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Rural Health
Resources by Topic: Post-acute care

Market Characteristics Associated with Rural Hospitals' Provision of Post-Acute Care
Findings brief summarizing hospital- and market-level factors related to post-acute care (PAC) provided in rural hospitals from 2012-2015. Features statistics from 2012-2015 rural Medicare cost reports, PAC provision by census region in 2015, and percent of hospitals in frontier and remote areas in 2015 with breakdowns by type and PAC provision.
Author(s): Abby F. Hoffman, Randy K. Randolph, Alex R. Schulte, George H. Pink
Date: 04/2018
Type: Document
Sponsoring organization: North Carolina Rural Health Research Program
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Rural and Urban Provider Market Share of Inpatient Post-Acute Care Services Provided to Rural Medicare Beneficiaries
Findings brief examining rural patients' access to rehabilitation and skilled nursing care, using claims data from January 2013 through March 2014. Features statistics including numbers of patient days and discharges and average length of stay, with breakdowns by type and location of facility and type of care.
Author(s): Alex R. Schulte, Denise A. Kirk, Randy K. Randolph, George H. Pink
Date: 04/2018
Type: Document
Sponsoring organization: North Carolina Rural Health Research Program
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Critical Access Hospital Swing-Bed Quality Measures: Findings from Key Informant Interviews
Results of a study to examine how Critical Access Hospitals (CAHs) are assessing the quality of care given to swing bed patients. Uses data from interviews with representatives from CAH networks, consultants, and staff members responsible for swing bed services at 10 CAHs and 2 rural PPS hospitals in 10 states.
Author(s): Michelle Casey, Ira Moscovice, Henry Stabler
Date: 04/2018
Type: Document
Sponsoring organization: University of Minnesota Rural Health Research Center
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MedPAC Report to the Congress: Medicare Payment Policy, 2018
Annual review of Medicare payment policies, with recommendations to Congress. Includes discussion on Medicare payment policies directly affecting rural providers and beneficiaries. Addresses Medicare Part D, Medicare Advantage, telehealth, payment incentive programs, and payment adequacy for healthcare facilities and services.
Additional links: Chapter 14 Online-Only Appendixes: The Medicare Prescription Drug Program (Part D): Status Report (March 2018 Report, Revised June 25, 2018), Chapter 16 Online-Only Appendixes: Mandated Report: Telehealth Services and the Medicare Program (March 2018 report), Errata Sheet: Table 9-7, Page 255 (March 2018 Report, Revised May 30, 2018)
Date: 03/2018
Type: Document
Sponsoring organization: Medicare Payment Advisory Commission
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North Dakota Nursing Facility Workforce Survey Chartbook: 2016
Analyzes the survey results from 78 nursing facility chief executive officers in North Dakota. Describes characteristics of the nursing facility workforce. Includes rural versus urban comparisons for multiple measures, such as registered nurse (RN) vacancy rates, number of nurse full-time equivalents (FTEs), level of difficulty in filling staff positions, most important problem in recruiting RNs, and many others.
Author(s): Gary Hart, Robin Besse, Mandi-Leigh Peterson
Date: 09/2017
Type: Document
Sponsoring organization: University of North Dakota Center for Rural Health
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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
Type: Document
Sponsoring organization: North Carolina Rural Health Research Program
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MedPAC Report to the Congress: Medicare and the Health Care Delivery System, June 2017
Includes chapters on implementing a unified payment system for post-acute care, Part B drug payment policies, the redesign of the Merit-Based Incentive Payment System (MIPS) and other alternative payment models, drug and device manufacturer payments to physicians and teaching hospitals, stand-alone emergency departments, and skilled nursing facility use. Rural hospitals and rural patient populations are discussed throughout the report.
Date: 06/2017
Type: Document
Sponsoring organization: Medicare Payment Advisory Commission
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MedPAC Report to the Congress: Medicare Payment Policy, 2017
Provides an annual review of Medicare payment policies, with recommendations to Congress. Includes discussions on Medicare payment policies that directly affect rural providers and beneficiaries. Analyses payment adequacy for home health, skilled nursing, long-term care hospitals, hospice, ambulatory surgical centers, and rehabilitation facilities.
Date: 03/2017
Type: Document
Sponsoring organization: Medicare Payment Advisory Commission
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Rural Promising Practice Issue Brief: VA Coordinated Transitional Care (C-TraC) Program
Highlights a promising practice in providing coordinated transitional care for rural veterans. Details the Coordinated Transitional Care (C-TraC) Program and discusses implementation and results from the pilot program at a VA medical center in Madison, WI.
Additional links: Overview
Date: 02/2017
Type: Document
Sponsoring organization: Veterans Health Administration's Office of Rural Health
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An All-Payer View of Hospital Discharge to Postacute Care, 2013
Presents data on hospital discharges to different post-acute care settings: inpatient rehabilitation facilities, long-term care hospitals, skilled nursing facilities, and home health agency care. Includes information by hospital type for rural and urban hospitals, as well as by hospital size and region.
Author(s): Wen Tian
Date: 05/2016
Type: Document
Sponsoring organization: Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality
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