides results of 5 New Hampshire clinics that joined the training and includes considerations of QI projects and opioid mitigation taking place in rural areas.
Author(s): Owen B. Murray, Marcy Doyle, Bethany M. McLeman, et al.
Citation: Addiction Science & Clinical Practice, 18, 24
Date: 04/2023
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Better Together: Rural Hospital High-Value Networks
Examines how rural hospital high-value networks can create economies of scale and value-based care capacity in order to enter into value-based payment contracts.
Author(s): Clint MacKinney, Nate White, Brett Norell
Citation: Rural Monitor
Date: 04/2023
Sponsoring organization: Rural Health Information Hub
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Engaging Primary Care in Value-Based Payment: New Findings from the 2022 Commonwealth Fund Survey of Primary Care Physicians
Describes the results of the 2022 Commonwealth Fund International Health Policy Survey of Primary Care Physicians regarding fee-for-service and value-based payment models. Highlights trends between smaller, rural practices and larger, urban ones and discusses implications on quality of care.
Author(s): Celli Horstman, Corinne Lewis
Date: 04/2023
Sponsoring organization: Commonwealth Fund
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Building Sustainable Capacity for Quality and Organizational Excellence: Critical Access Hospital Quality Infrastructure Summit
Summarizes a March 2023 summit with experts that sought to identify the core elements of infrastructure necessary for successful quality efforts in Critical Access Hospitals (CAHs). Outlines a framework to help leaders assess needs and growth and consider holistic approaches to creating a sustainable quality infrastructure.
Additional links: Core Elements of Critical Access Hospital Quality Infrastructure Video Summary, National Critical Access Hospital Quality Inventory and Assessment: Critical Access Hospital Fact Sheet, National Critical Access Hospital Quality Inventory and Assessment: State Flex Program Fact Sheet, National Critical Access Hospital Quality Inventory and Assessment: Video Summary
Date: 03/2023
Sponsoring organizations: Flex Monitoring Team, National Rural Health Resource Center, Stratis Health
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Whole Health Coaching to Rural Veterans through Telehealth: Advantages, Gaps, and Opportunities
Discusses the Whole Health (WH) initiative – a proactive practice using coaches to engage patients in their health and well-being, and its applicability through telehealth to offer support to rural Veterans in achieving their health goals. Analyzes the findings from data collected through interviews, national surveys and focus groups of WH coaches working with rural veterans to determine the advantages of using telehealth, gaps in telehealth usage, and opportunities for WH coaching for rural veterans.
Author(s): Kelsea LeBeau, Deepthi S. Varma, Consuelo M. Kreider, et al.
Citation: Frontiers in Public Health, 11
Date: 03/2023
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Measuring and Addressing Health Equity: An Assessment of Cancer Center Designation Requirements
Examines equity structures, processes, and outcomes in cancer center endorsements and their relationship to high-quality cancer care for all populations. Discusses cancer health disparities related to socioeconomic and insurance status, racial/ethnic groups, medically underserved populations, and rural populations. Describes how endorsing bodies can incorporate health equity requirements in cancer care for these groups.
Author(s): Jason T. Semprini, Caitlin B. Biddell, Jan M. Eberth, et al.
Citation: Cancer Causes & Control, 34, 23-33
Date: 03/2023
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