Rural Health
Resources by Topic: Healthcare quality
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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Environmental Scan on Reducing Barriers to Participation in Population-Based Total Cost of Care (PB-TCOC) Models and Supporting Primary and Specialty Care Transformation
Presents results of an environmental scan on reducing barriers to participation in population-based total cost of care (PB-TCOC) models and supporting primary and specialty care transformation. Discusses identifying pathways for maximizing participation of different kinds of organizations in PB-TCOC models; an assessment of and approaches to reducing organization-level barriers; approaches to support primary and specialty care transformation; an assessment of factors that influence the ability of PB-TCOC models to be competitive; and a summary of relevant features in previously submitted Physician-Focused Payment Model Technical Advisory Committee (PTAC) proposals. Includes rural references throughout.
Date: 05/2025
Sponsoring organization: HHS Office of the Assistant Secretary for Planning and Evaluation
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Presents results of an environmental scan on reducing barriers to participation in population-based total cost of care (PB-TCOC) models and supporting primary and specialty care transformation. Discusses identifying pathways for maximizing participation of different kinds of organizations in PB-TCOC models; an assessment of and approaches to reducing organization-level barriers; approaches to support primary and specialty care transformation; an assessment of factors that influence the ability of PB-TCOC models to be competitive; and a summary of relevant features in previously submitted Physician-Focused Payment Model Technical Advisory Committee (PTAC) proposals. Includes rural references throughout.
Date: 05/2025
Sponsoring organization: HHS Office of the Assistant Secretary for Planning and Evaluation
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Inpatient Care Experiences Are Better in Critical Access Hospitals than in Other Hospitals
Examines the inpatient care experiences of patients in Critical Access Hospitals (CAHs) and inpatient prospective payment system (IPPS) hospitals. Utilizes Hospital Consumer Assessment of Hospitals, Providers, and Systems (HCAHPS) survey scores of CAHs and IPPs to evaluate patient experience according to hospital characteristics, patient characteristics, and rural versus urban location. Discusses the importance of CAHs to rural community healthcare access.
Author(s): Megan K. Beckett, Christopher W. Cohea, Paul D. Cleary, Laura A. Giordano, Marc N. Elliott
Citation: Health Affairs Scholar, 3(5)
Date: 05/2025
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Examines the inpatient care experiences of patients in Critical Access Hospitals (CAHs) and inpatient prospective payment system (IPPS) hospitals. Utilizes Hospital Consumer Assessment of Hospitals, Providers, and Systems (HCAHPS) survey scores of CAHs and IPPs to evaluate patient experience according to hospital characteristics, patient characteristics, and rural versus urban location. Discusses the importance of CAHs to rural community healthcare access.
Author(s): Megan K. Beckett, Christopher W. Cohea, Paul D. Cleary, Laura A. Giordano, Marc N. Elliott
Citation: Health Affairs Scholar, 3(5)
Date: 05/2025
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Montana AHEC - HRSA: Area Health Education Center (AHEC)
Provides details of Montana's Area Health Education Center (AHEC) program. Discusses how regional AHECs have helped deliver high-quality healthcare to rural communities throughout the state.
Date: 05/2025
Sponsoring organizations: Montana Area Health Education Center, Montana Office of Rural Health
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Provides details of Montana's Area Health Education Center (AHEC) program. Discusses how regional AHECs have helped deliver high-quality healthcare to rural communities throughout the state.
Date: 05/2025
Sponsoring organizations: Montana Area Health Education Center, Montana Office of Rural Health
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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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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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Merit-Based Incentive Payment System (MIPS): 2025 Reporting Options Comparison Resource
Provides an overview of the similarities and differences among the three Merit-Based Incentive Payment System (MIPS) reporting options: Traditional MIPS, MIPS Value Pathways (MVP), and Alternative Payment Model (APM) Performance Pathway (APP). Designed to help providers understand which reporting options may be best for their practice. Includes information on reporting flexibilities and scoring for small and rural practices.
Additional links: 2025 Merit-Based Incentive Payment System (MIPS) At-A-Glance Reporting Options for Small Practices
Date: 05/2025
Sponsoring organization: Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services
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Provides an overview of the similarities and differences among the three Merit-Based Incentive Payment System (MIPS) reporting options: Traditional MIPS, MIPS Value Pathways (MVP), and Alternative Payment Model (APM) Performance Pathway (APP). Designed to help providers understand which reporting options may be best for their practice. Includes information on reporting flexibilities and scoring for small and rural practices.
Additional links: 2025 Merit-Based Incentive Payment System (MIPS) At-A-Glance Reporting Options for Small Practices
Date: 05/2025
Sponsoring organization: Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services
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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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Rural Healthcare Provider Transition Project (RHPTP) Webinar: Quality Improvement (QI) Alignment Across the Hospital and Clinics is Key to Value-Based Payment (VBP) Success
A recorded webinar that discusses strategies to align quality improvement (QI) projects with value-based payment (VBP) across organizational settings. Discusses clinical quality measures and sustainability of QI. Transcript available below description.
Additional links: Slides
Author(s): Lisa Olson, Candy Hanson
Date: 05/2025
Sponsoring organizations: National Rural Health Resource Center, Stratis Health
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A recorded webinar that discusses strategies to align quality improvement (QI) projects with value-based payment (VBP) across organizational settings. Discusses clinical quality measures and sustainability of QI. Transcript available below description.
Additional links: Slides
Author(s): Lisa Olson, Candy Hanson
Date: 05/2025
Sponsoring organizations: National Rural Health Resource Center, Stratis Health
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Merit-based Incentive Payment System (MIPS): 2025 MIPS Promoting Interoperability Performance Category Hardship Exception Application Guide
Provides guidance on how clinicians can apply for a MIPS hardship exception. Highlights guidance for having your MIPS Promoting Interoperability performance category reweighted to 0% in cases of insufficient internet connectivity, decertified electronic health record technology, or other circumstances out of the clinicians' control.
Date: 05/2025
Sponsoring organization: Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services
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Provides guidance on how clinicians can apply for a MIPS hardship exception. Highlights guidance for having your MIPS Promoting Interoperability performance category reweighted to 0% in cases of insufficient internet connectivity, decertified electronic health record technology, or other circumstances out of the clinicians' control.
Date: 05/2025
Sponsoring organization: Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services
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