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Rural Health
Resources by Topic: Hospitals

Reinventing Rural Health Care: A Case Study of Seven Upper Midwest States
Examines the state of rural healthcare in seven states - Iowa, Minnesota, Montana, Nebraska, North Dakota, South Dakota, and Wyoming - and uses the findings to determine the impact of existing federal policies, understand ongoing healthcare challenges, and identify opportunities for improvement in rural healthcare access and delivery. Addresses rightsizing healthcare services to fit community needs, creating rural funding mechanisms, building and supporting the primary care physician workforce, and expanding telemedicine services. Analysis is based on interviews with over 90 national thought leaders and key stakeholders.
Additional links: Infographic, Summary – Rural Health Care: Lessons Learned
Date: 01/2018
Sponsoring organization: Bipartisan Policy Center
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An Interim Evaluation Report of the Innovative Projects Portfolio of the Medicare Flex Grant Program
Provides background on the Flex Program and the Integration of Innovative Health Care Models (Innovative Projects) program area. Evaluates the impact of the Innovative Projects program area across seven participating states, focusing on activities involving the transition to value-based care, telehealth, care coordination, quality improvement, and system delivery in rural communities. Final implementation results are described in Implementation and Early Results of the Flex Program's Innovative Models Program Area: Final Evaluation Report.
Author(s): Sara Kahn-Troster, John Gale, Anush Hansen, Andrew Coburn
Date: 01/2018
Sponsoring organization: Flex Monitoring Team
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Review of the 340B Drug Pricing Program
Provides extensive background information about the 340B Program, explains the Health Resources and Services Administration's (HRSA) oversight functions, and details requirements for the various covered entities, including rural hospitals and Federally Qualified Health Centers (FQHCs). Also makes recommendations for clarifying the 340B Program's scope and ensuring program integrity is maintained.
Date: 01/2018
Sponsoring organization: House Committee on Energy and Commerce
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Access to Care: Populations in Counties with No FQHC, RHC, or Acute Care Hospital
Findings brief focusing on the 3 main facility types providing primary care in rural areas and examining how many people will likely have limited access to primary care based on their locations. Includes statistics on numbers of people living in counties without these facilities, with breakdowns by 9 census divisions.
Author(s): Meagan Clawar, Randy Randolph, Kristie Thompson, George H. Pink
Date: 01/2018
Sponsoring organization: North Carolina Rural Health Research Program
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Mass Shootings and Rural Areas
Interview with Mandi Sralla, director of the emergency department of Connally Memorial Medical Center in Floresville, Texas. Describes the facility's response in the wake of a mass shooting in nearby Sutherland Springs in November 2017.
Author(s): John Hick
Date: 2018
Sponsoring organization: Administration for Strategic Preparedness and Response
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Transforming Health Care from the Ground Up
Describes two examples of innovation driven by doctors, nurses, administrators, entrepreneurs, and patients involving a major transformation of healthcare delivery. One example was an initiative developed through the University of Mississippi Medical Center where a telehealth network was created to increase patient access to care in rural areas with a focus on Critical Access Hospitals (CAHs).
Author(s): Vijay Govindarajan, Ravi Ramamurti
Citation: Harvard Business Review
Date: 2018
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ACOs' Impact on Hospitalization Rates of Rural Older Adults with Diabetes: Early Indications
Examines the impact of Accountable Care Organizations (ACOs) on reducing the hospitalization rate for diabetes related conditions of older adults living in rural southeast areas of the U.S. where the prevalence of diagnosed diabetes is higher. Highlights the characteristics of Rural Health Clinics (RHCs) participating in ACOs and the adult patients they serve.
Author(s): Yi-Ling Lin, Judith Ortiz, Celeste Boor
Citation: Family & Community Health, 41(4), 265-273
Date: 2018
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Optimizing Rural Health: A Community Healthcare Blueprint
Provides three in-depth case studies of rural Texas communities facing hospital closures to learn more about how communities respond. Identifies lessons learned in regards to community awareness, community engagement, how access is defined, hospital board leadership, and finances to guide other rural communities facing similar challenges.
Date: 2018
Sponsoring organizations: A&M Rural and Community Health Institute, Center for Optimizing Rural Health
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An Empirical Study of the Determinants of Location of Hospital Mergers and Acquisitions: 1997-2016
Examines trends in hospital mergers and acquisitions based on acquirer ownership status, whether the merger or acquisition was out-of-state, and whether the hospital acquired was rural. Discusses areas for future research based on the findings.
Author(s): David R. Williams, Trent J. Spaulding
Citation: Journal of Health Care Finance, 45(1), 1-20
Date: 2018
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Unintentional Firearm Injuries Remain Prevalent Over a 12 Year Experience at a Rural Midwestern Level 1 Trauma Center
Examines the variety of firearm injuries seen at a rural Iowa level 1 trauma center to provide an awareness of the prevalence, mechanism used in the injury, and variation in seasonal occurrence. Data identifying patients with a firearm injury was obtained from a trauma registry for the years 2002 to 2014. Goal was to distinguish the characteristics of preventable firearm injuries in rural environments to improve firearm education and influence public policy.
Author(s): Brian Guetschow, Michele Lilienthal, Michael Willey
Citation: Iowa Orthopaedic Journal, 38, 45-52
Date: 2018
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