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Rural Health Information Hub

Rural Health
Resources by Topic: Hospitals

Hospitals Face Financial Challenges Due to COVID-19
Describes the financial impact of COVID-19 on Kittitas Valley Healthcare in Ellensburg, Washington. Discusses the decline in emergency department and non-emergency surgery volume and changes to labor costs as a percentage of net revenue.
Date: 07/2020
Sponsoring organization: American Hospital Association
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Rural Healthcare Surge Readiness
Resources for rural healthcare systems preparing for and responding to a COVID-19 surge. Includes resources for emergency medical services, inpatient and hospital care, ambulatory care, and long-term care settings. Addresses a wide range of topics including healthcare operations, space, supplies, funding, and more.
Date: 07/2020
Sponsoring organization: COVID-19 Healthcare Resilience Working Group
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Changes in Care-Seeking after Rural Hospitals Merge
Describes changes to inpatient services in 15 rural hospitals in the 15 months before and after the hospitals' merger with another hospital or health system from 2014-2016. Features statistics on changes in visit type and percent bypass by diagnostic category and discharge date relative to merger.
Author(s): Tyler Malone, Denise Kirk, Randy Randolph, George Pink, Mark Holmes
Date: 07/2020
Sponsoring organization: North Carolina Rural Health Research Program
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Loss of Hospital-based Obstetric Services in Rural Counties in the United States, 2004-2018
Line chart showing the percent of micropolitan and noncore counties that had hospital-based obstetric care from 2004 through 2018.
Author(s): Katy B Kozhimannil, Julia D Interrante, Mariana S Tuttle
Date: 07/2020
Sponsoring organization: University of Minnesota Rural Health Research Center
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Advance Care Planning: New Realities in Times of COVID-19
Examines the challenges of advance care planning, planning for decision-making in times of medical crisis, due to COVID-19. Shares insights from clinicians and others involved in helping rural patients.
Author(s): Kay Miller Temple
Citation: Rural Monitor
Date: 07/2020
Sponsoring organization: Rural Health Information Hub
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Insights for What Enhances or Undermines Trust in Hospital Settings
Reviews research on the trust populations in rural and underserved areas have in hospitals. Highlights dimensions of patient trust identified by researchers. Profiles a study by the Colorado Hospital Association examining the relationship between patient and family engagement activities and patient trust in rural hospitals. Includes a discussion on the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on rural hospitals and Critical Access Hospitals.
Author(s): Bonnie Austin Cluxton
Date: 07/2020
Sponsoring organization: AcademyHealth
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MedPAC Comment on CMS's Proposed Rule on the Hospital Inpatient PPS and the Long-term Care Hospital PPS for FY 2021
Comments on a May 29, 2020, Federal Register proposed rule revising the hospital inpatient and long-term care hospital (LTCH) prospective payment systems. Discusses proposals to use commercial insurer data to set Medicare severity–diagnosis related group (MS–DRG) relative weights and adopt changes to geographic area delineations to establish hospital wage indexes for the IPPS and LTCH PPS.
Date: 07/2020
Sponsoring organization: Medicare Payment Advisory Commission
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Pennsylvania Hospital Transitions HRSA-Funded Program to Online Services and Addresses COVID-19 Stress
Features Butler Memorial Hospital and how it adapted to the COVID-19 pandemic. Highlights the switch to online delivery for a chronic disease project funded by a HRSA Rural Health Care Services Outreach grant. Also describes initiatives to address healthcare workforce stress, help patients use tablets to visit with loved ones, and distribute healthy food to the community.
Author(s): Allee Mead
Citation: Rural Monitor
Date: 07/2020
Sponsoring organization: Rural Health Information Hub
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RWHC Hospital Trustee Manual
Collection of brief articles covering hospital governance. Includes meeting ground rules, responsibilities and liabilities of non-profit directors, board self-assessment, ensuring quality care, financial stewardship, population health improvement, leadership development, and advocacy for rural health, among other topics.
Date: 06/2020
Sponsoring organization: Rural Wisconsin Health Cooperative
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Provision of Mental Health Services by Critical Access Hospital-Based Rural Health Clinics
Examines the extent to which Critical Access Hospital (CAH)-based Rural Health Clinics (RHCs) provide mental health services. Describes the characteristics and staffing patterns of CAH-based RHCs that offer these services. Explores challenges of providing mental health services at RHCs and strategies for integrating mental health and primary care services.
Author(s): John Gale, Zachariah Croll, Nathan First, Sara Kahn-Troster
Date: 06/2020
Sponsoring organization: Flex Monitoring Team
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