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Rural Health
Resources by Topic: Hospitals

December 2023 MedPAC Meeting Transcript
Transcript from the Medicare Payment Advisory Commission's (MedPAC) December 2023 meeting. Covers payment adequacy and updates for physician and other health professional services, hospital inpatient and outpatient services, hospice services, outpatient dialysis services, ambulatory surgical center services, skilled nursing facilities, skilled nursing facility services, home health services, and inpatient rehabilitation facility services. Includes rural references throughout.
Date: 12/2023
Type: Document
Sponsoring organization: Medicare Payment Advisory Commission
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Merit-Based Incentive Payment System (MIPS): 2024 Reporting MIPS Quality Measures through Medicare Part B Claims Quick Start Guide for Small Practices
Provides details on how small practices can report quality measures through Medicare Part B claims measures. Highlights changes to these measures in 2024, score redistribution policies for small practices, and information for clinicians at Critical Access Hospitals.
Date: 12/2023
Type: Document
Sponsoring organization: Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services
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A National Staffing Emergency in Rural Health Care
Podcast episode featuring a discussion with three rural hospital executives from Colorado, Wisconsin, and Michigan regarding workforce shortages in rural hospitals. Describes factors driving workforce challenges; recruitment, onboarding, and retention strategies; approaches to introducing healthcare careers to youth and the community; and the role of technology in meeting healthcare needs.
Date: 12/2023
Type: Audio
Sponsoring organization: American Hospital Association
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2023 National Healthcare Quality and Disparities Report
Provides a comprehensive summary and data analysis of healthcare quality and access in the U.S. Addresses access to healthcare, patient safety, person-centered care, care coordination, effective treatment, healthy living, and care affordability. Focuses on the impact of COVID-19 on healthcare and healthcare systems.
Date: 12/2023
Type: Document
Sponsoring organization: Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality
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Housing Shortages Are Making Recruitment and Retention Even More Challenging for Some Rural Healthcare Providers
Provides an overview of rural housing shortages and affordability concerns. Explains the impact of housing issues on the rural healthcare workforce. Features a housing development program involving a Critical Access Hospital in Colorado and an Oregon hotel conversion that combines units for healthcare workers and supportive housing.
Author(s): Brendan Stermer
Citation: Rural Monitor
Date: 12/2023
Type: Document
Sponsoring organization: Rural Health Information Hub
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Hospitals' Electronic Access to Information Needed to Treat COVID-19
Explores acute care hospitals' ability to access electronic access to information necessary to treat COVID-19 patients in 2021. Examines differences in information availability by hospital characteristics, including rurality and Critical Access Hospital (CAH) status, and engagement in interoperable exchange.
Author(s): Chelsea Richwine, Jordan Everson, Vaishali Patel
Citation: JAMIA Open, 6(4)
Date: 12/2023
Type: Document
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National Academy for State Health Policy (NASHP) Hospital Cost Tool
Interactive tool providing information on how much hospitals spend on patient care services, how costs relate to the hospital charges, and actual prices paid by health plans. Presents data on a range of measures for hospital revenue, costs, profitability, and break-even points for over 5,000 hospitals nationwide between 2011 and 2022. Includes the ability to view and compare hospital financial metrics at the hospital, state, and health system levels.
Additional links: Hospital Cost Tool and Resources
Date: 12/2023
Type: Tool
Sponsoring organization: National Academy for State Health Policy
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Medicare Advantage in Rural Areas: Implications for Hospital Sustainability
Explores the relationship between Medicare Advantage (MA) penetration levels in rural areas and acute care hospital financial distress and closure between 2008 and 2019. Analyzes data from Healthcare Cost and Utilization Project (HCUP) State Inpatient Databases from 14 states to describe rural acute care hospitals with low and high MA penetration.
Author(s): Rachel Mosher Henke, Kathryn R. Fingar, Lan Liang, H. Joanna Jiang
Citation: American Journal of Managed Care, 29(11), 594–600
Date: 11/2023
Type: Document
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Fast Facts: Arizona State Office of Rural Health Program (AzSORH)
Highlights the mission and activities of the Arizona Center for Rural Health and associated programs including the State Office of Rural Health, Arizona Rural Hospital Flexibility Program (AzFlex), the Arizona Small Hospital Improvement Program, Rural Health Professions Program, Project SHARE, and AHEAD AZ. Activities include workforce development, assistance to rural hospitals and clinics, COVID-19 mitigation and prevention, and more.
Date: 11/2023
Type: Document
Sponsoring organization: Arizona Center for Rural Health
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North Dakota Critical Access Hospital Conditions of Participation (CoP) Checklist
Provides a checklist for establishing a Critical Access Hospital (CAH) in North Dakota. Details the required documentation, policies, and information needed by the state survey team to meet the CAH certification standards.
Date: 11/2023
Type: Document
Sponsoring organization: University of North Dakota Center for Rural Health
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