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Critical Access Hospitals (CAHs) – Resources

Selected recent or important resources focusing on Critical Access Hospitals (CAHs).

Critical Access Hospital Electronic Clinical Quality Measure (eCQM) Resource List
Resource list for electronic clinical quality measures (eCQMs), reflecting new materials and updates from the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services for 2022 reporting.
Date: 08/2023
Type: Document
Sponsoring organization: Stratis Health
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2023 Flex Program Reverse Site Visit
Details the Flex Program's Reverse Site Visit meeting held on July 19-20, 2023, for Medicare Rural Hospital Flexibility (Flex) Program grantees. Includes links to each presentation's slides. Presentations cover federal program activities, policy updates, and program examples from several states.
Date: 07/2023
Type: Website
Sponsoring organizations: National Rural Health Resource Center, Technical Assistance and Services Center
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Demonstrating Your Value: A Guide to Potential Value-based Care Partnerships for Rural Health Care Organizations
Provides a three-step framework to help rural healthcare organizations quantify and demonstrate their value to potential partners - understanding the potential partner, identifying the value proposition, and presenting the value message. Includes a worksheet that can be used to document and track progress through each of the three steps
Date: 07/2023
Type: Document
Sponsoring organization: Rural Health Value
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Availability of Cancer Care Services and the Organization of Care Delivery at Critical Access Hospitals
Examines the availability and organization of cancer care services at Critical Access Hospitals (CAHs). Summarizes results of a survey of nursing and patient care leaders at 135 CAHs. Describes cancer treatment, diagnostic, and screening services provided at CAHs and the staff used to deliver patient care. Identifies four levels of CAH cancer care services.
Author(s): Ira Moscovice, Helen Parsons, Nathan Bean, et al.
Citation: Cancer Medicine, 2023
Date: 07/2023
Type: Document
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Population Health Outcome Measurement Strategies for State Flex Programs
Presents a framework for population health outcome measurement strategies for State Flex Programs (SFPs). Outlines a series of sequential steps, including identifying the needs to be addressed, educational programming, developing shared learning collaboratives/cohorts to support performance improvement, and implementing interventions. Offers practical examples of population health improvement performance improvement activities with short, intermediate, and long-term outcomes to document program impact over time.
Author(s): John Gale, Celia Jewell, Sara Kahn-Troster
Date: 07/2023
Type: Document
Sponsoring organization: Flex Monitoring Team
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Emergency Medical Services Outcome Measurement Strategies for State Flex Programs
Presents a framework regarding emergency medical services (EMS) outcome measurement for State Flex Programs (SFPs). Outlines a series of sequential steps, including identifying the needs to be addressed, educational programming, developing shared learning collaboratives/cohorts to support performance improvement, and implementing interventions. Offers practical examples of EMS performance improvement activities with short, intermediate, and long-term outcomes.
Author(s): John Gale, Karen Pearson, Celia Jewell, Sara Kahn-Troster, Kenneth Rosati
Date: 07/2023
Type: Document
Sponsoring organization: Flex Monitoring Team
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Emergency Preparedness and Response Efforts in Critical Access Hospitals
Webinar recording, part 2 of a 3-part series, discusses emergency preparedness planning, response, and recovery for Critical Access Hospitals (CAHs). Features presentations from representatives of NORC Walsh Center for Rural Health Analysis, Estes Park Health, and the McKenzie Health System.
Additional links: Audio Recording, Webinar Slides
Date: 06/2023
Type: Video/Multimedia
Sponsoring organization: Rural Health Information Hub
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Revisions and Deletions Related to the Standards Simplification Project: Critical Access Hospital (CAH) Accreditation Program
Outlines Joint Commission accreditation requirements for Critical Access Hospitals (CAHs) that are above and beyond the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) Conditions of Participation (CoPs) and will be combined, revised, or deleted effective August 27, 2023. Covers the information management; medication management; National Patient Safety Goals (NPSG); and provision of care, treatment, and services chapters, among others.
Date: 06/2023
Type: Document
Sponsoring organization: Joint Commission
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The Impact of COVID-19 on CAH Financial Indicators
Describes the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on Critical Access Hospital (CAH) financial indicators. Compares summary statistics on CAH financial indicators across eight categories in the six years prior to the pandemic (April 2015 - March 2020) to the same metrics during the pandemic (April 2020 - March 2022).
Author(s): Laura McFadyen, George Pink, Susie Gurzenda, Kristie W. Thompson, Kristin L. Reiter
Date: 06/2023
Type: Document
Sponsoring organization: Flex Monitoring Team
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The Impact of COVID-19 Funding on Profitability of Critical Access Hospitals
Examines the impacts of COVID-19 Public Health Emergency (PHE) funding on Critical Access Hospitals (CAHs). Compares CAH operating margins in the six years prior to the pandemic (April 2015 - March 2020) to operating margins during the pandemic (April 2020 - March 2022). Offers estimates to what CAH profitability would have been if CAHs did not receive PHE funding.
Author(s): Laura McFadyen, George Pink, Susie Gurzenda, Kristie W. Thompson, Kristin L. Reiter
Date: 06/2023
Type: Document
Sponsoring organization: Flex Monitoring Team
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Additional resources are available related to this guide. See the full list of resources by topic for:


Last Updated: 2/6/2024