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Rural Health
Resources by Topic: Hospitals

Improving Access to High Quality Sepsis Care in a South Dakota Emergency Telemedicine Network
Research and policy brief exploring whether emergency department-based telemedicine networks using real-time access to sepsis experts can improve outcomes and decrease variation in care. Discusses a pilot program for Critical Access Hospitals in South Dakota-based Avera Health's 140-hospital network in 12 states. Includes statistics for patients with positive sepsis screens from September 2016 to March 2017.
Author(s): Nicholas M. Mohr, Brian Skow, Amy Wittrock, et al.
Date: 08/2017
Sponsoring organization: Rural Telehealth Research Center
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Social Determinants of Health Series: Housing and the Role of Hospitals
Provides an overview of the role of housing in health, and discusses what hospitals can can do to address housing instability as a social determinant of health. Offers five case studies of innovative hospital and health system programs related to housing, including a rural California program that provides safe transitional housing to chronically homeless patients after discharge from the hospital.
Date: 08/2017
Sponsoring organizations: American Hospital Association, Health Research & Educational Trust
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Rural and Urban Hospitals in the United States
Shows the number of rural and urban hospitals in the United States as of January 1, 2016. Hospitals are organized according to type and urban/rural designation.
Date: 08/2017
Sponsoring organization: North Carolina Rural Health Research Program
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The Economic Impacts of 26-50 Bed Prospective Pay System (PPS) Hospitals and 51-100 Bed PPS Hospitals on the Local Economies
Estimates the economic impact of different size rural Prospective Payment System (PPS) hospitals on their communities. Uses a sample of 347 rural hospitals from 41 states. Discusses direct impacts, such as employee wages and benefits, as well as secondary benefits such as construction activity and retail spending.
Author(s): Fred C. Eilrich, Cheryl F. St. Clair, Gerald A. Doeksen
Date: 07/2017
Sponsoring organization: National Center for Rural Health Works
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Rethinking Rural Hospitals
Discusses the various factors associated with rural hospital closures, and makes the case for adopting new, innovative approaches to rural healthcare delivery.
Author(s): Diana J. Mason
Citation: JAMA: Journal of the American Medical Association, 318(2), 114-115
Date: 07/2017
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Magnolia Regional Medical Center Excels as a Hospital in Transition
Documents Magnolia Regional Medical Center's (MRMC) top accomplishments after participating in the Small Rural Hospital Transition (SRHT) project and completing a financial operational assessment (FOA). Major areas of improvement include net income, net patient revenue, days cash on hand, swing bed utilization, and overall quality ratings.
Date: 07/2017
Sponsoring organization: National Rural Health Resource Center
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The Financial Importance of Medicare Post-Acute and Hospice Care to Rural Hospitals
Findings brief describing variation in the number of hospitals in rural areas providing Medicare post-acute care (PAC) and hospice care, average amount of revenue generated for these services, and financial importance to rural hospitals. Includes statistics on 2015 Medicare PAC and hospice care revenue as percentage of patient revenue in 1,205 Critical Access Hospitals and 964 Prospective Payment System hospitals.
Author(s): Alex Schulte, H. Ann Howard, George H. Pink
Date: 07/2017
Sponsoring organization: North Carolina Rural Health Research Program
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Implementation of Antibiotic Stewardship Core Elements at Small and Critical Access Hospitals
Presents strategies for implementing antibiotic stewardship programs in critical access hospitals (CAHs). Includes examples of improved antibiotic-use strategies and guidelines for the prescribing physician, nurses, and pharmacists.
Date: 07/2017
Sponsoring organization: Centers for Disease Control and Prevention
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Promising Practice: Advisory Group in Washington State Works to Bring Palliative Care to Rural Patients
Describes the Palliative Care Rural Health Integration Advisory Team (PC-RHIAT) initiated by the Washington State Office of Rural Health (WA SORH), which aims to bring palliative care to rural patients through the use of telehealth and community engagement. The WA SORH facilitates this process by bringing experts in palliative care, rural health and telehealth, together with hospitals, clinics, and community team members to develop an action plan based in the rural community and within their healthcare organizations.
Author(s): Beth Blevins
Date: 06/2017
Sponsoring organization: National Organization of State Offices of Rural Health
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Changes in Hospital Quality Associated with Hospital Value-Based Purchasing
Examines whether quality improved more in acute care hospitals exposed to Medicare's Hospital Value-Based Purchasing (HVBP) program. Uses Critical Access Hospitals as a comparison for clinical process, patient experience, and mortality measures.
Author(s): Andrew M. Ryan, Sam Krinsky, Kristen A. Maurer, Justin B. Dimick
Citation: New England Journal of Medicine, 376(24), 2358-2366
Date: 06/2017
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