Skip to main content
Rural Health Information Hub

Rural Health
Resources by Topic: Service delivery models

Accountable Care Organizations: Looking Back and Moving Forward
Identifies key lessons from Accountable Care Organization (ACO) activities from their inception through 2015, examines how ACOs can build on successes, and informs policymakers and others about ways to further the development of effective ACOs. Includes a brief overview of virtual and rural ACO development.
Author(s): Rob Houston, Tricia McGinnis
Date: 01/2016
Type: Document
Sponsoring organization: Center for Health Care Strategies
view details
Lessons Learned from the MAVEN Project Pilot: Using Physician Volunteers to Increase Access to Care via Telehealth
Describes the evaluation of pilot program of the Medical Alumni Volunteer Expert Network (MAVEN) Project, which used experienced volunteer physicians to provide consults via telehealth to rural and inner-city providers. Pilot program offered telehealth visits at 3 community health centers in Massachusetts and California.
Author(s): Lori Uscher-Pines, Robert S. Rudin
Date: 2016
Type: Document
Sponsoring organization: RAND Corporation
view details
Rural Behavioral Health: Telehealth Challenges and Opportunities
Reviews the barriers to mental and substance use disorder treatment and services in rural communities. Presents ways telehealth can address these barriers and discusses the challenges in implementing telehealth services in rural areas. Addresses differences in state policies for telemedicine coverage through private insurance.
Citation: SAMHSA In Brief, 9(2)
Date: 2016
Type: Document
Sponsoring organization: Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration
view details
Rural Accountable Care Guide: Preparing Rural Health for the Approaching Accountable Care Era
A practical guide for healthcare providers and administrators to the successful creation of an ACO in a rural community. Identifies the eight essential elements of an ACO and discusses how to implement an ACO in a rural setting.
Date: 2016
Type: Document
Sponsoring organization: Toward Accountable Care Consortium and Initiative (TAC)
view details
ACO Investment Model, Rural Hospital Collaboration
Highlights how 3 rural Minnesota hospitals implemented the Accountable Care Organization Investment Model (AIM), which encourages coordinated care in rural areas through upfront and ongoing Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) payments.
Date: 2016
Type: Document
Sponsoring organization: American Hospital Association Rural Health Services
view details
Telestroke Centers as an Option for Addressing Geographical Disparities in Access to Stroke Care in South Carolina, 2013
Research brief on the benefits of telestroke centers in rural and remote areas of South Carolina to improve outcomes. Includes a discussion of the impact of limited primary stroke center access and suggestions for policymakers.
Author(s): Marsha Samson, Tushar Trivedi, Khosrow Heidari
Citation: Preventing Chronic Disease, 12
Date: 12/2015
Type: Document
view details
Delivery System Reform and Implications for Rural Communities
Policy brief discussing how rural healthcare providers can benefit from participating in delivery system reform (DSR) to be able to continue providing accessible, quality health services. Offers recommendations to the Secretary of Health and Human Services, such as requiring rural healthcare providers to participate in CMS quality programs and having CMS incorporate rural-relevant quality measures that are appropriate for rural healthcare providers.
Date: 12/2015
Type: Document
Sponsoring organization: National Advisory Committee on Rural Health and Human Services
view details
The Feasibility and Acceptability of Administering a Telemedicine Objective Structured Clinical Exam as a Solution for Providing Equivalent Education to Remote and Rural Learners
Describes implementation of a pilot program to effectively and efficiently assess distance medical students' clinical skills in rural areas.
Author(s): Ryan T. Palmer, Frances E. Biagioli, Jasminka Mujcic, et al.
Citation: Rural and Remote Health, 15(4), 3399
Date: 12/2015
Type: Document
view details
Health Care Innovation Awards (HCIA) Meta-Analysis and Evaluators Collaborative: Annual Report Year 1
Highlights key implementation and impact findings across 108 Health Care Innovation Awards (HCIA) grant recipients, based on work by 7 independent evaluators. Includes discussion of project experiences in rural areas.
Date: 11/2015
Type: Document
Sponsoring organizations: Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services, RTI International
view details
An Exploratory Study of the Use of Telehealth Services by Federally Qualified Health Centers and Hospitals in New York State
Results of a study on use of telehealth services by New York healthcare providers, including limitations, barriers, and plans for expanding availability. Features statistics on frequency and type of use, financing and reimbursement by provider type, and reasons for future use, with breakdowns by region of state and urban or rural location.
Author(s): Robert Martiniano, Jean Moore
Date: 11/2015
Type: Document
Sponsoring organization: Center for Health Workforce Studies
view details