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Rural Health
Resources by Topic: Hospitals

Resilience: A Commitment to Patient Safety Fuels Quality Initiatives During a Pandemic
A 2021 Wisconsin quality report that highlights measures aimed at improving patient safety as well as collaborations that support best practices in healthcare quality. Provides data on federal Medicare measures, Wisconsin quality initiatives, collaborative opportunities and resources, COVID-19 response stories, and a hospital quality improvement showcase. Includes initiatives and stories from rural healthcare facilities.
Date: 06/2021
Type: Document
Sponsoring organization: Wisconsin Hospital Association
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Pulmonary Rehabilitation: Benefiting Rural Individuals, Benefiting Rural Population Health
Discusses the benefits of pulmonary rehabilitation (PR) as a treatment for chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD). Highlights the potential of telehealth to deliver PR in rural areas and features the work of rural PR programs.
Author(s): Kay Miller Temple
Citation: Rural Monitor
Date: 06/2021
Type: Document
Sponsoring organization: Rural Health Information Hub
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U.S. News Live Webinar: Curbing the Crisis in Rural Health
Recording of a June 22, 2021, webinar discussing challenges facing rural healthcare providers, including the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic. Describes how some rural providers are utilizing community partnerships, telehealth, and other innovations to meet the needs of their patients. Features representatives from the National Rural Health Association, the New Mexico Primary Care Training Consortium, and Louisiana's St. James Parish Hospital. Transcript available by clicking the dots above the Subscribe tab, then selecting Show Transcript.
Date: 06/2021
Type: Video/Multimedia
Sponsoring organization: U.S. News & World Report
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MedPAC Comment on CMS's Proposed Rule on the Hospital Inpatient PPS and the Long-term Care Hospital PPS for FY 2022
Comments on a May 10, 2021, Federal Register proposed rule revising the hospital inpatient and long-term care hospital (LTCH) prospective payment systems. Discusses proposals on rate-setting in both the hospital and LTCH prospective payment systems, the use of "market-based" data to set Medicare severity–diagnosis related group (MS–DRG) relative weights, and changes to rural reclassification cancellation requirements for hospitals.
Date: 06/2021
Type: Document
Sponsoring organization: Medicare Payment Advisory Commission
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Community Impact and Benefit Activities of Critical Access, Other Rural, and Urban Hospitals, 2019
Examines the economic and healthcare benefit of Critical Access Hospitals (CAHs) on rural communities. Looks at services provided, the economic health of CAHs, and the effect this has on their communities broadly. Includes comparisons of community benefit and patient care services indicators provided by CAHs and other rural and urban hospitals.
Author(s): Zachariah Croll, John Gale
Date: 06/2021
Type: Document
Sponsoring organization: Flex Monitoring Team
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Still Stealing Rural America's Breath: An Update on Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease
Discusses rural research efforts focused on chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD), with insights from researchers, philanthropists, and healthcare providers. Explores the impact of COVID-19 on COPD. Also covers the importance of pulmonary rehabilitation and new research findings on the impact of this treatment.
Author(s): Kay Miller Temple
Citation: Rural Monitor
Date: 06/2021
Type: Document
Sponsoring organization: Rural Health Information Hub
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MedPAC Report to the Congress: Medicare and the Health Care Delivery System, June 2021
Evaluates Medicare payment issues and offers recommendations to the U.S. Congress. Chapter 5 presents an interim report on Medicare beneficiaries' access to care in rural areas. Also includes chapters on Medicare Advantage benchmark policy, alternative payment models, private equity and Medicare, the skilled nursing facility value-based purchasing program, indirect medical education payments, Medicare coverage of vaccines, separately payable drugs in the hospital outpatient prospective payment system, clinical laboratory fee schedule payment rates, and the relationship between clinician services and other Medicare services.
Additional links: Executive Summary
Date: 06/2021
Type: Document
Sponsoring organization: Medicare Payment Advisory Commission
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Quality Time: Sharing PIE - Using "Small Data" to Drive Big Improvements
Podcast episode exploring how two Critical Access Hospital (CAH) leaders utilize data for quality improvement. Discusses how different kinds of data have informed quality improvement initiatives and considerations for analyzing data in low-volume contexts.
Date: 06/2021
Type: Audio
Sponsoring organization: Stratis Health
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Hospital Capabilities to Enable Patient Electronic Access to Health Information, 2019
Reports on the percentage of U.S. hospitals that provide patients with electronic access to health information. Includes charts comparing types of electronic access; facility type including Critical Access, rural, and suburban-urban hospitals; and what types of information patients access.
Author(s): Christian Johnson, Wesley Barker
Date: 06/2021
Type: Document
Sponsoring organization: Office of the National Coordinator for Health Information Technology
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Use of the Spatial Access Ratio to Measure Geospatial Access to Emergency General Surgery Services in California
Evaluates the ability of Spatial Access Ratio (SPAR) to identify disparities in emergency general surgery (EGS) access in California. Compares the locations of 238 EGS-capable hospitals to the location of California residents with focus on the socio-demographic characteristics of population size, poverty rate, health insurance coverage, and rural or urban status. Table 2 shows access to EGS hospitals by rurality, among other data. Discusses the use of SPAR to allocate resources differently.
Author(s): Marta McCrum, Neng Wan, Steven Lizotte, et al.
Citation: The Journal of Trauma and Acute Care Surgery, 90(5), 853-860
Date: 05/2021
Type: Document
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