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Rural Health Information Hub

Rural Health
Resources by Topic: Hospitals

Serving High Need/High Cost Patients in the Emergency Department
Provides an overview of high-need/high-cost (HNHC) patient program design, implementation, operation, and assessment for rural hospitals to improve participant health, reduce emergency department (ED) visits, and decrease hospital charges. Includes links to additional resources and HNHC patient program case studies.
Author(s): A. Clinton MacKinney, Christopher Stamy
Date: 01/2021
Sponsoring organization: Rural Health Value
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Medicare Severe Wound Care: Spending Declines May Reflect Site of Care Changes; Limited Information Is Available on Quality
Reports on an analysis of where Medicare beneficiaries received care for severe wounds in 2018 and Medicare payment for these services. Provides an overview of the implementation of a dual payment system for long-term care hospitals in 2016, and examines how the dual payment system affected the availability and quality of severe wound care for Medicare beneficiaries. Includes data on severe wound care by facility type in addition to Medicare spending by urban and rural location.
Additional links: Full Report
Date: 01/2021
Sponsoring organization: Government Accountability Office
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Tele‐ICUs for COVID‐19: A Look at National Prevalence and Characteristics of Hospitals Providing Teleintensive Care
Discusses a study on the prevalence of intensive care unit telemedicine (tele-ICUs) in hospitals across the U.S. during the COVID-19 pandemic, specifically in rural and Critical Access Hospitals. Compares hospitals by region, ICU beds, and emergency visits, among other measures.
Author(s): Dunc Williams Jr., John Lawrence, Young-Rock Hong, Aaron Winn
Citation: Journal of Rural Health, 37(1), 133-141
Date: 01/2021
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Treating COVID‐19 in Rural America
Explores the challenges of treating COVID-19 in rural hospitals. Highlights the difficulty of conducting clinical trials to identify an effective treatment for COVID-19 in small rural hospitals.
Author(s): Dima Dandachi, Rebecca Reece, Elizabeth W. Wang, et al.
Citation: Journal of Rural Health, 37(1), 205-206
Date: 01/2021
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Ethical and Legal Challenges During the COVID‐19 Pandemic – Are We Thinking About Rural Hospitals?
Discusses the legal framework and ethical decisions hospitals are faced with during the COVID-19 pandemic. Highlights emergency preparedness planning for rural hospitals with limited workforce and resources.
Author(s): Love Patel, Amy Elliott, Erik Storlie, et al.
Citation: Journal of Rural Health, 37(1), 175-178
Date: 01/2021
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Using Telehealth as a Tool for Rural Hospitals in the COVID-19 Pandemic Response
Explores strategies for implementing telehealth services at rural hospitals in response to COVID-19. Discusses how telehealth can be utilized to expand rural hospital capacity, meet the needs of low acuity or recently discharged patients, and limit transfers to tertiary locations.
Author(s): Jeydith Gutierrez, Ethan Kuperman, Peter J. Kaboli
Citation: Journal of Rural Health, 37(1), 161-164
Date: 01/2021
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Maine State Office of Rural Health: Strategic Plan 2021
Offers a current assessment of activities of the Maine's Rural Health and Primary Care Program, and includes recommendations to improve health outcomes for rural and medically underserved Maine residents. Features sections on Critical Access Hospitals, Small Rural Hospital Improvement Program eligible hospitals, Federally Qualified Health Centers, and Rural Health Clinics. Includes statistics on primary care providers, mental health providers, and dentists.
Author(s): Pat Hart, Carol Kelly
Date: 2021
Sponsoring organization: Maine Office of Rural Health and Primary Care
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Rural Snapshot: Pennsylvania Health Care Providers and Facilities
Provides statistics with breakdowns by urban and rural areas on numbers of Pennsylvania medical doctors, healthcare professionals, and mental health professionals; percent of healthcare and social service workers ages 55 or older; and hospital beds per 1,000 residents. Includes a county-level map showing locations and numbers of various types of Pennsylvania health care facilities, with shadings indicating rural or urban counties.
Date: 2021
Sponsoring organization: Center for Rural Pennsylvania
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Rural Health Potentially Avoidable Utilization (PAU) Dashboard
Interactive dashboard providing information on potentially avoidable utilization at rural hospitals based on 2019 Medicare claims data. Includes data on admissions for ambulatory care sensitive conditions, hospital readmissions, and potentially avoidable emergency department visits.
Date: 2021
Sponsoring organization: Mathematica
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Rural Colorado: Access to Healthcare, 2021
Shows the location of rural clinics and rural hospitals by county. Identifies rural counties without a hospital or clinic.
Date: 2021
Sponsoring organization: Colorado Rural Health Center
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