Rural Health
Resources by Topic: Healthcare business and finance
Enhancing Rural Access to Medications for Opioid Use Disorder: Policy Brief and Recommendations to the Secretary
Provides an overview of issues related to opioid use disorder (OUD) in rural areas. Discusses access to medication for opioid use disorder (MOUD), MOUD workforce, telehealth to support access to MOUD, and Medicaid 1115 demonstrations that address OUD. Offers policy recommendations related to regulatory barriers, reimbursement flexibility, workforce, and service site expansion to increase access to MOUD in rural areas.
Date: 01/2025
Sponsoring organization: National Advisory Committee on Rural Health and Human Services
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Provides an overview of issues related to opioid use disorder (OUD) in rural areas. Discusses access to medication for opioid use disorder (MOUD), MOUD workforce, telehealth to support access to MOUD, and Medicaid 1115 demonstrations that address OUD. Offers policy recommendations related to regulatory barriers, reimbursement flexibility, workforce, and service site expansion to increase access to MOUD in rural areas.
Date: 01/2025
Sponsoring organization: National Advisory Committee on Rural Health and Human Services
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AHRQ Summit to Address Emergency Department Boarding: Technical Report
Report from an October 2024 Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality (AHRQ) summit to discuss emergency department boarding. Examines some of emergency physicians' biggest concerns and highlights possible solutions to address boarding head-on, including enhancing measurement and standards, re-aligning hospital incentives, and increasing support to empower emergency physicians to do their jobs effectively. Includes sections on rural patients and rural areas.
Author(s): Robin M. Weinick, Sean Bruna, Rachael M. Boicourt, Sean S. Michael, Laura L. Sessums
Date: 01/2025
Sponsoring organization: Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality
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Report from an October 2024 Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality (AHRQ) summit to discuss emergency department boarding. Examines some of emergency physicians' biggest concerns and highlights possible solutions to address boarding head-on, including enhancing measurement and standards, re-aligning hospital incentives, and increasing support to empower emergency physicians to do their jobs effectively. Includes sections on rural patients and rural areas.
Author(s): Robin M. Weinick, Sean Bruna, Rachael M. Boicourt, Sean S. Michael, Laura L. Sessums
Date: 01/2025
Sponsoring organization: Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality
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Opioid Use Among Rural Medicare Beneficiaries
Examines trends in prescription opioid use among Medicare beneficiaries in rural areas, utilizing 2010-2017 Medicare Current Beneficiary Survey (MCBS) data. Provides data on receipt of opioid prescriptions among community-dwelling and facility-dwelling beneficiaries, associations between prescribing and chronic overlapping pain conditions (COPCs), and prescriptions exceeding CDC guidelines. Includes rural-urban comparisons.
Author(s): Yvonne Jonk, Heidi O'Connor, Karen Pearson, et al.
Date: 01/2025
Sponsoring organization: Maine Rural Health Research Center
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Examines trends in prescription opioid use among Medicare beneficiaries in rural areas, utilizing 2010-2017 Medicare Current Beneficiary Survey (MCBS) data. Provides data on receipt of opioid prescriptions among community-dwelling and facility-dwelling beneficiaries, associations between prescribing and chronic overlapping pain conditions (COPCs), and prescriptions exceeding CDC guidelines. Includes rural-urban comparisons.
Author(s): Yvonne Jonk, Heidi O'Connor, Karen Pearson, et al.
Date: 01/2025
Sponsoring organization: Maine Rural Health Research Center
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Health Panel Comment Letter – Contract Year 2026 Policy and Technical Changes to the Medicare Advantage Program
Offers comments in response to a December 10, 2024, proposed rule regarding policy and technical changes to the Medicare Advantage program for contract year 2026. Discusses transparency and access to pharmacy services and prescription drugs, network adequacy, notice to providers, and more.
Date: 01/2025
Sponsoring organization: Rural Policy Research Institute Rural Health Panel
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Offers comments in response to a December 10, 2024, proposed rule regarding policy and technical changes to the Medicare Advantage program for contract year 2026. Discusses transparency and access to pharmacy services and prescription drugs, network adequacy, notice to providers, and more.
Date: 01/2025
Sponsoring organization: Rural Policy Research Institute Rural Health Panel
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Ten Things to Know about Texas Rural Hospitals
Fact sheet on rural hospitals' role in supporting access to care and economic health in Texas, with additional data on rural hospital closures and support for hospital operations. Includes a map of rural Texas hospitals by county, including Critical Access Hospitals (CAHs) and Rural Emergency Hospitals (REHs).
Date: 01/2025
Sponsoring organization: Texas Organization of Rural & Community Hospitals
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Fact sheet on rural hospitals' role in supporting access to care and economic health in Texas, with additional data on rural hospital closures and support for hospital operations. Includes a map of rural Texas hospitals by county, including Critical Access Hospitals (CAHs) and Rural Emergency Hospitals (REHs).
Date: 01/2025
Sponsoring organization: Texas Organization of Rural & Community Hospitals
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Medicare Advantage Demographics Report, 2022
Summarizes demographics data on Medicare Advantage enrollment in 2022. Compares rural/urban residence of Medicare Advantage, Original Medicare, and dually eligible enrollees in Appendix B.
Date: 01/2025
Sponsoring organization: AHIP
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Summarizes demographics data on Medicare Advantage enrollment in 2022. Compares rural/urban residence of Medicare Advantage, Original Medicare, and dually eligible enrollees in Appendix B.
Date: 01/2025
Sponsoring organization: AHIP
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How Medicaid Helps Your State
Offers fact sheets for 50 states and D.C. on Medicaid and Children's Health Insurance Program (CHIP) participation. Includes percent of children and adults covered by Medicaid or CHIP in rural areas of each state.
Date: 01/2025
Sponsoring organization: Commonwealth Fund
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Offers fact sheets for 50 states and D.C. on Medicaid and Children's Health Insurance Program (CHIP) participation. Includes percent of children and adults covered by Medicaid or CHIP in rural areas of each state.
Date: 01/2025
Sponsoring organization: Commonwealth Fund
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Not Enough: Medicaid Expansion, Medical Debt, and Cost Avoidance in Rural American Indian and Alaska Native Households
Presents a study on the effect of Medicaid expansion on the medical debt and cost avoidance for rural American Indian and Alaska Native households. Compares rates medical debt and cost avoidance from AI/AN communities in Medicaid expansion and nonexpansion states.
Author(s): Sean Hubbard
Citation: Journal of Rural Health, 41(1), e12925
Date: 01/2025
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Presents a study on the effect of Medicaid expansion on the medical debt and cost avoidance for rural American Indian and Alaska Native households. Compares rates medical debt and cost avoidance from AI/AN communities in Medicaid expansion and nonexpansion states.
Author(s): Sean Hubbard
Citation: Journal of Rural Health, 41(1), e12925
Date: 01/2025
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Federal Assistance and Rural Hospital Closings: The Impact of the USDA Community Facilities Program
Examines how the USDA Rural Development Community Facilities (CF) Program's effects on rural hospital closures. Includes data on rural hospital closures and CF investments by region, and analyzes facility survival probability of hospitals which did or did not receive CF funding.
Additional links: Summary
Author(s): Anil Rupasingha, Julia Cho
Date: 01/2025
Sponsoring organization: USDA Economic Research Service
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Examines how the USDA Rural Development Community Facilities (CF) Program's effects on rural hospital closures. Includes data on rural hospital closures and CF investments by region, and analyzes facility survival probability of hospitals which did or did not receive CF funding.
Additional links: Summary
Author(s): Anil Rupasingha, Julia Cho
Date: 01/2025
Sponsoring organization: USDA Economic Research Service
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Colorado Healthcare Affordability and Sustainability Enterprise Annual Report
A report to the Colorado Department of Health Care Policy and Financing regarding the assessment, cost, and administration of healthcare affordability and sustainability fee for Colorado hospitals between October 2023 and September 2024. Discusses rural throughout.
Date: 01/2025
Sponsoring organization: Colorado Healthcare Affordability and Sustainability Enterprise
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A report to the Colorado Department of Health Care Policy and Financing regarding the assessment, cost, and administration of healthcare affordability and sustainability fee for Colorado hospitals between October 2023 and September 2024. Discusses rural throughout.
Date: 01/2025
Sponsoring organization: Colorado Healthcare Affordability and Sustainability Enterprise
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