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Rural Health Information Hub

Rural Hospitals – Resources

Selected recent or important resources focusing on Rural Hospitals.

Trends in Mortality for Medicare Beneficiaries Treated in the Emergency Department From 2009 to 2016
Examines mortality rates during and after emergency department (ED) visits among Medicare beneficiaries between 2009-2016. Explores mortality trends by differences in disposition from the ED, the severity of ED visit, and hospital characteristics. Includes a discussion of ED outcomes in rural settings.
Author(s): Laura G. Burke, Stephen K. Epstein, Ryan C. Burke, E. John Orav, Ashish K. Jha
Citation: JAMA Internal Medicine, 180(1), 80-88
Date: 01/2020
Type: Document
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Access, Quality, and Financial Performance of Rural Hospitals Following Health System Affiliation
Examines the impact of health system affiliation on rural hospitals' quality and financial performance, as well as patients' access to care. Compares rural hospitals affiliated with a health system between 2008-2017 with those that did not affiliate with a health system.
Author(s): Claire E. O'Hanlon, Ashley M. Kranz, Maria DeYoreo, Ammarah Mahmud, Cheryl L. Damberg, Justin W. Timbie
Citation: Health Affairs, 38(12), 2095-2104
Date: 12/2019
Type: Document
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Small Rural Hospital Transition (SRHT) Project Guide: A Rural Hospital Guide to Improving Care Management: 2019 Update
A guide for rural hospital leadership that identifies best practices in care management. Addresses care management roles and staffing needs and covers utilization review and discharge planning. Helps identify opportunities for process improvement. Also discusses competencies needed to transition to a value-based reimbursement environment focused on population health.
Date: 08/2019
Type: Document
Sponsoring organizations: National Rural Health Resource Center, Stroudwater Associates
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Hospital Price Transparency
Offers resources for healthcare providers and consumers regarding hospital price transparency regulations and policies. Includes links to a GitHub repository of resources for templates and technical instructions and tools to support hospitals in meeting accessibility and machine-readable file requirements.
Additional links: GitHub Repository
Type: Website
Sponsoring organization: Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services
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Birthing-Friendly Hospitals and Health Systems
Interactive tool identifying hospitals and health systems that have been designated as "Birthing-Friendly" by the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services.
Type: Map/Mapping System
Sponsoring organization: Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services
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Rural Emergency Hospital Technical Assistance Center
Provides technical assistance to rural hospitals and Critical Access Hospitals interested in examining the feasibility of converting to a Rural Emergency Hospital (REH). Also offers support throughout the application process, planning for REH conversion, and implementing service changes.
Type: Website
Sponsoring organization: Rural Health Redesign Center
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Estimates of Emergency Department Visits in the United States, 2016-2021
Interactive table displaying both counts and rates of emergency department visits from 2016-2021 for the 10 leading primary diagnoses and reasons for visit. Data can be stratified by patient and hospital characteristics, including being in a metropolitan statistical area (MSA) or non-MSA.
Type: Document
Sponsoring organization: National Center for Health Statistics
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Medicare Learning Network: Hospital Outpatient Prospective Payment System
Provides general information about the Medicare Hospital Outpatient Prospective Payment System (PPS). Includes information about payment rates, Ambulatory Payment Classification groups, price transparency, and more.
Type: Website
Sponsoring organization: Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services
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Medicare Learning Network: Acute Care Hospital Inpatient Prospective Payment System
Provides general information about the Medicare Acute Care Hospital Inpatient Prospective Payment System (PPS). Includes information on Medicare Disproportionate Share Hospitals (DSHs), Sole Community Hospitals (SCHs), Medicare Dependent Hospitals (MDHs), the Rural Referral Center (RRC) Program, and Low-Volume Hospitals (LVH).
Type: Website
Sponsoring organization: Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services
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AHA Hospital Statistics
Interactive dashboard providing data from the American Hospital Association (AHA) Annual Survey. Includes data on historical trends in hospital utilization, personnel, and finances, as well as data on hospitals by bed size category, U.S. Census region, state, and metropolitan statistical area.
Type: Database
Sponsoring organization: American Hospital Association
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Last Updated: 3/18/2024