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Rural Health Information Hub

Rural Health
Resources by Topic: Healthcare business and finance

Modernizing Rural Health Clinic Provisions
Reviews Rural Health Clinics (RHCs) statutory authorization and current regulations to identify areas for improvement to meet the current and future healthcare needs. Includes recommendations regarding payment options, program support, services offered, workforce issues, and law requirements.
Date: 12/2017
Type: Document
Sponsoring organization: National Advisory Committee on Rural Health and Human Services
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Rural Health Research Recap: Effects of Rural Hospital Closures
Summarizes key findings from the Rural Health Research Centers' research published between 2015 and 2017 on the effects of rural hospital closures. Examines rural hospital closures and conversions, payment models, the loss of obstetric services, and more. Provides links to each of the referenced source documents.
Date: 12/2017
Type: Document
Sponsoring organization: Rural Health Research Gateway
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Rural Health Research Recap: Rural Hospital Closures
Summarizes key findings from the Rural Health Research Centers' most recent research on rural hospital closures. Discusses hospitals by U.S. census region, rural hospital closures between 2005 and 2017, urban and rural hospital profitability, and the financial distress index. Provides links to each of the referenced source documents.
Date: 12/2017
Type: Document
Sponsoring organization: Rural Health Research Gateway
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The Evolution of Private Plans in Medicare
Examines major policy changes affecting Medicare Advantage plans, and the impact of these policies on plan participation, enrollment, average premiums and cost-sharing, total costs to Medicare, and quality of care. Briefly discusses the challenges associate with providing risk-based plans in rural areas.
Author(s): Yash M. Patel, Stuart Guterman
Date: 12/2017
Type: Document
Sponsoring organization: Commonwealth Fund
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Medicaid Payment Policy for Federally Qualified Health Centers
Describes the role of Federally Qualified Health Centers (FQHCs) in Medicaid, and highlights current policy issues related to Medicaid FQHC payment. Also discusses the Medicaid FQHC prospective payment system (PPS), alternative payment methodologies, how FQHCs participate in managed care networks, and states' desire for increased flexibility in setting FQHC payment rates.
Date: 12/2017
Type: Document
Sponsoring organization: Medicaid and CHIP Payment and Access Commission
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Rural-Urban Enrollment in Part D Prescription Drug Plans: June 2017 Update
Updates prior policy briefs and shows state-to-state variation in stand-alone prescription drug plans and Medicare Advantage with Prescription Drug plans. Features statistics with breakdowns by rural and urban enrollment in 2008 and 2017.
Author(s): Paula Weigel, Fred Ullrich, Keith Mueller
Date: 12/2017
Type: Document
Sponsoring organization: RUPRI Center for Rural Health Policy Analysis
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Characteristics of Communities Served by Hospitals at High Risk of Financial Distress
Study compares communities served by rural hospitals that have a high risk of financial distress with those that do not. Looks at community demographics, socio-economics, and health status.
Author(s): Erica L. Richman, George H. Pink
Date: 12/2017
Type: Document
Sponsoring organization: North Carolina Rural Health Research Program
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MedPAC Report to the Congress: Physician Supervision Requirements in Critical Access Hospitals and Small Rural Hospitals
Provides background information on Medicare physician supervision requirements, and examines how enforcement of these requirements impacts access to care, quality of care, and staffing needs in Critical Access Hospitals (CAHs) and small rural hospitals. Findings are based on interviews with CMS officials, hospital association representatives, and CAH administrators in several states.
Date: 12/2017
Type: Document
Sponsoring organization: Medicare Payment Advisory Commission
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Rural Hospital Stabilization Committee Pilot Program Report
Reports on the initial results of using a "hub and spoke" model in Georgia to help address rural hospital financial pressures and emergency department overuse. Highlights the progress made by the initial four hub hospitals and the spokes, which included school-based healthcare and Federally Qualified Health Centers. Additional link provides performance metrics for the pilot.
Additional links: Profile for Rural Hospital Stabilization Committee (Data from SFY 2016 Phase 1 Pilot Program)
Date: 11/2017
Type: Document
Sponsoring organization: Georgia State Office of Rural Health
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Tobacco Use and Health Insurance Literacy Among Vulnerable Populations: Implications for Health Reform
Results of a study examining health insurance literacy among tobacco users, with data collected from 631 lower-income, predominantly minority residents of rural Virginia. Features statistics on insurance choice and cost, age, race, education, and tobacco use.
Author(s): Robert T. Braun, Yaniv Hanoch, Andrew J. Barnes
Citation: BMC Health Services Research, 17, 729
Date: 11/2017
Type: Document
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