Rural Health
Resources by Topic: Healthcare facilities
September 2025 MedPAC Meeting Transcript
Transcript from the Medicare Payment Advisory Commission's (MedPAC) September 2024 meeting. Covers Medicare payment operations and improving payment accuracy, a discussion with the Comptroller General of the United States regarding the Government Accountability Office's work related to improper payments in the Medicare program and opportunities to improve program sustainability, Medicare's overall financial situation, access to hospice and services under the Medicare hospice benefit for beneficiaries with end-stage renal disease or cancer, and the relationship between changes in Medicare Advantage enrollment and hospital finances.
Date: 09/2025
Sponsoring organization: Medicare Payment Advisory Commission
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Transcript from the Medicare Payment Advisory Commission's (MedPAC) September 2024 meeting. Covers Medicare payment operations and improving payment accuracy, a discussion with the Comptroller General of the United States regarding the Government Accountability Office's work related to improper payments in the Medicare program and opportunities to improve program sustainability, Medicare's overall financial situation, access to hospice and services under the Medicare hospice benefit for beneficiaries with end-stage renal disease or cancer, and the relationship between changes in Medicare Advantage enrollment and hospital finances.
Date: 09/2025
Sponsoring organization: Medicare Payment Advisory Commission
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Comparison of Care in Hospital Outpatient Departments and Independent Physician Offices: Updated Findings for 2019-2024
Examines differences in Medicare payments for services at an independent physician's office (IPO) or a hospital outpatient department (HOPD). Utilizes 2019-2024 data to analyze characteristics of Medicare patients seen in HOPDs and IPOs, including rural versus urban location.
Date: 09/2025
Sponsoring organization: American Hospital Association
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Examines differences in Medicare payments for services at an independent physician's office (IPO) or a hospital outpatient department (HOPD). Utilizes 2019-2024 data to analyze characteristics of Medicare patients seen in HOPDs and IPOs, including rural versus urban location.
Date: 09/2025
Sponsoring organization: American Hospital Association
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An Evaluation of State Flex Program Initiatives to Support Critical Access Hospital-Based Rural Health Clinics
Describes the 16 State Flex Program (SFP) Critical Access Hospital (CAH)-based Rural Health Clinic (RHC) initiatives for the 2023-2024 funding year. Explores the various strategies SFPs have employed to assist CAH-based RHCs by highlighting common activities, challenges, and successes observed across their programs. Summarizes interviews with seven SFPs identifying common themes and notable variations in how they engage with CAH-based RHCs.
Author(s): Bridget Harr, Rebecca Stearns, John Gale
Date: 09/2025
Sponsoring organization: Flex Monitoring Team
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Describes the 16 State Flex Program (SFP) Critical Access Hospital (CAH)-based Rural Health Clinic (RHC) initiatives for the 2023-2024 funding year. Explores the various strategies SFPs have employed to assist CAH-based RHCs by highlighting common activities, challenges, and successes observed across their programs. Summarizes interviews with seven SFPs identifying common themes and notable variations in how they engage with CAH-based RHCs.
Author(s): Bridget Harr, Rebecca Stearns, John Gale
Date: 09/2025
Sponsoring organization: Flex Monitoring Team
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Health Center Performance Improvement Toolkit
Offers a framework to support health center performance improvement and health outcomes across seven domains. Includes a guide to self-assessment to help health centers assess their current performance in each domain, describe assess their current performance in each domain, describe future performance goals, and identify how to reach and sustain improved performance. Offers self-assessment tools, including fillable checklists for each domain, progress snapshot worksheets, and example improvement activities.
Additional links: Guide to Self-Assessment, Self-Assessment Tools
Date: 09/2025
Sponsoring organization: Bureau of Primary Health Care
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Offers a framework to support health center performance improvement and health outcomes across seven domains. Includes a guide to self-assessment to help health centers assess their current performance in each domain, describe assess their current performance in each domain, describe future performance goals, and identify how to reach and sustain improved performance. Offers self-assessment tools, including fillable checklists for each domain, progress snapshot worksheets, and example improvement activities.
Additional links: Guide to Self-Assessment, Self-Assessment Tools
Date: 09/2025
Sponsoring organization: Bureau of Primary Health Care
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Georgia Counties with Rural, Critical Access, and Rural Emergency Hospitals
Map showing Georgia counties with rural hospitals, Critical Access Hospitals, and Rural Emergency Hospitals.
Date: 09/2025
Sponsoring organization: Georgia State Office of Rural Health
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Map showing Georgia counties with rural hospitals, Critical Access Hospitals, and Rural Emergency Hospitals.
Date: 09/2025
Sponsoring organization: Georgia State Office of Rural Health
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MBQIP 2025 Measure Core Set Information Guide
Provides an overview of the 2025 Core Measure Set adopted by the Federal Office of Rural Health Policy (FORHP) for use in the Medicare Beneficiary Quality Improvement Project (MBQIP). Offers descriptions, rationales, data elements, data availability, resources, and more for each new and continuing measure.
Date: 09/2025
Sponsoring organization: Rural Quality Improvement Technical Assistance (RQITA) Resource Center
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Provides an overview of the 2025 Core Measure Set adopted by the Federal Office of Rural Health Policy (FORHP) for use in the Medicare Beneficiary Quality Improvement Project (MBQIP). Offers descriptions, rationales, data elements, data availability, resources, and more for each new and continuing measure.
Date: 09/2025
Sponsoring organization: Rural Quality Improvement Technical Assistance (RQITA) Resource Center
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Current Medicare Beneficiary Quality Improvement Project (MBQIP) Measures
Chart outlining the required and optional MBQIP measures. Measures are broken down into two categories, core and additional, and then into five domains: global measures, patient safety, patient engagement, care coordination, and emergency department. MBQIP is a Medicare Rural Hospital Flexibility (Flex) quality improvement grant program for Critical Access Hospitals.
Date: 09/2025
Sponsoring organization: Rural Quality Improvement Technical Assistance (RQITA) Resource Center
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Chart outlining the required and optional MBQIP measures. Measures are broken down into two categories, core and additional, and then into five domains: global measures, patient safety, patient engagement, care coordination, and emergency department. MBQIP is a Medicare Rural Hospital Flexibility (Flex) quality improvement grant program for Critical Access Hospitals.
Date: 09/2025
Sponsoring organization: Rural Quality Improvement Technical Assistance (RQITA) Resource Center
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Rural Health Clinic: 2026 National Patient Safety Goals
Identifies National Patient Safety Goals for the Joint Commission's Rural Health Clinic Accreditation Program. Covers patient identification, medication safety, infection prevention, and more. Effective January 1, 2026.
Additional links: Simplified Version
Date: 08/2025
Sponsoring organization: Joint Commission
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Identifies National Patient Safety Goals for the Joint Commission's Rural Health Clinic Accreditation Program. Covers patient identification, medication safety, infection prevention, and more. Effective January 1, 2026.
Additional links: Simplified Version
Date: 08/2025
Sponsoring organization: Joint Commission
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Ambulatory Care for Individuals Dually Eligible for Medicare and Medicaid
Compares ambulatory services utilization for more than 5.5 million dual and non-dual Medicaid and Medicare individuals. Describes the rural or urban status of the population studied as well as whether services were utilized in a Federally Qualified Health Center (FQHC) or Rural Health Clinic (RHC), among other demographic and service related factors.
Author(s): Joshua M. Liao, Paula Chatterjee, Yueming Zhao, et al.
Citation: Health Affairs Scholar, 3(8)
Date: 08/2025
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Compares ambulatory services utilization for more than 5.5 million dual and non-dual Medicaid and Medicare individuals. Describes the rural or urban status of the population studied as well as whether services were utilized in a Federally Qualified Health Center (FQHC) or Rural Health Clinic (RHC), among other demographic and service related factors.
Author(s): Joshua M. Liao, Paula Chatterjee, Yueming Zhao, et al.
Citation: Health Affairs Scholar, 3(8)
Date: 08/2025
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Building Healthier Rural Communities: Economic Development Districts Address Social Determinants of Health
Report outlining social determinants of health (SDOH) in rural areas and how Economic Development Districts (EDD) address them. Highlights workforce, infrastructure, food security, health, disaster preparedness, funding, data, and public-private partnerships. Includes a case study from an EDD in North Carolina and highlights the role of hospitals in the community.
Date: 08/2025
Sponsoring organizations: Economic Development District Community of Practice, National Association of Development Organizations
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Report outlining social determinants of health (SDOH) in rural areas and how Economic Development Districts (EDD) address them. Highlights workforce, infrastructure, food security, health, disaster preparedness, funding, data, and public-private partnerships. Includes a case study from an EDD in North Carolina and highlights the role of hospitals in the community.
Date: 08/2025
Sponsoring organizations: Economic Development District Community of Practice, National Association of Development Organizations
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