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Rural Health Information Hub

Rural Health
Resources by Topic: Healthcare business and finance

The Status of Telemedicine in Missouri
Provides background information on rural healthcare issues in Missouri and discusses the value of using telehealth to improve rural healthcare access. Discusses policy recommendations such as broadband access and details about eligibility and payment requirements for telemedicine.
Author(s): Dave Dillon, Jim Mikes
Date: 08/2017
Sponsoring organization: Missouri Hospital Association
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Coteau des Prairies Keeping Services Close to Home
Follows South Dakota-based Coteau des Prairies Health System's (CDP) progress as part of the Small Rural Hospital Transition (SRHT) project. CDP completed a financial operational assessment (FOA) with the goal of positioning the hospital for future financial success. Primary areas of improvement include revenue cycle management, HCAHPS scores, executive communication, and swing bed utilization.
Additional links: One-Page Summary
Date: 08/2017
Sponsoring organization: National Rural Health Resource Center
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Response to Commentary: Partnered Research to Improve Health of Rural Veterans
Describes how VA-funded Centers of Innovation (COINs) develop strategies optimizing care for veterans in rural areas. Focuses on programs in Salt Lake City, Utah; West Haven, Connecticut; and North Little Rock, Arkansas.
Author(s): Teresa Hudson
Date: 08/2017
Sponsoring organization: VA Health Systems Research, Office of Research & Development
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Home is Where the Heart Is: Insights on the Coordination and Delivery of Home Health Services in Rural America
Identifies facilitators and barriers to providing home health services in rural areas, discusses how rural home health services are currently provided, and offers thoughts about the provision of home health services in the future. Addresses electronic health records, reimbursement issues, workforce challenges, value-based payment, and more.
Author(s): Alana Knudson, Britta Anderson, Kellie Schueler, Emily Arsen
Date: 08/2017
Sponsoring organization: Rural Health Reform Policy Research Center
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Health Information Technology (HIT) Network Readiness Assessment
Self-assessment tool designed to help leaders identify organizational strengths and weaknesses. Helps health professionals determine a starting point for building a successful HIT network.
Date: 08/2017
Sponsoring organization: National Rural Health Resource Center
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Providing Patient-Centered Enhanced Discharge Planning and Rural Transition Support: Building a Rural Transitions Network Between Regional Referral and Critical Access Hospitals
Details manual procedures used in Western Montana to develop a model to improve the likelihood of a good recovery for patients and decreasing chances of re-hospitalization. Includes a guide to ethical considerations in discharge and rural transition planning.
Author(s): Tom Seekins, Heidi Boehm, Jennifer Wong, Linda Yearous, AnnaJean Smith
Date: 08/2017
Sponsoring organization: University of Montana: Rural Institute for Inclusive Communities
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An Emerging Approach to Payment Reform: All-Payer Global Budgets for Large Safety-Net Hospital Systems
Examines the possibility of implementing global all-payer budgets in safety-net hospital systems throughout the U.S. Provides background on the all-payer model, and discusses the experiences of rural hospitals in Maryland and Pennsylvania, where current global budgeting demonstrations are ongoing.
Author(s): Joshua M. Sharfstein, Sule Gerovich, Elizabeth Moriarty, David Chin
Date: 08/2017
Sponsoring organization: Commonwealth Fund
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Evaluation of the Round Two Health Care Innovation Awards (HCIA R2): Second Annual Report
Summarizes the second year evaluation results of the 39 Health Care Innovation Awards Round Two projects. Describes implementation experiences during the second program year and examines pre-enrollment characteristics of participants. Focuses on program enrollment, implementation of service delivery models, development and implementation of payment models, and sustainability plans. Provides findings for the individual grantees, which include projects that serve rural areas.
Date: 08/2017
Sponsoring organizations: Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services, Mathematica Policy Research
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Improving Access to High Quality Sepsis Care in a South Dakota Emergency Telemedicine Network
Research and policy brief exploring whether emergency department-based telemedicine networks using real-time access to sepsis experts can improve outcomes and decrease variation in care. Discusses a pilot program for Critical Access Hospitals in South Dakota-based Avera Health's 140-hospital network in 12 states. Includes statistics for patients with positive sepsis screens from September 2016 to March 2017.
Author(s): Nicholas M. Mohr, Brian Skow, Amy Wittrock, et al.
Date: 08/2017
Sponsoring organization: Rural Telehealth Research Center
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Telehealth Private Payer Laws: Impact and Issues
Analyzes the body of state-level telehealth reimbursement policies, which has grown rapidly in both size and scope since 2010. Seeks to understand how these policies impact telehealth utilization, and the effect private payer laws have on selected commercial payers. Includes information on payment parity laws, modalities, site restrictions, Medicaid policies, and more.
Additional links: Executive Summary
Date: 08/2017
Sponsoring organizations: Center for Connected Health Policy: The National Telehealth Policy Resource Center, Milbank Memorial Fund
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