This website is being reviewed for updates. Some information is offline. We apologize for any inconvenience.
Skip to main content
Rural Health Information Hub

Rural Health
Resources by Topic: Healthcare business and finance

Acceptance of New Patients With Public and Private Insurance by Office-based Physicians: United States, 2013
Provides data on office-based physicians accepting new patients with Medicaid, Medicare, and private insurance. See Figure 2 for comparison of metropolitan to nonmetropolitan acceptance rates by patient payment source. Also includes state-level data.
Author(s): Esther Hing, Sandra L. Decker, Eric Jamoom
Date: 03/2015
Sponsoring organization: National Center for Health Statistics
view details
A Critique of the Office of the Inspector General's Report on Swing Beds in Critical Access Hospitals
Evaluates the methods and data of a March 2015 report from the Office of the Inspector General (OIG), U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, commenting on Medicare reimbursement policy for swing bed services in Critical Access Hospitals (CAHs).
Author(s): Kristin L. Reiter, G. Mark Holmes
Date: 03/2015
Sponsoring organization: North Carolina Rural Health Research Program
view details
MedPAC Report to the Congress: Medicare Payment Policy, 2015
Annual review of Medicare payment policies, with recommendations to Congress. Discussions of rural aspects of Medicare payment policies are included throughout the report.
Date: 03/2015
Sponsoring organization: Medicare Payment Advisory Commission
view details
Perspectives of Rural Hospice Directors
Presents findings from interviews of rural hospice directors in 47 states. Identifies six primary issues including workforce, finance and reimbursement, regulations, technology, general rural issues, and relationships with other providers.
Author(s): Brad Gibbens, Shawnda Schroeder, Alana Knudson, Gary Hart
Date: 03/2015
Sponsoring organization: Rural Health Reform Policy Research Center
view details
Medicare Could Have Saved Billions at Critical Access Hospitals If Swing-Bed Services Were Reimbursed Using the Skilled Nursing Facility Prospective Payment System Rates
Reports the Inspector General's findings from a study of swing bed services and reimbursement at Critical Access Hospitals (CAHs). Addresses changes in swing bed usage over time and examines the potential impact to Medicare of reimbursing swing bed services at skilled nursing facility (SNF) prospective payment system (PPS) rates.
Date: 03/2015
Sponsoring organization: Office of Inspector General (HHS)
view details
The Effect of Surgery on the Profitability of Rural Hospitals
Examines the effect of surgery on the profitability of rural hospitals, through analysis of market data from 2000 to 2008.
Author(s): Saleema A. Karim, George M. Holmes, George H. Pink
Citation: The Journal of Health Care Finance, 41(4)
Date: 02/2015
view details
The Future of Rural Behavioral Health
Policy paper discussing the unique challenges of providing behavioral healthcare services in rural areas. Includes policy recommendations and interventions related to workforce development, reimbursement and financing, integration of care, and the use of technology in delivering behavioral healthcare.
Author(s): Will Wilson, Angela Bangs, Tammy Hatting
Date: 02/2015
Sponsoring organization: National Rural Health Association
view details
Health Insurance and Farmworker Eligibility
A fact sheet summarizing data on farmworker health insurance status, the elements that contribute to their lack of health insurance, and possible repercussions farmworkers face by not having health insurance.
Date: 02/2015
Sponsoring organization: Health Outreach Partners
view details
Choice and Affordability in the ACA's Health Insurance Exchanges
Investigates how geographic boundaries of health insurance marketplaces, made available by the Affordable Care Act, affect availability and prices of plans for individuals living in rural areas.
Author(s): Michael Dickstein
Date: 02/2015
Sponsoring organization: Stanford Institute for Economic Policy Research
view details
Use and Performance Variations in U.S. Rural Emergency Departments: Implications for Improving Care Quality and Reducing Costs
Illustrates the utilization and performance of emergency departments (EDs) across the urban/rural spectrum for non-emergency health conditions. Identifies and discusses the potential risk factors that may impact ED use for non-emergent healthcare.
Author(s): Yvonne Jonk, Marilyn G. Klug, Gary Hart
Date: 02/2015
Sponsoring organization: Rural Health Reform Policy Research Center
view details