Rural Health
Resources by Topic: Hospitals

Georgia Rural Hospital Tax Credit - 2026 Ranking of Financial Need
List of Georgia hospitals eligible for the Georgia Rural Hospital Tax Credit, ranked by financial need. Updated in July 2026.
Date: 07/2026
Sponsoring organization: Georgia Department of Community Health
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Evaluation of the ACO REACH Model: Evaluation Report 3
Presents key findings from an evaluation of the Accountable Care Organization (ACO) REACH Model's first performance year, as well as the two years of the preceding Global and Professional Direct Contracting (GPDC) Model. Examines model participants' implementation experiences and the model's impact on cost, utilization, and quality outcomes. Includes information on the participation of Federally Qualified Health Centers (FQHCs), Rural Health Clinics (RHCs), and Critical Access Hospitals (CAHs) in the model.
Additional links: Appendices, CMS Perspective Report, Executive Summary, Findings at a Glance
Date: 07/2026
Sponsoring organizations: Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services, NORC at the University of Chicago
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Virtual Roads to Real Recovery, with Amanda Kennedy
An episode of the Exploring Rural Health podcast featuring Amanda Kennedy, manager of the Mercy Virtual Substance Use Recovery Program. Focuses on strategies the program uses to build trust and provide patients a seamless bridge into substance use treatment. Part 2 in a 3-part series featuring the 2026 Rural Communities Opioid Response Program (RCORP) Innovation Tank finalists, with Mercy vSURP's work winning third place.
Date: 07/2026
Sponsoring organization: Rural Health Information Hub
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The Effect of Rural Versus Urban Residence on Risk of Unplanned Readmission and Death in Older Veterans Discharged From VA Hospitals
Examines the relationship among geography, readmission, and mortality rates of older veterans discharged from hospital to home. Examines 2023 readmission rates of 99,557 veterans discharged from Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) hospitals with data broken down according to sociodemographics, admission characteristics, health status, drive time to nearest VA facility, mortality, and rural versus urban location.
Author(s): Joanne K. Daggy, Anthony J. Perkins, Katie Ross-Driscoll, et al.
Citation: Journal of Rural Health, 42(3), e70183
Date: 07/2026
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The Digital Divide in Adoption and Advanced Use of Electronic Health Records among U.S. Hospitals: Rural Versus Urban Disparities from 2008 to 2023
Examines differences in electronic health record (EHR) technology adoption in rural versus urban hospitals. Utilizes 2008-2023 American Hospital Association Annual Survey Information Technology Supplement data to analyze rural versus urban differences in hospital EHR use, with breakdowns according to EHR adoption, level of EHR technology, advanced EHR use and capabilities, and more. Includes U.S. map showing rural versus urban gap in EHR adoption.
Author(s): A. Jerrod Anzalone, Yinting Liu, Elizabeth Reisher, et al.
Citation: Journal of the American Medical Informatics Association, 33(7), 1354-1369
Date: 07/2026
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Rural Pediatric Readiness: Improving Emergency Care for Kids
Features rural providers in Texas and Wyoming working to improve their ability to provide quality emergency care to pediatric patients, as well as a pediatric readiness training program in Georgia.
Author(s): Allee Mead
Citation: Rural Monitor
Date: 07/2026
Sponsoring organization: Rural Health Information Hub
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Beyond Maternal Mortality: How Severe Morbidity Reveals Policy Gaps in Maternal Care
Provides information about severe maternal morbidity (SMM) in the United States across sociodemographic groups and discusses possible policy interventions, including rural-specific strategies. Examines data on SMM with data broken down by year, state, medical condition, patient demographics, cost of delivery, insurance type, rurality, and hospital type of metro non-teaching, metro teaching, or rural.
Author(s): Eugene Declercq, Laurie C. Zephyrin
Date: 06/2026
Sponsoring organization: Commonwealth Fund
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Non-Federal Acute Care Hospital Electronic Health Record Adoption, 2008–2024
Explores trends in electronic health record (EHR) adoption among acute care hospitals between 2010 and 2024 using data from the American Hospital Association (AHA) Information Technology (IT) supplement. Presents data on EHR adoption by hospital characteristics, by hospital size, CAH status, rural/urban location, and independent/system affiliation.
Date: 06/2026
Sponsoring organization: Office of the National Coordinator for Health Information Technology
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Concordance Between Social Needs Screening and Availability of Associated Programs in US Hospitals
Examines the extent to which hospitals screen patients for social needs by analyzing data from the 2022 American Hospital Association (AHA) survey. Explores the alignment between hospitals that screen for social needs and the availability of programs to address those needs. Compares data on social needs screening and corresponding programs at hospitals by rural and urban location, Critical Access Hospital (CAH) status, region, ownership, and participation in accountable care organizations (ACOs).
Author(s): Khyathi Gadag, Keith Mueller, Whitney E. Zahnd
Date: 06/2026
Sponsoring organization: RUPRI Center for Rural Health Policy Analysis
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A Rural Solution to the Geriatric Mental Health Crisis
Podcast episode featuring leaders from two rural New England hospitals, discussing their behavioral health programs for older adults. Describes how these specialized behavioral health programs are helping older adults receive mental healthcare close to home.
Date: 06/2026
Sponsoring organization: American Hospital Association
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