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Rural Health Information Hub

Rural Health
Resources by Topic: Healthcare business and finance

The Economic Impact of Recent Hospital Closures on Rural Communities
Estimates the direct and secondary economic impacts of hospital closures on rural communities, focusing on labor (wages, salaries, benefits) and employment (jobs) income. Uses data collected from 16 hospitals representing 13 states that have closed since 2010, of which 9 were designated as Critical Access Hospitals.
Author(s): Fred C Eilrich, Gerald A. Doeksen, Cheryl F. St. Clair
Date: 07/2015
Sponsoring organization: National Center for Rural Health Works
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Evaluation of CMS's Federally Qualified Health Center (FQHC) Advanced Primary Care Practice (APCP) Demonstration
Reports on a 3 year demonstration project regarding the change of Federally Qualified Health Centers (FQHCs) into advanced primary care practices (APCPs) that provide comprehensive patient-centered healthcare for Medicare beneficiaries. Examines the processes and challenges involved in this change and the effects of the APCP model on access, quality and cost of care delivered to Medicare and Medicaid patients. Includes a rural/urban comparison of findings and data.
Author(s): Katherine L. Kahn, Justin W. Timbie, Mark W. Friedberg, et al.
Date: 07/2015
Sponsoring organization: RAND Corporation
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What Do the Medicare and Medicaid Programs Mean to Rural Health?
On the 50th anniversary of the Medicare and Medicaid programs, five rural health experts share their insights on the impact of these programs in rural America.
Author(s): Alan Morgan, Wayne Myers, Thomas Hoyer, Thomas Ricketts, Keith Mueller
Citation: Rural Monitor
Date: 07/2015
Sponsoring organization: Rural Health Information Hub
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Hospital Policy Issues: Statement by Mark Miller, Medicare Payment Advisory Commission before Subcommittee on Health, Committee on Ways and Means, U.S. House of Representatives
Testimony from the Medicare Payment Advisory Commission's executive director presented at a July 22nd, 2015, Ways and Means subcommittee hearing concerning Medicare hospital payment issues, rural health issues, and beneficiary access to care. Discusses Medicare's rural hospital payment adjustments, how they impact access to care, and principles to consider in evaluating rural add-on payments. Also discusses MedPAC recommendations related to graduate medical education (GME), including some related to rural training.
Author(s): Mark E. Miller
Date: 07/2015
Sponsoring organizations: House Ways and Means Committee, Subcommittee on Health, Medicare Payment Advisory Commission
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Rural and Urban Differences in Choice of and Satisfaction with Medicare Part D Plans
Examines how drug plan selection experiences and satisfaction levels differ for rural and urban Medicare beneficiaries. Includes breakdowns by three locations types, considerations in choosing plans, and percentage of people who felt satisfied and confident in their coverage.
Author(s): Carrie Henning-Smith, Heidi O'Connor, Michelle Casey, Ira Moscovice
Date: 07/2015
Sponsoring organization: University of Minnesota Rural Health Research Center
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Differences in Part D Plans Offered to Rural and Urban Medicare Beneficiaries
Analyzes how Medicare Part D plan options differ for rural and urban residents in terms of premiums, deductibles, and copayments, as well as differences in plan options within more-densely and less-densely populated rural areas. Includes statistical breakdowns by three location types, number of available plans, average premiums, deductible amounts, and average co-pays.
Author(s): Heidi O'Connor, Carrie Henning-Smith, Michelle Casey, Ira Moscovice
Date: 07/2015
Sponsoring organization: University of Minnesota Rural Health Research Center
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Teaching Hospitals: Preparing Tomorrow's Physicians Today
An overview of the value teaching hospitals bring in rural and urban areas, serving as training centers to prepare physicians in clinical settings, provide specialty training and specialty services, engage in research and innovation, and prepare healthcare professionals to adapt to changes in the healthcare environment. Discusses the federal (Medicare and Medicaid) financial support mechanisms teaching hospitals receive and the impact this support has on the increased cost of clinical training of new physicians.
Date: 06/2015
Sponsoring organization: American Hospital Association
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MedPAC Report to the Congress: Medicare and the Health Care Delivery System, June 2015
Includes chapters on coordinating Medicare policy across payment models, Part B drug payment policy, value-based incentives for managing Part B drug use, multiple drug use including opioids among Medicare Part D enrollees, hospital short-stays, and new methods of measuring quality of care. Rural hospitals, rural referral centers, and rural patient populations are discussed throughout this report.
Date: 06/2015
Sponsoring organization: Medicare Payment Advisory Commission
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Charity Care and Uncompensated Care Activities of Tax-Exempt Critical Access Hospitals
Analyzes charity care, uncompensated care, and bad debt activities of Critical Access Hospitals (CAHs) compared with other rural non-CAH and urban hospitals. Discusses the implications of ACA-mandated hospital financial assistance, emergency care, and billing and collection policies for CAHs.
Additional links: Policy Brief
Author(s): John Gale, Jamar Croom, Zachariah Croll, Andrew Coburn
Date: 06/2015
Sponsoring organization: Flex Monitoring Team
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Rural Women Delivering Babies in Non-Local Hospitals: Differences by Rurality and Insurance Status
Describes the factors, including health insurance status and degree of rurality, that influence rural pregnant women to give birth in non-local hospitals.
Author(s): Katy Kozhimannil, Michelle Casey, Peiyin Hung, Shailendra Prasad, Ira Moscovice
Date: 06/2015
Sponsoring organization: University of Minnesota Rural Health Research Center
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