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Rural Health
Resources by Topic: Inpatient care

Effects of Rural Hospital Closures on Nurse Staffing Levels and Health Care Utilization at Nearby Hospitals
Analyzes healthcare utilization and nurse staffing levels when nearby rural hospitals close. Utilizes 2014-2019 American Hospital Association Survey data to examine vocational nurse/licensed practical nurse (LPN), registered nurse (RN), and advanced practice nurse (APN) staffing levels as well as inpatient and outpatient surgical operations and emergency department (ED) visits within 4 years of a hospital closure.
Author(s): Jing Dong, Siying Liu, Asefeh Faraz Covelli, Guido Cataife
Citation: Health Economics, 33(12), 2687-2707
Date: 12/2024
Type: Document
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Characteristics of Patients Hospitalized in Rural and Urban ICUs From 2010 to 2019
Examines the characteristics of fee-for-service Medicare patients who received intensive care in rural. Compares patient characteristics to those who received intensive care in urban hospitals, and the change in patient characteristics between 2010 and 2019. Presents data by patient age, sex, race and ethnicity, mean area deprivation index rank, primary diagnosis, and more.
Author(s): Emily A. Harlan, Muhammad Ghous, Ira S. Moscovice, Thomas S. Valley
Citation: Critical Care Medicine, 52(10), 1577-1586
Date: 10/2024
Type: Document
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The Impact of Primary Care Physician Capacity on Preventable Hospitalizations: Identifying Bright Spots in the Appalachian & Mississippi Delta Regions
Results of a study to determine whether the association of primary care capacity with preventable hospitalizations is different in the Appalachian and Mississippi Delta regions compared with the rest of the U.S. Also explores primary care capacity in counties with lower-than-expected preventable hospitalization rates. Features statistics with breakdowns by rural and nonrural areas.
Author(s): Michael Topmiller, Peter J. Mallow, Hoon Byun, Mark Carrozza, Yalda Jabbarpour
Citation: Journal of Appalachian Health, 6(3), 66-78
Date: 10/2024
Type: Document
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Interfacility Transfer of Children With Time-Sensitive Surgical Conditions, 2002-2017
Explores changes in the number of interfacility transfers and travel distance for children with four time-sensitive surgical conditions across nine states between 2002 and 2017. Examines whether the changes in transfers and travel distance varied by patients' urban or rural residence.
Author(s): Kyle J. Van Arendonk, Elisabeth T. Tracy, Jonathan S. Ellison, et al.
Citation: JAMA Network Open, 7(10), e2440251
Date: 10/2024
Type: Document
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Medicare Payment Basics: Inpatient Rehabilitation Facilities Payment System
Overview of Medicare's payment system for inpatient rehabilitation services in freestanding facilities or within acute care hospitals. Demonstrates how payment rates are adjusted to account for certain facility characteristics, including facilities in rural areas.
Date: 10/2024
Type: Document
Sponsoring organization: Medicare Payment Advisory Commission
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Medicare Payment Basics: Inpatient Psychiatric Facilities Services Payment System
Overview of Medicare's payment system for inpatient psychiatric services provided in freestanding hospitals or specialized hospital-based units. Demonstrates how payments for these services are adjusted to reflect geographic differences in labor costs, and cost of care by facility and patient characteristics.
Date: 10/2024
Type: Document
Sponsoring organization: Medicare Payment Advisory Commission
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AHRQ Report to Congress: An Assessment of Sepsis in the United States and its Burden on Hospital Care
Offers an assessment of hospital care for sepsis between 2016 and 2021 including trends in hospital utilization, morbidity, in-hospital mortality, and disparities related to various patient demographics and geographic factors. Discusses rural throughout.
Date: 09/2024
Type: Document
Sponsoring organization: Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality
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Racial and Ethnic Differences in Inpatient Stays Involving Sepsis, 2016–2021
Offers national statistics on inpatient hospital stays involving sepsis by race and ethnicity. Discusses trends over time, comorbidities, mortality, and more. Table 1 includes data by rural or urban residence, among other measures.
Author(s): Melissa A. Miller, Kimberly Martin, Molly Hensche, Carrie Goetsch
Date: 08/2024
Type: Document
Sponsoring organization: Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality
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FY 2025 Hospital Inpatient Prospective Payment System (IPPS) and Long-Term Care Hospital Prospective Payment System (LTCH PPS) Final Rule – CMS-1808-F
Fact sheet providing an overview of the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) fiscal year 2025 hospital inpatient prospective payment system (IPPS) and long-term care hospital prospective payment system (LTCH PPS) final rule. Includes information about the extension of the low-wage index hospital policy, a separate IPPS payment for small and independent hospitals to establish and maintain a buffer stock of essential medicines, the distribution of graduate medical education (GME) residency slots, updates to quality reporting programs, and more.
Date: 08/2024
Type: Document
Sponsoring organization: Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services
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Medicare Advantage Enrollees Account for a Rising Share of Inpatient Hospital Days
Describes the growth of Medicare Advantage (MA) as a share of hospital inpatient days between 2015 and 2022. Presents data from hospital cost reports submitted to the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid (CMS) regarding the share of inpatient days attributable to MA compared to traditional Medicare, the percentage of hospitals with more inpatient days from Medicare Advantage than traditional Medicare, and the variation across hospitals within counties. Compares trends in the share of inpatient days for MA enrollees across rural, micropolitan, and metropolitan hospitals.
Author(s): Jamie Godwin, Jeannie Fuglesten Biniek, Zachary Levinson, Tricia Neuman
Date: 07/2024
Type: Document
Sponsoring organization: KFF
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