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Rural Health Information Hub

Rural Health
Resources by Topic: Hospitals

MedPAC Report to the Congress: Medicare Payment Policy: Mandated Report: Rural Emergency Hospitals: Chapter 15
Provides an overview of the Rural Emergency Hospital (REH) designation. Discusses the evolution of Medicare's support for rural hospitals through payment policies and the impact of declining inpatient volumes on rural hospitals' financial sustainability. Describes the characteristics of hospitals that converted to REH status in 2023, the first year of the designation.
Date: 03/2024
Sponsoring organization: Medicare Payment Advisory Commission
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MedPAC Report to the Congress: Medicare Payment Policy: Skilled Nursing Facility Services: Chapter 6
Discusses payment adequacy for skilled nursing facility (SNF) services. Features statistics on SNF care provided by rural hospitals and Critical Access Hospitals (CAHs) via swing beds and Medicare margins for urban and rural freestanding SNFs in 2022.
Date: 03/2024
Sponsoring organization: Medicare Payment Advisory Commission
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MedPAC Report to the Congress: Medicare Payment Policy, 2024
Annual review of Medicare payment policies, with recommendations to Congress. Includes discussion on Medicare payment policies directly affecting rural providers and beneficiaries. Addresses payment adequacy for Medicare fee-for-service payment systems, Medicare Advantage (MA), and Medicare Part D. Includes two mandated reports on special needs plans for beneficiaries dually eligible for Medicare and Medicaid and the Rural Emergency Hospital (REH) designation.
Date: 03/2024
Sponsoring organization: Medicare Payment Advisory Commission
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2023 National Healthcare Quality and Disparities Report: Chartbook on Patient Safety
Summarizes trends in healthcare quality across 28 measures of patient safety. Presents findings for four settings of care: ambulatory care, home health, hospitals, and nursing homes. Highlights differences in maternal morbidity and mortality measures by rurality.
Author(s): Barbara Barton, Darryl Gray, Cecilia Hahn, et al.
Date: 03/2024
Sponsoring organization: Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality
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Mortality for Time-Sensitive Conditions at Urban vs Rural Hospitals During the COVID-19 Pandemic
Analyzed hospitalizations in 3,813 rural and urban facilities to determine patient mortality outcomes for non-COVID-19 time sensitive conditions before and during the pandemic. Discusses rural and urban disparities.
Author(s): H. Joanna Jiang, Rachel M. Henke, Kathryn R. Fingar, Lan Liang, Denis Agniel
Citation: JAMA Network Open, 7(3)
Date: 03/2024
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COVID-19 Affected Rural and Urban Hospital Uncompensated Care
Offers data comparing the impact of COVID-19 on uncompensated hospital care on rural and urban facilities using Medicare Cost Report data for acute care hospitals. Discusses uncompensated care trends over time and analyzes operating expenses.
Author(s): Emmaline Keesee
Date: 03/2024
Sponsoring organization: The Cecil G. Sheps Center for Health Services Research
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The 340B Drug Pricing Program: A Small Part of the Prescription Drug Market, Delivering Large Benefits to Patients and Communities
Analyzes impacts of the 340B Drug Pricing Program on access, hospital finance, drug companies, and public expenditures. Discusses how the 340B program is shaped by legislation, policy, finance, prescribing patterns, and market influences. Highlights rural and underserved communities throughout.
Date: 03/2024
Sponsoring organization: American Hospital Association
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Rural Health Leadership, with Steve Simonin
An episode of the Exploring Rural Health podcast featuring Steve Simonin, President and CEO of Iowa Specialty Hospital and Clinics. Focuses on how healthcare systems can invest in their communities, strategies for ensuring long-term rural health sustainability, and the importance of maintaining communication with state and federal support systems.
Date: 03/2024
Sponsoring organization: Rural Health Information Hub
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The Impact of Rural General Hospital Closures on Communities—A Systematic Review of the Literature
Presents a literature review of studies on the health and economic effects hospital closures have had on rural communities. Analyzes 21 studies completed in the previous 8 years and details the economic and healthcare access outcomes identified.
Author(s): Carol A. Mills, Valerie A. Yeager, Kathleen T. Unroe, et al.
Citation: Journal of Rural Health, 40(2), 238-248
Date: 03/2024
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Oregon Rural Hospitals
Shows a county-level map of Oregon identifying the location of rural hospitals including Critical Access Hospitals (CAHs), non-CAHs, and sole community hospitals.
Date: 03/2024
Sponsoring organization: Oregon Office of Rural Health
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