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Rural Health
Resources by Topic: Healthcare business and finance

Use of In-Network Insurance Benefits Is Critical for Improving Retention in Telehealth-Based Buprenorphine Treatment
Evaluated 3,842 patients in an opioid use disorder (OUD) telehealth company to identify associations in insurance status and treatment program retention. Patient characteristic data includes breakdown by urbanicity, age, gender, race and ethnicity, buprenorphine status, and more.
Author(s): Arthur Robin Williams, Christopher Row, Lexie Minarik, et al.
Citation: Health Affairs Scholar, 2(3)
Date: 03/2024
Type: Document
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Inflation Reduction Act Research Series: Projected Impacts for Rural Medicare Enrollees
Provides an overview of how the Inflation Reduction Act (IRA) is intended to improve prescription drug affordability for Medicare enrollees. Describes Medicare enrollment in rural areas and rural residents' health status and access to care. Outlines the projected impact of drug-related IRA provisions for rural Medicare beneficiaries, including the expansion of financial assistance through the low-income subsidy program, out-of-pocket spending caps for insulin, changes in Part D benefit design, and more.
Date: 03/2024
Type: Document
Sponsoring organization: HHS Office of the Assistant Secretary for Planning and Evaluation
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Catalog of Value-Based Initiatives for Rural Providers
Summarizes rural-relevant, value-based programs currently or recently implemented by the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS), including the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) and the CMS Innovation Center. Designed to help rural healthcare leaders identify HHS value-based programs that are suitable for rural participation. Contains descriptions of each demonstration and provides direct links to the corresponding agency web page.
Date: 03/2024
Type: Document
Sponsoring organization: Rural Health Value
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Rural Health Research Recap: Post-Acute Care in Rural Areas: The Role of Swing Beds and Nursing Homes
Offers statistics on availability of post-acute care in rural areas through skilled nursing facilities, home health agencies, hospice, inpatient rehabilitation facilities, and swing beds. Includes sections on prospective payment system and cost-based reimbursement, and provides statistics on the proportion of nursing home closures in metropolitan and nonmetropolitan areas from 2008-2018.
Author(s): Per Ostmo
Date: 03/2024
Type: Document
Sponsoring organization: Rural Health Research Gateway
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Rural Health Leadership, with Steve Simonin
An episode of the Exploring Rural Health podcast featuring Steve Simonin, President and CEO of Iowa Specialty Hospital and Clinics. Focuses on how healthcare systems can invest in their communities, strategies for ensuring long-term rural health sustainability, and the importance of maintaining communication with state and federal support systems.
Date: 03/2024
Type: Audio
Sponsoring organization: Rural Health Information Hub
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Merit-Based Incentive Payment System (MIPS): 2024 Improvement Activities Performance Category Quick Start Guide
Provides an overview of Merit-based Incentive Payment System (MIPS) requirements, data collection, and data submission for the improvement activities performance category for the 2024 performance year. Includes information about special status scoring for small practices and clinicians located in a rural or Health Professional Shortage Area.
Date: 03/2024
Type: Document
Sponsoring organization: Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services
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Merit-Based Incentive Payment System (MIPS): 2023 Opt-in and Voluntary Reporting Election Process Guide
Discusses the eligibility of clinicians, groups, and Alternative Payment Model (APM) participants that exceed some low-volume threshold criteria to opt-in to the Merit-Based Incentive Payment System (MIPS) and the APM Performance Pathway (APP) for the 2023 performance period. Compares opting in and voluntarily reporting MIPS data and provides an overview of the election process.
Date: 03/2024
Type: Document
Sponsoring organization: Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services
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The Impact of Rural General Hospital Closures on Communities—A Systematic Review of the Literature
Presents a literature review of studies on the health and economic effects hospital closures have had on rural communities. Analyzes 21 studies completed in the previous 8 years and details the economic and healthcare access outcomes identified.
Author(s): Carol A. Mills, Valerie A. Yeager, Kathleen T. Unroe, et al.
Citation: Journal of Rural Health, 40(2), 238-248
Date: 03/2024
Type: Document
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Design and Impact of a Novel Rural Hospital Alliance
Provides an overview of the University of Arkansas for Medical Science's participation in the Arkansas Rural Health Partnership (ARHP), a southern Arkansas collaborative hospital network. Discusses AHRP program development for clinical network development, workforce recruitment and education, telemedicine, and community outreach initiatives. Highlights the use of partnerships and collaborations to improve hospital operations and health service availability in rural areas throughout.
Author(s): Kristie Hadden, Mellie Boagni, Jon Parham, Cam Patterson, Stephanie Gardner
Citation: Southern Medical Journal, 117(2), 67-71
Date: 02/2024
Type: Document
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The Rural Nursing Home Landscape
White paper describing the current rural nursing home landscape. Cover the importance of nursing homes in rural communities, the characteristics of these facilities, and the importance of future research to understand and prevent future nursing home closures.
Author(s): Nicole Galler, Casey P. Balio, Qian Huang, Kate Beatty
Date: 02/2024
Type: Document
Sponsoring organization: National Rural Health Association
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