Critical Access Hospitals (CAHs) resources via the Rural Health Information Hub

Resource: 'Good Stewards': Rural Healthcare Experts Discuss Governance Board Best Practices

Wed, 10 Jun 2026 13:16:07 -0500

Provides an overview of hospital and health center boards, with insights from rural CEOs and board members in Colorado, Missouri, North Dakota, and Oklahoma and experts from national organizations. Discusses board orientation and ongoing education, as well as ways to improve board governance. -- Rural Health Information Hub

Resource: MBQIP Fundamentals Guide for State Flex Programs: A Guide for Flex Coordinators on the Current Status of the MBQIP

Wed, 03 Jun 2026 15:02:51 -0500

Provides an overview of the history and current status of the Medicare Beneficiary Quality Improvement Project (MBQIP). Offers links to resources to support Flex program personnel and relevant subcontractors understand the basics of MBQIP. -- Rural Quality Improvement Technical Assistance (RQITA) Resource Center

Resource: MBQIP Quality Measures National Annual Report - 2024

Tue, 02 Jun 2026 08:53:08 -0500

Summarizes quality measure reporting rates and performance among Critical Access Hospitals (CAHs) in 2024. Presents data on the five Medicare Beneficiary Quality Improvement Project (MBQIP) domains: global measures, patient safety, patient engagement, care coordination, and emergency department. -- Flex Monitoring Team

Event: Find Hidden Revenue Without Adding Services or Staff

Thu, 28 May 2026 11:07:06 -0500

News: CMS: Medicare Program: Hospital Inpatient Prospective Payment Systems for Acute Care Hospitals and the Long Term Care Hospital Prospective Payment System and Policy Changes and Fiscal Year 2027 Rates; Requirements for Quality Programs; and Other Policy Changes; Correction

Thu, 21 May 2026 16:28:39 -0500

Notice from the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services making technical and typographical corrections to the April 14, 2026, proposed rule. Comments on the proposed rule are due by June 9, 2026.

News: Congresswoman Schrier Introduces Bipartisan Legislation to Support Maternal Healthcare in Rural Communities

Wed, 20 May 2026 09:23:44 -0500

Congresswoman Kim Schrier of Washington, along with representatives Randy Feenstra of Iowa, Jill Tokuda of Hawaii, and Darin LaHood of Illinois have reintroduced the Rural Maternity Options for Medical Support Act. This legislation would allow Critical Access Hospitals (CAHs) to count labor and delivery beds separate from acute care rooms, allowing hospitals to offer these services without putting their CAH status in jeopardy.

Resource: CAH Financial Indicators Report: Summary of Indicator Medians by State

Mon, 18 May 2026 11:38:09 -0500

Presents state and national median values of 30 financial indicators included in the Critical Access Hospital Measurement and Performance Assessment System (CAHMPAS). Provides an overview of each measurement and reports median values by state. Indicators represent seven areas of financial performance: profitability, liquidity, capital structure, revenue, cost, utilization, and other. -- Flex Monitoring Team

Resource: Payer Mix Shifts and Profitability at Critical Access Hospitals, 2011 to 2023

Tue, 28 Apr 2026 21:24:27 -0500

Analyzes 1,384 Critical Access Hospitals between 2011 and 2023 to determine the impact of changes in commercial, Medicare, Medicaid, and uncompensated care on their finances. Discusses reimbursement policy based on study findings.

Resource: 2025 National CAH Quality Inventory & Assessment National Report

Mon, 20 Apr 2026 09:12:13 -0500

Presents a high-level summary of key data points from the September-November 2025 National Critical Access Hospital (CAH) Quality Inventory and Assessment. Includes data on CAH system affiliation; median average daily census and emergency department volume; median swing bed admissions and swing bed length of stay; hospital inpatient, behavioral health and specialty care, and outpatient and other service lines; CAH quality payment model participation; and CAH quality improvement topic priorities. -- Flex Monitoring Team

Resource: Strategies for Critical Access Hospital Financial and Operational Performance Improvement: A Systematic Review

Tue, 14 Apr 2026 09:26:13 -0500

Summarizes findings from a systematic review of peer-reviewed and grey literature published since 2000 regarding financial and operational performance improvement interventions implemented by Critical Access Hospitals (CAHs) and rural hospitals in the United States and in other developed countries. Identifies key intervention areas, including service line optimization, revenue and cost management, and technology adoption, among others. Describes how State Flex Programs and hospital administrators can use these findings to inform decision-making and resource allocation. -- Flex Monitoring Team

Resource: Trends in Inpatient Revenue and Volume Among Critical Access Hospitals

Mon, 06 Apr 2026 10:45:07 -0500

Examines trends in Critical Access Hospital (CAH) revenue and volume between 2017 and 2024. Presents data on average outpatient-to-total revenue and mean average daily census among CAHs each year by CAH urban or rural location, region, profit status, and system affiliation. -- Flex Monitoring Team

Resource: A Chartbook on the Characteristics and Needs of Frontier Critical Access Hospitals

Thu, 02 Apr 2026 10:54:09 -0500

Summarizes findings from a 2025 national survey of executives from 117 Critical Access Hospitals (CAHs) in frontier counties. Includes data on the distribution and characteristics of frontier CAHs. Identifies themes related to financial and operational challenges, service availability, and access to care in frontier settings. -- Flex Monitoring Team

Resource: An Examination of All-Payer Inpatient Rural Hospital Bypass

Thu, 19 Mar 2026 10:18:36 -0500

Examines the extent to which rural patients bypassed their nearest rural hospital for inpatient care in eight states. Analyzes data on inpatient hospital admissions for rural residents of these states using the 2018 Healthcare Cost and Utilization Project (HCUP) State Inpatient Databases (SID). Identifies factors associated with hospital-level bypass rates by patient and hospital characteristics. -- ETSU/NORC Rural Health Research Center

Resource: MedPAC Report to the Congress: Medicare Payment Policy: Skilled Nursing Facility Services: Chapter 7

Thu, 12 Mar 2026 13:36:42 -0500

Discusses payment adequacy for skilled nursing facility (SNF) services. Features statistics on SNF care provided by rural hospitals and Critical Access Hospitals (CAHs) via swing beds and Medicare margins for urban, rural, and frontier freestanding SNFs in 2024. -- Medicare Payment Advisory Commission

Resource: Reporting and Performance of Maternity-Related Quality Measures in Critical Access Hospitals

Thu, 26 Feb 2026 10:21:59 -0600

Describes the characteristics of Critical Access Hospitals (CAHs) with and without labor and delivery services. Examines CAH quality reporting and performance on five key measures related to maternity care and birth outcomes. Explores relationships between maternity care quality performance and CAH characteristics such as system affiliation, volume, and location. Identifies quality measures related to maternity and birth outcomes that are most feasible and relevant for CAHs and rural hospitals. -- Flex Monitoring Team

Resource: Delivering Quality: Maternity Care Innovation in Critical Access Hospitals

Tue, 24 Feb 2026 10:01:17 -0600

Presents case studies of six Critical Access Hospitals (CAHs) that are high performers on maternity care quality measures. Summarizes interviews with leaders from each CAH regarding the benefits of their Perinatal Quality Collaboratives, use of safety bundles, training activities, and other successes in providing maternity care. -- Flex Monitoring Team

Resource: Improving the Value Proposition of Critical Access Hospitals – Lessons from Federal and State Initiatives

Thu, 12 Feb 2026 13:23:39 -0600

Report details how federal and state initiatives can support Critical Access Hospitals (CAHs) transition to value-based payment models. Provides examples of initiatives that offer models for use by State Flex Programs (SFPs) for supporting CAHs' transformation to value-based care. -- Flex Monitoring Team

Resource: MBQIP Report Resources

Mon, 02 Feb 2026 10:20:54 -0600

Provides a list of resources for State Flex Programs (SFPs) and Critical Access Hospitals (CAHs) to support them in utilizing quarterly Medicare Beneficiary Quality Improvement Project (MBQIP) reports in quality improvement activities. -- Flex Monitoring Team

Resource: Prepublication Requirements: Requirement Revisions Related to NFPA Codes and CMS CoPs

Fri, 30 Jan 2026 10:11:45 -0600

Outlines new and revised Joint Commission requirements for Critical Access Hospitals (CAHs) effective March 1, 2026. Changes clarify elements of performance (EPs) based on National Fire Protection Association (NFPA) requirements and further align Joint Commission standards with Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) Conditions of Participation (CoPs). -- Joint Commission

Event: 2027 26th Annual Critical Access Hospital Conference

Tue, 20 Jan 2026 14:27:36 -0600

Kansas City MO
September 22, 2027 -- National Rural Health Association

Resource: Critical Access Hospital: 2026 National Patient Safety Goals

Mon, 29 Dec 2025 11:30:02 -0600

Identifies National Patient Safety Goals for the Joint Commission's Critical Access Hospital Accreditation Program. Covers emergency management, infection prevention, pain management and safe prescribing practices, suicide prevention, workplace and patient safety, and more. Effective January 1, 2026. -- Joint Commission

Resource: Medicare Rural Hospital Flexibility Program Structure for FY 2024 – FY 2028

Thu, 11 Dec 2025 10:51:11 -0600

Outlines the purpose and allowable activities within each of the five Medicare Rural Hospital Flexibility (Flex) Program program areas, as well as suggested outcome measures for each program area. -- National Rural Health Resource Center

Resource: Measuring State Flex Program Impact: Tools to Support Outcome Measurement and Evaluation

Tue, 02 Dec 2025 10:16:08 -0600

Toolkit designed to help State Flex Programs (SFPs) with manage and document project performance and comply with the Federal Office of Rural Health Policy's expectations regarding outcome measurement and reporting. Provides blank worksheets for SFPs as they work through the steps for their projects, as well as links to outcome measurement resources. -- Flex Monitoring Team

Resource: RHCs and CAHs Participating in the Medicare Shared Savings Program (MSSP): Characteristics of the Providers and Communities

Tue, 25 Nov 2025 10:18:36 -0600

Describes the characteristics of Rural Health Clinics (RHCs) and Critical Access Hospitals (CAHs) currently participating in the Medicare Shared Savings Program (MSSP) in 2023. Compares CAH and RHC characteristics by MSSP participation, ownership status, and free-standing versus provider-based RHC status. -- RUPRI Center for Rural Health Policy Analysis

Resource: Facilitators of Strong Quality and Financial Outcomes in Critical Access Hospitals

Fri, 21 Nov 2025 15:26:41 -0600

Examines leadership traits, management strategies, and other governance and collaboration-based supports for positive quality and financial outcomes in Critical Access Hospitals (CAHs), utilizing insights from interviews of leaders at 10 CAHs which met high financial and quality benchmarks. Provides interview excerpts and identifies themes. -- Flex Monitoring Team

Resource: Characteristics of Critical Access Hospitals with High Financial and Quality Metric Performance

Thu, 20 Nov 2025 15:07:22 -0600

Examines Critical Access Hospital (CAH) financial and quality performance utilizing Medicare Beneficiary Quality Improvement Project (MBQIP) data. Provides characteristics of CAHs and their respective measures according to 5 financial and 5 quality benchmarks. -- Flex Monitoring Team

Resource: The Evolving Role of Critical Access Hospitals in Rural Physician Training

Mon, 03 Nov 2025 09:58:23 -0600

Research letter examining prevalence of Critical Access Hospital (CAH)-based training and comparing CAHs with other rural teaching hospitals to evaluate potential for expansion. Features statistics on characteristics of training programs in CAHs and other rural teaching hospitals.

Resource: Sustaining Rural Labor & Delivery Programs: Strategies for Financial Analyses and Considerations for Maintaining Services

Mon, 15 Sep 2025 09:08:11 -0500

A guide for Critical Access Hospital and other rural hospital executives to use when assessing the financial viability of their Labor & Delivery programs. Outlines three strategies that may bring a Labor & Delivery program closer to sustainability and prevent unnecessary closure of services in rural areas. -- Flex Monitoring Team

Resource: Rural Resource: Availability of Obstetric Simulation Training by State

Wed, 10 Sep 2025 09:31:46 -0500

Explores the availability of simulation training and continuing medical education (CME)/distance learning opportunities for both rural hospitals with obstetric units and those without obstetric units. Presents findings of an environmental scan of national, regional, and state-level obstetric training resources. Offers recommendations for ways State Flex Programs and Critical Access Hospitals can use this resource to identify applicable simulation trainings. -- Flex Monitoring Team

Resource: MBQIP Navigator: Your Guide to Quality Reporting Success

Mon, 08 Sep 2025 10:11:10 -0500

Offers Flex Coordinators, Critical Access Hospital staff, and others who are working with the Medicare Beneficiary Quality Improvement Project (MBQIP) information to better understand the measure reporting process. Discusses how to register for the reporting site, which measures are to be reported, and how to submit data for each measure. -- Rural Quality Improvement Technical Assistance (RQITA) Resource Center