Rural Health
Resources by Topic: Healthcare quality
2026 Merit-Based Incentive Payment System Automatic Extreme and Uncontrollable Circumstances Policy
Addresses the automatic Merit-Based Incentive Payment System (MIPS) extreme and uncontrollable circumstances (EUC) policy as it applies to individual MIPS eligible clinicians for 2026. Table 2 features information on reweighting for clinicians in a small practice.
Date: 05/2026
Sponsoring organization: Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services
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Addresses the automatic Merit-Based Incentive Payment System (MIPS) extreme and uncontrollable circumstances (EUC) policy as it applies to individual MIPS eligible clinicians for 2026. Table 2 features information on reweighting for clinicians in a small practice.
Date: 05/2026
Sponsoring organization: Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services
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Changes in Staffing, Resident Health, Closure, and Financial Performance of Rural Nursing Homes from 2017 to 2022
Examines changes in various characteristics of nursing homes, using data from 2017-2022. Features statistics with breakdowns by metropolitan, micropolitan, and small/isolated rural areas.
Author(s): Gulrukh Mehboob, Hari Sharma, Fred Ullrich, Keith Mueller
Date: 05/2026
Sponsoring organization: RUPRI Center for Rural Health Policy Analysis
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Examines changes in various characteristics of nursing homes, using data from 2017-2022. Features statistics with breakdowns by metropolitan, micropolitan, and small/isolated rural areas.
Author(s): Gulrukh Mehboob, Hari Sharma, Fred Ullrich, Keith Mueller
Date: 05/2026
Sponsoring organization: RUPRI Center for Rural Health Policy Analysis
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Trends in Medicare Advantage Quality for Nonmetropolitan Enrollees, 2019-2023
Examines quality of care in Medicare Advantage (MA) plans by geography, region, and plan type. Analyzes average ratings of 2019-2023 MA plans on a 1-5 star rating scale according to metro, micro, or noncore rural location. Provides additional data on MA enrollments by rural concentration of contracts as well as star ratings by benchmark quartile and quality bonus capping.
Author(s): Abigail Barker, Eliot Jost, Timothy McBride, Keith J. Mueller
Date: 05/2026
Sponsoring organization: RUPRI Center for Rural Health Policy Analysis
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Examines quality of care in Medicare Advantage (MA) plans by geography, region, and plan type. Analyzes average ratings of 2019-2023 MA plans on a 1-5 star rating scale according to metro, micro, or noncore rural location. Provides additional data on MA enrollments by rural concentration of contracts as well as star ratings by benchmark quartile and quality bonus capping.
Author(s): Abigail Barker, Eliot Jost, Timothy McBride, Keith J. Mueller
Date: 05/2026
Sponsoring organization: RUPRI Center for Rural Health Policy Analysis
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Merit-based Incentive Payment System (MIPS): 2026 MIPS Promoting Interoperability Performance Category Hardship Exception Application Guide
Provides guidance on how clinicians can apply for a MIPS hardship exception. Highlights guidance for having your MIPS Promoting Interoperability performance category reweighted to 0% in cases of insufficient internet connectivity, decertified electronic health record technology, or other circumstances out of the clinicians' control.
Date: 05/2026
Sponsoring organization: Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services
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Provides guidance on how clinicians can apply for a MIPS hardship exception. Highlights guidance for having your MIPS Promoting Interoperability performance category reweighted to 0% in cases of insufficient internet connectivity, decertified electronic health record technology, or other circumstances out of the clinicians' control.
Date: 05/2026
Sponsoring organization: Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services
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Health Care Access and Quality for New York Veterans Provided by the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs and Community Care
Features information on healthcare access and quality for New York veterans: Volume I focusing on veteran's healthcare policy changes and Volume II focusing on methods and supporting data. Discusses the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) Community Care Program, geographic access to care for veterans, quality of care, and policy implications for VA Community Care.
Additional links: Volume II
Author(s): Claire E. O'Hanlon, Catria Gadwah-Meaden, Nsheng Dong, et al.
Date: 04/2026
Sponsoring organization: RAND Corporation
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Features information on healthcare access and quality for New York veterans: Volume I focusing on veteran's healthcare policy changes and Volume II focusing on methods and supporting data. Discusses the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) Community Care Program, geographic access to care for veterans, quality of care, and policy implications for VA Community Care.
Additional links: Volume II
Author(s): Claire E. O'Hanlon, Catria Gadwah-Meaden, Nsheng Dong, et al.
Date: 04/2026
Sponsoring organization: RAND Corporation
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A Closer Look at Rural Nursing Homes
Compares characteristics of nursing homes in rural and urban areas including patient population data, distribution, and ownership. Also discusses payer mix, healthcare quality, and staffing levels. Highlights changes between 2015 and 2025 for some data.
Author(s): Priya Chidambaram, Alice Burns, Robin Rudowitz
Date: 04/2026
Sponsoring organization: KFF
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Compares characteristics of nursing homes in rural and urban areas including patient population data, distribution, and ownership. Also discusses payer mix, healthcare quality, and staffing levels. Highlights changes between 2015 and 2025 for some data.
Author(s): Priya Chidambaram, Alice Burns, Robin Rudowitz
Date: 04/2026
Sponsoring organization: KFF
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2025 National CAH Quality Inventory & Assessment National Report
Presents a high-level summary of key data points from the September-November 2025 National Critical Access Hospital (CAH) Quality Inventory and Assessment. Includes data on CAH system affiliation; median average daily census and emergency department volume; median swing bed admissions and swing bed length of stay; hospital inpatient, behavioral health and specialty care, and outpatient and other service lines; CAH quality payment model participation; and CAH quality improvement topic priorities.
Author(s): Madeleine Pick, Robert Barclay
Date: 04/2026
Sponsoring organization: Flex Monitoring Team
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Presents a high-level summary of key data points from the September-November 2025 National Critical Access Hospital (CAH) Quality Inventory and Assessment. Includes data on CAH system affiliation; median average daily census and emergency department volume; median swing bed admissions and swing bed length of stay; hospital inpatient, behavioral health and specialty care, and outpatient and other service lines; CAH quality payment model participation; and CAH quality improvement topic priorities.
Author(s): Madeleine Pick, Robert Barclay
Date: 04/2026
Sponsoring organization: Flex Monitoring Team
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Post-Hospital Access to Preferred and High-Quality Skilled Nursing Facilities for Patients With Opioid Use Disorder
Examines access to preferred and high-quality skilled nursing facilities (SNFs) among Medicare beneficiaries with opioid use disorder (OUD). Utilizes 2017-2021 Medicare inpatient claims data to analyze 6,490,593 patients with OUD and their likelihood to enter preferred and high-quality SNFs according to patient demographics and urbanicity of metro, micro, small town, or rural.
Author(s): Talia S. Benheim, Momotazur Rahman, Andrew R. Zullo, et al.
Citation: Health Services Research, 61(2), e70110
Date: 04/2026
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Examines access to preferred and high-quality skilled nursing facilities (SNFs) among Medicare beneficiaries with opioid use disorder (OUD). Utilizes 2017-2021 Medicare inpatient claims data to analyze 6,490,593 patients with OUD and their likelihood to enter preferred and high-quality SNFs according to patient demographics and urbanicity of metro, micro, small town, or rural.
Author(s): Talia S. Benheim, Momotazur Rahman, Andrew R. Zullo, et al.
Citation: Health Services Research, 61(2), e70110
Date: 04/2026
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Prioritizing High-Volume Repair Hospitals with Ruptured Abdominal Aortic Aneurysms, for Rural and Nonrural Patients
Examines associations between in-hospital ruptured abdominal aortic aneurysm (rAAA) mortality, hospital rAAA repair volume, patient rurality, and patient transfer status, using 2015-2020 Healthcare Cost and Utilization Project State Inpatient Database (HCUP SID) data of 1,744 patients who underwent rAAA repair in New York and Florida.
Author(s): Neha H. Shetty, Hasan Nassereldine, Kristina E. Rudd, et al.
Citation: Journal of Vascular Surgery, 83(4), 1089-1099
Date: 04/2026
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Examines associations between in-hospital ruptured abdominal aortic aneurysm (rAAA) mortality, hospital rAAA repair volume, patient rurality, and patient transfer status, using 2015-2020 Healthcare Cost and Utilization Project State Inpatient Database (HCUP SID) data of 1,744 patients who underwent rAAA repair in New York and Florida.
Author(s): Neha H. Shetty, Hasan Nassereldine, Kristina E. Rudd, et al.
Citation: Journal of Vascular Surgery, 83(4), 1089-1099
Date: 04/2026
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Telehealth Resource Center Skills Matrix
Outlines the technical assistance and subject matter expertise of the 14 federally funded Telehealth Resource Centers in specific telehealth topics, clinical specialties, and areas of telehealth implementation.
Date: 04/2026
Sponsoring organization: National Consortium of Telehealth Resource Centers
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Outlines the technical assistance and subject matter expertise of the 14 federally funded Telehealth Resource Centers in specific telehealth topics, clinical specialties, and areas of telehealth implementation.
Date: 04/2026
Sponsoring organization: National Consortium of Telehealth Resource Centers
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