Rural Health Clinics (RHCs) – Resources

Barriers to Health Care Access for Rural Medicare Beneficiaries: Recommendations from Rural Health Clinics
Presents findings from an online survey of Rural Health Clinics, describing barriers for Medicare patients in accessing healthcare services. Includes recommendations for improving access to care for rural Medicare beneficiaries.
Author(s): Megan Lahr, Carrie Henning-Smith, Adrita Rahman, Ashley M. Hernandez
Date: 01/2021
Type: Document
Sponsoring organization: University of Minnesota Rural Health Research Center
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Tracking a Pandemic: How Rural Health Clinics Utilized a Historic Investment to Fight COVID-19
Shares the results from a survey of 289 Rural Health Clinics (RHCs) across 40 states surveyed in April 2021. Describes the experiences of RHC staff and how the Rural Health Clinic COVID-19 Testing (RHCCT) program funding was used to meet the healthcare needs of rural communities arising from the COVID-19 pandemic.
Date: 2021
Type: Document
Sponsoring organization: National Association of Rural Health Clinics
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Rural Health Clinics Modernization Policy Explained
Recording of a webinar (updated December 31, 2020) providing an overview of statutory revisions to the Rural Health Clinic (RHC) payment methodology. Explains the impact of the changes on both capped and uncapped RHCs. Includes information on telehealth reimbursement for RHCs. Part of the Rural Health Clinic Technical Assistance Series.
Additional links: Presentation Slides
Author(s): Bill Finerfrock, Nathan Baugh
Date: 12/2020
Type: Video/Multimedia
Sponsoring organization: National Association of Rural Health Clinics
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Navigating RHC COVID-19 Testing Fund Reporting Requirements
Recording of an October 7, 2020, webinar providing detailed information about the reporting requirements for the Rural Health Clinic (RHC) COVID-19 Testing Relief Fund. Discusses the importance of reporting data and the type of data that should be documented. Part of the Rural Health Clinic Technical Assistance Series.
Additional links: Presentation Slides, Transcript
Date: 10/2020
Type: Video/Multimedia
Sponsoring organization: National Association of Rural Health Clinics
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Provision of Mental Health Services by Critical Access Hospital-Based Rural Health Clinics
Examines the extent to which Critical Access Hospital (CAH)-based Rural Health Clinics (RHCs) provide mental health services. Describes the characteristics and staffing patterns of CAH-based RHCs that offer these services. Explores challenges of providing mental health services at RHCs and strategies for integrating mental health and primary care services.
Author(s): John Gale, Zacharia Croll, Nathan First, Sara Kahn-Troster
Date: 06/2020
Type: Document
Sponsoring organization: Flex Monitoring Team
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Access to Specialty Care for Medicare Beneficiaries in Rural Communities
Findings from a voluntary online survey conducted in 2019 of 111 Rural Health Clinic (RHC) staff, from 27 states, to identify the most difficult specialty healthcare service to access, and why it is the most difficult to access. Conducts an analysis of RHC distance to the nearest hospital or clinic to determine variation in difficulty accessing specialty services.
Author(s): Megan Lahr, Hannah Neprash, Carrie Henning-Smith, Mariana S. Tuttle, Ashley M. Hernandez
Date: 12/2019
Type: Document
Sponsoring organization: University of Minnesota Rural Health Research Center
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Access and Capacity to Care for Medicare Beneficiaries in Rural Health Clinics
Findings from a voluntary online survey conducted in 2019 of 111 Rural Health Clinic (RHC) staff from 27 states, to better understand how they address issues on accessibility, capacity, flexibility of services, and other clinic characteristics for Medicare beneficiaries, and to identify any gaps in healthcare.
Author(s): Megan Lahr, Carrie Henning-Smith, Ashley M. Hernandez, Hannah Neprash
Date: 12/2019
Type: Document
Sponsoring organization: University of Minnesota Rural Health Research Center
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Effective Communication and Consistency in Increasing Rural Vaccination Rates
Discusses barriers to vaccination in rural areas and strategies to improve vaccination rates. Features efforts in a Louisiana Rural Health Clinic (RHC) and in rural Kentucky high schools that are increasing vaccination rates.
Author(s): Allee Mead
Citation: Rural Monitor
Date: 09/2019
Type: Document
Sponsoring organization: Rural Health Information Hub
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Cost-Sharing as a Barrier to Accessing Care at FQHCs and RHCs for Rural Medicare Beneficiaries
Results of a national study investigating cost barriers, using data acquired after enactment of the Affordable Care Act and viewed from perspectives other than ambulatory care sensitive hospitalizations. Features statistics including descriptive data of Federally Qualified Health Centers (FQHCs) and Rural Health Clinics (RHCs) from the study sample, with breakdowns by rural and urban location.
Author(s): Alex R. Schulte, George H. Pink, Mark Holmes, Denise Kirk
Date: 06/2019
Type: Document
Sponsoring organization: North Carolina Rural Health Research Program
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Identification of High-Need Rural Counties to Assist in Resource Location Planning for Primary Care
Demonstrates a selection process to sort counties by health and healthcare needs, and to identify areas with poor health outcomes and limited access to Rural Health Clinics (RHCs) and Federally Qualified Health Centers (FQHCs). Features statistics and county-level maps showing distribution of safety net providers in rural counties, distribution of average decile scores for health outcomes, socioeconomic characteristics, health behaviors, access to healthcare, and physical environment, among rural counties without an RHC and an FQHC.
Author(s): Charity B. Breneman, Jan M. Eberth, Janice C. Probst
Date: 05/2019
Type: Document
Sponsoring organization: Rural and Minority Health Research Center (formerly the South Carolina Rural Health Research Center)
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