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Rural Health
Resources by Topic: Healthcare business and finance

National Advisory Committee Tackles Delivery System Reform, Child Poverty
Describes a September 2015 meeting of the National Advisory Committee on Rural Health and Human Services held in Mahnomen, Minnesota, which focused on rural child poverty and healthcare delivery system reform.
Citation: Rural Monitor
Date: 10/2015
Type: Document
Sponsoring organization: Rural Health Information Hub
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Hospital Value-based Purchasing: Initial Results Show Modest Effects on Medicare Payments and No Apparent Change in Quality-of-Care Trends
Evaluates the initial effects of the Hospital Value-based Purchasing (HVBP) program on Medicare bonus payments and penalties, the quality of care provided, and selected quality improvement efforts during FY 2013-15. Analyzes data from safety net, small urban, and small rural hospitals.
Additional links: Full Report
Date: 10/2015
Type: Document
Sponsoring organization: Government Accountability Office
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Rural Hospital Toolkit for Transitioning to Value-based Systems
Toolkit developed to help rural hospitals improve their financial, operational, and quality performance. Shares best practices and strategies to help rural providers transition to value-based payment and population health.
Date: 09/2015
Type: Website
Sponsoring organization: National Rural Health Resource Center
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Report to Congress: Evaluations of Hospitals' Ambulance Data on Medicare Cost Reports and Feasibility of Obtaining Cost Data from All Ambulance Providers and Suppliers
Exploration of the use of cost surveys and reports to collect data on ambulance services, examination of development of a standard cost reporting tool for providers of services and suppliers of ground ambulance services, and examination of the ability to furnish cost data by various types of ambulance providers of services and suppliers, especially for rural and super-rural providers. Features statistics from fiscal years 2007-2012 relating to costs, number of trips by type of hospital, distribution of provider/supplier trip volume, origin-destination pairs, and barriers experienced by people in geographically isolated areas.
Date: 09/2015
Type: Document
Sponsoring organization: U.S. Department of Health and Human Services
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Challenges of Rural Cancer Care in the United States
Highlights the impact of rurality affecting the care of rural cancer patients and healthcare providers treating cancer patients. Discussion includes the availability of cancer specialists, limited transportation services, lower socioeconomic status, health insurance coverage, less access to clinical trials, and the shortage of palliative and end-of-life staff and services.
Author(s): Mary Charlton, Jennifer Schlichting, Catherine Chioreso, et al.
Citation: Oncology (Williston Park), 29(9), 633-640
Date: 09/2015
Type: Document
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Health Insurance Coverage in the United States: 2014
Provides statistics on health insurance coverage in 2014 and also focuses on changes between 2013 and 2014. Table 5 lists statistics for metropolitan and non-metropolitan areas. Based on data from the 2015 Current Population Survey Annual Social and Economic Supplement.
Author(s): Jessica C. Smith, Carla Medalia
Date: 09/2015
Type: Document
Sponsoring organization: U.S. Census Bureau
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Performance Measurement for Rural Low-Volume Providers: Final Report
Identifies challenges to measuring healthcare performance among low-volume rural providers, and presents recommendations to meet these challenges. Primary focus is on finding appropriate quality measures for use within Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services' (CMS) pay-for-performance programs and encouraging rural participation in CMS quality improvement initiatives.
Date: 09/2015
Type: Document
Sponsoring organization: National Quality Forum
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An Interview with Darrold Bertsch
A healthcare administrator who serves as CEO of both a Critical Access Hospital and a Federally Qualified Health Center in rural North Dakota discusses how the two facilities work together to meet their region's healthcare needs.
Citation: Rural Monitor
Date: 09/2015
Type: Document
Sponsoring organization: Rural Health Information Hub
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Hawaii Oral Health: Key Findings
Reports on access to oral health care in Hawaii and describes the state's oral health status. Includes county-level breakdowns of data and discusses key findings, such as the impact of Medicaid on oral health access.
Date: 08/2015
Type: Document
Sponsoring organization: Hawaii State Department of Health
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Simulation and Analysis of an Alternative Medicare Home Health Payment System Not Based on Number of Therapy Visits
Outlines a possible approach to redesigning the Medicare home health payment system and describes the likely impacts of such a change. Includes statistics with breakdowns by number of therapy and non-therapy visits, payment-to-cost ratios, medical procedure or chronic illness, and type of health facility.
Author(s): Doug Wissoker, Bowen Garrett
Date: 08/2015
Type: Document
Sponsoring organization: Urban Institute
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