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Rural Health Information Hub

Rural Health
Resources by Topic: Hospitals

CARES Act: Provisions to Help Rural Hospitals
Provides an overview of aspects of the Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security (CARES) Act designed to support rural hospitals. Highlights provisions related to access to capital, Medicare payments, and telehealth, among others.
Date: 04/2020
Sponsoring organization: American Hospital Association
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Cybersecurity Toolkit for Rural Hospitals and Clinics
Describes 4 steps to help rural clinics and hospitals develop and maintain cybersecurity programs: awareness, assessment, implementation and remediation, and education. Includes a list of resources, checklists, and tools appropriate for all users.
Date: 04/2020
Sponsoring organization: National Rural Health Resource Center
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Cross-Sector Collaboration for Vulnerable Populations Reduces Utilization and Strengthens Community Partnerships
Describes the process and outcomes of a cross-sector, interprofessional collaborative strategy to address the needs of vulnerable community members, in a rural area, who are high utilizers of emergency services, social service providers, criminal justice departments, and healthcare systems. Discusses approaches shown to reduce challenges during the collaborative process and offers insights to communities wishing to pursue similar projects.
Author(s): Lauran Hardin, Shelly Trumbo, Dawn Wiest
Citation: Journal of Interprofessional Education & Practice, 18
Date: 03/2020
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MPH Students Tackle Real-Life Problems at Oklahoma's Critical Access Hospitals
Presents an overview of an Oklahoma State University (OSU) program that enables public health students, in conjunction with the Oklahoma Office of Rural Health (OORH), to address challenges facing Critical Access Hospitals (CAHs) in Oklahoma. Projects are selected based on priorities from Community Health Needs Assessments (CHNAs), with past efforts addressing mental health first aid, healthy eating, substance use, physical activity, and more.
Author(s): Beth Blevins
Date: 03/2020
Sponsoring organization: National Organization of State Offices of Rural Health
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Antibiotic Resistance: Additional Federal Actions Needed to Better Determine Magnitude and Reduce Impact
Explores four challenges that federal agencies face in addressing antibiotic resistance. Provides eight recommendations for federal agencies to strengthen their efforts to combat antibiotic resistance. Includes references to antibiotic stewardship guidance and programs for Critical Access Hospitals throughout.
Additional links: Full Report
Date: 03/2020
Sponsoring organization: Government Accountability Office
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Interim Evaluation of California's Public Hospital Redesign and Incentives in Medi‐Cal (PRIME) Program
Reports on California's Public Hospital Redesign and Incentives in Medi-Cal Program (PRIME), approved by the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) to modify Medicaid programs and implement innovative delivery reforms. PRIME uses evidence-based quality improvement methods that require hospitals to establish performance baselines, institute targets for improvement, and evaluate the success of quality improvement interventions on an ongoing basis. The analysis of the program included 52 designated public hospitals and district/municipal hospitals, with 17 of the latter being Critical Access Hospitals (CAHs).
Author(s): Nadereh Pourat, Xiao Chen, Ana E. Martinez, et al.
Date: 03/2020
Sponsoring organizations: California Department of Health Care Services, UCLA Center for Health Policy Research
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Occupancy Rates in Rural and Urban Hospitals: Value and Limitations in Use as a Measure of Surge Capacity
Compares the acute care and intensive care unit occupancy rates between rural and urban hospitals in 2018. Presents state-by-state and national data. Explores the challenges of using this data to identify surge capacity in preparation of an increase in patient volume due to COVID-19.
Date: 03/2020
Sponsoring organization: North Carolina Rural Health Research Program
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Hospital Compare Quality Measure Results for CAHs, 2018
Describes the rates at which Critical Access Hospitals (CAHs) reported quality improvement measures in 2018. Reports state rankings based on reporting rates. Includes national CAH performance results of selected inpatient and outpatient quality measures. Contains links to state-specific reports.
Additional links: State Profiles
Author(s): Megan Lahr, Tongtan Chantarat, Ira Moscovice
Date: 03/2020
Sponsoring organization: Flex Monitoring Team
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The Exchange Feature Issue: Preparing for and Responding to Wildfires and Planned Outages
Newsletter issue focusing on lessons learned by medical facilities and communities in Colorado and California during the wildfires of 2017 and 2019. Covers information useful for rural hospital emergency managers and administration, including mass sheltering, hospital evacuation, managing stress and compassion fatigue among workers, and community recovery.
Citation: Issue 10
Date: 03/2020
Sponsoring organization: Administration for Strategic Preparedness and Response
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MedPAC Report to the Congress: Medicare Payment Policy, 2020
Annual review of Medicare payment policies, with recommendations to Congress. Includes discussion on Medicare payment policies directly affecting rural providers and beneficiaries. Addresses payment adequacy for healthcare facilities and services, improving Medicare payment for post-acute care, Medicare Advantage, Medicare Part D, and the impact of healthcare provider consolidation.
Date: 03/2020
Sponsoring organization: Medicare Payment Advisory Commission
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