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Rural Health
Resources by Topic: Critical Access Hospitals

Modernizing Payment to Critical Access Hospitals: A Proposal for the Next Iteration of the Flex Program
Commentary briefly describing the history the Medicare Rural Hospital Flexibility Program (Flex) and Cost-Based Reimbursement (CBR) for Medicare. Outlines the challenges of CBR for Critical Access Hospitals (CAH) and proposes a new payment system.
Author(s): Clint MacKinney, Keith Mueller, Alva Ferdinand, et al.
Citation: Journal of Rural Health, 39(4), 716-718
Date: 02/2023
Type: Document
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Patient Transfers to and from Critical Access Hospitals During the COVID-19 Pandemic
Examines inbound and outbound transfer patient volumes among Critical Access Hospitals (CAHs) during the COVID-19 pandemic. Discusses the barriers and facilitators to transferring patients that CAHs experienced. Compares transfer volume and facilitators for outbound transfers by CAH system ownership status.
Author(s): Abigail Wenninger, Madeleine Pick, Megan Lahr
Date: 02/2023
Type: Document
Sponsoring organization: Flex Monitoring Team
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Evaluation of Post-Discharge Engagement for Emergency Department Patients with Opioid Use History Who Received Telehealth Recovery Coaching Services
Examines successful interventions for patients in emergency departments (EDs) who receive peer recovery coach (PRC) services via telehealth that support patients with opioid use disorder (OUD). Analyzes 13 EDs in Indiana who implemented telehealth PRC services starting in 2018, including 7 rural Critical Access Hospitals (CAHs). Includes rate of successful follow-ups proceeding PRC services broken down by patient age, sex, race, drug use method, referral types, and metro, small, or rural living location.
Author(s): Dennis P. Watson, Peter Phalen, Spencer Medcalf, Sarah Messmer, Alan McGuire
Citation: Substance Abuse Treatment, Prevention,18(9)
Date: 02/2023
Type: Document
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Filling Behavioral Health Gaps in Rural Communities: A Unique Partnership in Washington State
Discusses a collaboration between a Critical Access Hospital (CAH) in Washington and state hospitals to accept patient transfers by utilizing swing beds to care for patients with complex behavioral health and social needs, such as substance use disorder, mental health, homelessness, and more. Includes data on swing bed admissions and information on incorporating behavioral health services into primary care.
Author(s): Sarah Klein, Martha Hostetter
Date: 02/2023
Type: Document
Sponsoring organization: The Commonwealth Fund
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Critical Access Hospital Workforce During COVID-19: Barriers and Facilitators for Recruiting and Retaining Staff
Presents findings from a survey of Critical Access Hospital (CAH) executives regarding the specific types of staff positions they have had challenges recruiting and retaining. Compares results by system affiliation. Discusses the barriers and facilitators to recruiting and retaining hospital staff.
Author(s): Madeleine Pick, Megan Lahr
Date: 02/2023
Type: Document
Sponsoring organization: Flex Monitoring Team
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Chartis Center for Rural Health Research & Resources for the 2023 National Rural Health Association's Rural Health Policy Institute Conference
Offers research and analysis of the stability of the rural healthcare safety net. Includes Rural Health Safety Net Under Renewed Pressure as Pandemic Fades and presentation slides on this report from the 2023 National Rural Health Association Policy Institute. Provides links to national and state data tables showing the financial impact of federal policies on rural hospitals.
Date: 02/2023
Type: Website
Sponsoring organization: Chartis Center for Rural Health
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Rural Health Safety Net Under Renewed Pressure as Pandemic Fades
Examines financial and operational metrics for rural hospitals, comparing hospitals in states that did and did not expand Medicaid, as well as the discontinuation of obstetrics and chemotherapy services. Discusses how the Rural Emergency Hospital (REH) designation can provide a path forward for some rural facilities and explores seven characteristics that may have the greatest impact on a facility's consideration to convert to an REH.
Date: 02/2023
Type: Document
Sponsoring organization: Chartis Center for Rural Health
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Feeding the Residents of Hardeman County Tennessee
Profiles Healthy Hardeman Outreach for Healthy Weight (H2O), a partnership between the Healthcare Bolivar General Hospital (BGH), the Hardeman County Health Department, and Hardeman County Community Health Center to improve access to healthy foods and reduce obesity in the Tennessee county.
Date: 02/2023
Type: Document
Sponsoring organization: American Hospital Association
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Care Coordination and Community Partnerships for Cancer Care in Critical Access Hospitals
Presents findings from a survey of 135 Critical Access Hospitals (CAHs) regarding care coordination practices for patients with cancer. Describes the types of care coordination services provided by CAHs and the staff that provide these services. Discusses partnerships between CAHs and community organizations regarding cancer initiatives.
Author(s): Megan Lahr, Xiomara Santana, Nathan Bean, Helen Parsons, Ira Moscovice
Date: 01/2023
Type: Document
Sponsoring organization: Flex Monitoring Team
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Changes in Service Offerings Post-System Affiliation in Rural Hospitals
Explores the effects of joining or leaving a regional or national healthcare system on 62 service offerings at rural prospective payment system (PPS) hospitals and Critical Access Hospitals (CAHs) between 2008 through 2020. Compares services offered at hospitals that joined a system, left a system, were always in a system during the study period, and were never is a system during the study period.
Date: 01/2023
Type: Document
Sponsoring organization: RUPRI Center for Rural Health Policy Analysis
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