Rural Health
Resources by Topic: Healthcare quality
Health Panel Comment Letter – Hospital Outpatient Prospective Payment and Ambulatory Surgical Center Payment Systems Proposed Rule
Comments offered in response to a July 17, 2025, proposed rule revising the Medicare Hospital Outpatient Prospective Payment System (OPPS) and Ambulatory Surgical Center Payment Systems for calendar year 2026. Discusses proposals for the Hospital Outpatient Quality Reporting (OQR), Rural Emergency Hospital Quality Program (REHQR), and Ambulatory Surgical Center Quality Reporting (ASCQR) Programs.
Date: 09/2025
Sponsoring organization: Rural Policy Research Institute Rural Health Panel
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Comments offered in response to a July 17, 2025, proposed rule revising the Medicare Hospital Outpatient Prospective Payment System (OPPS) and Ambulatory Surgical Center Payment Systems for calendar year 2026. Discusses proposals for the Hospital Outpatient Quality Reporting (OQR), Rural Emergency Hospital Quality Program (REHQR), and Ambulatory Surgical Center Quality Reporting (ASCQR) Programs.
Date: 09/2025
Sponsoring organization: Rural Policy Research Institute Rural Health Panel
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Electronic Data Capture of Patient-Report Questionnaire in Patient Management in a Rural Population
Explores the feasibility and acceptability of electronic patient-reported outcomes among metabolic and bariatric surgery patients at an academic medical center in rural West Virginia. Describes results of a patient questionnaire regarding the experience of using a tablet to complete psychosocial evaluations before seeing a behavioral health provider and their preference for using a tablet or traditional paper-and-pencil forms.
Author(s): Hayley Harman, Ashleigh A. Pona, Lawrence Tabone, et al.
Citation: JSLS: Journal of the Society of Laparoscopic & Robotic Surgeons, 29(3), e2025.00068
Date: 09/2025
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Explores the feasibility and acceptability of electronic patient-reported outcomes among metabolic and bariatric surgery patients at an academic medical center in rural West Virginia. Describes results of a patient questionnaire regarding the experience of using a tablet to complete psychosocial evaluations before seeing a behavioral health provider and their preference for using a tablet or traditional paper-and-pencil forms.
Author(s): Hayley Harman, Ashleigh A. Pona, Lawrence Tabone, et al.
Citation: JSLS: Journal of the Society of Laparoscopic & Robotic Surgeons, 29(3), e2025.00068
Date: 09/2025
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Enhancing Primary Care Capacity for Cardiovascular Disease Management Through the ECHO+ Model: A Multistate Rural Collaboration Among West Virginia, Arkansas, and Oklahoma
Examines quality of care and clinician capacity impacts of the ECHO+ cardiovascular disease (CVD) tele-education course, which included asynchronous pre-recorded lectures and a quality improvement learning collaborative for 41 rural primary care providers in West Virginia, Arkansas, and Oklahoma. Provides data on ECHO+ impacts on CVD quality indicators, patient outcomes, and participant feedback.
Author(s): Dru Ricci, Hannah Schmitt, Heidi Ngov, et al.
Citation: Journal of Primary Care & Community Health, 16
Date: 09/2025
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Examines quality of care and clinician capacity impacts of the ECHO+ cardiovascular disease (CVD) tele-education course, which included asynchronous pre-recorded lectures and a quality improvement learning collaborative for 41 rural primary care providers in West Virginia, Arkansas, and Oklahoma. Provides data on ECHO+ impacts on CVD quality indicators, patient outcomes, and participant feedback.
Author(s): Dru Ricci, Hannah Schmitt, Heidi Ngov, et al.
Citation: Journal of Primary Care & Community Health, 16
Date: 09/2025
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Comparison of Discharge Disposition and AHA Prehospital Stroke Compliance among Urban, Suburban, and Rural EMS Agencies
Compares patient outcomes and compliance with quality of care guidelines among rural, suburban, and urban EMS agencies. Utilizes prehospital encounter data from 31 Colorado and Wyoming hospitals from 2020 to 2022.
Author(s): Daria S. Nicke, Courtney Wham, Ian Espinoza, et al.
Citation: Journal of Stroke & Cerebrovascular Diseases, 34(9), 108402
Date: 09/2025
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Compares patient outcomes and compliance with quality of care guidelines among rural, suburban, and urban EMS agencies. Utilizes prehospital encounter data from 31 Colorado and Wyoming hospitals from 2020 to 2022.
Author(s): Daria S. Nicke, Courtney Wham, Ian Espinoza, et al.
Citation: Journal of Stroke & Cerebrovascular Diseases, 34(9), 108402
Date: 09/2025
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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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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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Outcomes in Pregnant Patients with Congenital Heart Disease by Rurality
Examines associations between rurality, major adverse cardiac events, adverse pregnancy outcomes, and neonatal outcomes in pregnant women with congenital heart disease, utilizing 2016-2021 Healthcare Cost and Utilization Project-National Inpatient Sample data. Discusses factors influencing access to care, quality of care, and patient outcomes in rural communities.
Author(s): Mehr Jain, Franklin Iheanacho, Kristen Sparagna, et al.
Citation: Journal of Perinatal Medicine, 53(7), 900-907
Date: 08/2025
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Examines associations between rurality, major adverse cardiac events, adverse pregnancy outcomes, and neonatal outcomes in pregnant women with congenital heart disease, utilizing 2016-2021 Healthcare Cost and Utilization Project-National Inpatient Sample data. Discusses factors influencing access to care, quality of care, and patient outcomes in rural communities.
Author(s): Mehr Jain, Franklin Iheanacho, Kristen Sparagna, et al.
Citation: Journal of Perinatal Medicine, 53(7), 900-907
Date: 08/2025
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Bridging Rural Communities: Telehealth Innovations for Appalachia and Beyond
Video series on innovative approaches to telehealth in rural Appalachia, hosted by the Mid-Atlantic Telehealth Center (MATRC) on August 1, 2025. Features speakers on telehealth use in veterans' healthcare, substance use recovery, palliative care, mental health, healthy aging, emergency preparedness and response, cancer screening, and other topics related to healthcare access, quality of care, and healthcare economics. Transcripts are available via video descriptions.
Date: 08/2025
Sponsoring organization: Mid-Atlantic Telehealth Resource Center
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Video series on innovative approaches to telehealth in rural Appalachia, hosted by the Mid-Atlantic Telehealth Center (MATRC) on August 1, 2025. Features speakers on telehealth use in veterans' healthcare, substance use recovery, palliative care, mental health, healthy aging, emergency preparedness and response, cancer screening, and other topics related to healthcare access, quality of care, and healthcare economics. Transcripts are available via video descriptions.
Date: 08/2025
Sponsoring organization: Mid-Atlantic Telehealth Resource Center
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Skill Mix Versus Flexibility: Decoding Nurse Staffing Impacts on Critical Access Hospitals
Presents a study on the skill mix and flexibility of nurse staffing on the financial stability, care quality, and efficacy of Critical Access Hospitals (CAHs) in Pennsylvania from 2000 to 2023. Correlates skill mix and flexibility with hospital outcomes and controls for hospital-specific, socioeconomic, and demographic factors.
Author(s): Dinesh R. Pai, Esmaeil Bahalkeh
Citation: Journal of Rural Health, 41(3), e70075
Date: 08/2025
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Presents a study on the skill mix and flexibility of nurse staffing on the financial stability, care quality, and efficacy of Critical Access Hospitals (CAHs) in Pennsylvania from 2000 to 2023. Correlates skill mix and flexibility with hospital outcomes and controls for hospital-specific, socioeconomic, and demographic factors.
Author(s): Dinesh R. Pai, Esmaeil Bahalkeh
Citation: Journal of Rural Health, 41(3), e70075
Date: 08/2025
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