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Rural Health Information Hub

Rural Health
Resources by Topic: Healthcare business and finance

Estimate of Federal Payment Reductions to Hospitals Following the ACA: 2010-2029: Estimates and Methodology
Estimates the reduction in Medicare hospital payments due to sequestration from 2010 to 2029, not including reductions enacted under the Affordable Care Act (ACA). Demonstrates how other legislative acts and regulatory changes by the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) reduced federal payments to hospitals over the same period. Highlights how reductions in Medicare payments for bad debt impacted Critical Access Hospitals (CAHs).
Date: 10/2019
Sponsoring organizations: American Hospital Association, Federation of American Hospitals
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States' Medicaid Fee-for-Service Nursing Facility Payment Policies
Spreadsheet outlining each state's Medicaid fee-for-service (FFS) nursing facility payment policy. Lists how each state sets the payment rate and any adjustments and supplemental payments. Includes information on rural/urban aspects of setting or adjustment to the payment in each state.
Date: 10/2019
Sponsoring organization: Medicaid and CHIP Payment and Access Commission
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CAH Participation in Flex Financial and Operational Improvement Activities, 2015–2018
Examines patterns of Critical Access Hospital (CAH) participation in activities funded by the Medicare Rural Hospital Flexibility (Flex) Program. Looks at CAHs' participation in financial and operational improvement activities, with information by various hospital characteristics including risk of financial distress.
Author(s): Kathleen Knocke, Kristin Reiter, George H. Pink
Date: 10/2019
Sponsoring organization: Flex Monitoring Team
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Community Health Centers Continue Steady Growth, But Challenges Loom
An overview of the performance of community health centers (CHCs) compiled from data reported annually to the federal government through the Uniform Data System (UDS) between 2000-2018. Data includes the total number of CHCs nationwide and in rural areas, patient demographics, patient volume, health insurance coverage, types of services rendered, number of health center staff, and health center revenue. Discusses the impact of growth on CHCs particularly in Medicaid expansion states.
Author(s): Jessica Sharac, Peter Shin, Sara Rosenbaum, et al.
Date: 09/2019
Sponsoring organizations: Geiger Gibson Program in Community Health, RCHN Community Health Foundation
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Electronic Prescribing of Controlled Substances among Office-Based Physicians, 2017
Examines rates of electronic prescribing of controlled substances (EPCS), with information by type of physician practice, including rural or urban location, practice size, practice ownership, physician specialty, and technology available. EPCS is mandated for Medicare Part D providers by 2021, through the Substance Use-Disorder Prevention that Promotes Opioid Recovery and Treatment (SUPPORT) for Patients and Communities Act.
Author(s): Sonal Parasrampuria, Martin Blanco, Wesley Barker
Date: 09/2019
Sponsoring organization: Assistant Secretary for Technology Policy/Office of the National Coordinator for Health Information Technology
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Child Care Challenges for Medicaid Work Requirements
Examines the impact of Medicaid work requirements on low-income parents related to finding and affording child care. Discusses challenges related to accessing child care and afterschool programs in rural areas.
Author(s): Gina Adams, Eva H. Allen, Anuj Gangopadhyaya, Genevieve M. Kenney
Date: 09/2019
Sponsoring organization: Urban Institute
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Financial Alignment Initiative South Carolina Healthy Connections Prime: First Evaluation Report
Evaluation of the first year of the South Carolina Healthy Connections Prime demonstration to integrate care for the state's Medicare-Medicaid beneficiaries. Discusses access and other challenges for rural enrollees and how the program has worked to address rural needs.
Date: 09/2019
Sponsoring organizations: Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services, RTI International
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Indian Health Service: Facilities Reported Expanding Services Following Increases in Health Insurance Coverage and Collections
Report details rates of health insurance coverage in patients seen at Indian Health Service facilities. Looks at the rates of coverage by third party insurers, such as Medicare, Medicaid, and private plans, from 2013-2018.
Additional links: Full Report
Date: 09/2019
Sponsoring organization: Government Accountability Office
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A New Portrait of Rural America
Examines nine different types of rural counties: the African American South, aging farmlands, evangelical hubs, graying America, Hispanic centers, LDS enclaves, Native American lands, rural middle America, and working class country. Reports on factors impacting rural communities overall and by county type, including health insurance coverage and health status as well as demographic and socioeconomic factors. Includes county-level data for all counties and features on individual counties for each county type.
Additional links: Interactive: Explore Rural America's Diversity, Report, Resources: Community Type Maps and Data, Videos: Rural Report Findings and Discussion With Community Leaders
Date: 09/2019
Sponsoring organization: American Communities Project
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The Older Population in Rural America: 2012-2016
Describes the rural older population, those 65 years and older, compared to urban older adults. Includes rural-urban data on population size for the nation, by region, and by state. Also covers demographic, social, and economic characteristics, age distribution, and sex ratio by age. Some data is available by level of rurality for mostly urban, mostly rural, and completely rural counties.
Author(s): Amy Symens Smith, Edward Trevelyan
Date: 09/2019
Sponsoring organization: U.S. Census Bureau
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