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Resources by Topic: Inpatient care

Care Fragmentation and Readmission Mortality and Length of Stay Before and During the COVID-19 Pandemic: Data from the National Readmissions Database, 2018–2020
Examines fragmented readmissions, in which a patient returns to a hospital that is different than their prior admission, and the impact on in-hospital mortality and longer lengths-of-stay (LOS). Analyzes readmission data during the COVID-19 pandemic against 2018-2019 data and includes breakdowns according to patient sex, age, income, insurance status, and health condition, as well as hospital type and large metropolitan area, small metropolitan area, micropolitan, or non-metropolitan/non-micropolitan location.
Author(s): Sara Turbow, Tiffany Walker, Steven Culler, Mohammed K. Ali
Citation: BMC Health Services Research, 24, 622
Date: 05/2024
Type: Document
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Virginia's Assisted Living Facility Administrator Workforce: 2024
An overview of the assisted living facility administrator (ALFA) workforce in Virginia based on data from the 2024 Assisted Living Facility Administrator Workforce Survey. Features statistics including the number of ALFAs in rural Virginia and how many grew up in rural areas.
Date: 04/2024
Type: Document
Sponsoring organization: Virginia Department of Health Professions
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April 2024 MedPAC Meeting Transcript
Transcript from the Medicare Payment Advisory Commission's (MedPAC) April 2024 meeting. Covers telehealth in Medicare, alternative approaches to lowering Medicare payments for select conditions in inpatient rehabilitation facilities, approaches for updating the Medicare physician fee schedule, initial findings from an analysis of Medicare Part B payment rates and 340B ceiling prices, and more. Includes discussion of telehealth in rural areas and data on telehealth use in Federally Qualified Health Centers (FQHCs) and Rural Health Clinics (RHCs) between 2020 and 2022.
Additional links: Telehealth in Medicare: Status Report - Presentation Slides
Date: 04/2024
Type: Document
Sponsoring organization: Medicare Payment Advisory Commission
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2023 National CAH Quality Inventory & Assessment National Report
Presents a high-level summary of key data points from the October-December 2023 National Critical Access Hospital (CAH) Quality Inventory and Assessment. Includes data on CAH system affiliation; median average daily census and emergency department volume; hospital inpatient, behavioral health and specialty care, and outpatient and other service lines; and CAH quality payment model participation.
Author(s): Megan Lahr, Robert Barclay, Madeleine Pick
Date: 04/2024
Type: Document
Sponsoring organization: Flex Monitoring Team
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Access to Preferred Skilled Nursing Facilities: Transitional Care Pathways for Patients with Alzheimer's Disease and Related Dementias
Examines the ability of patients with Alzheimer's disease and related dementias (ADRD) to access their preferred skilled nursing facility (SNF). Analyzes 2017-2019 data from 3,019,260 Medicare hospitalizations that resulted in an SNF transfer, with breakdowns according to ADRD or non-ADRD patient, age, sex, race/ethnicity, hospitalization, distance to care, and metro, micro, small town, or rural location.
Author(s): Dori A. Cross, Taylor I. Bucy, Momotazur Rahman, John P. McHugh
Citation: Health Services Research, 59(2)
Date: 04/2024
Type: Document
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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
Type: Document
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
Type: Document
Sponsoring organization: Medicare Payment Advisory Commission
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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
Type: Document
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Pre-Rulemaking Measure Review Measures Under Consideration: 2023 Recommendations Report
Reviews the 42 pre-rulemaking quality measures the Battelle's Partnership for Quality Measurement (PQM) considered during the 2023-2024 Pre-Rulemaking Measure Review (PRMR) cycle. Discusses measures for clinician, hospital, and post-acute care/long-term care programs. Includes rural references and considerations throughout.
Date: 02/2024
Type: Document
Sponsoring organization: Partnership for Quality Measurement
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Opioid Stewardship Program Implementation in Rural and Critical Access Hospitals in Arizona
Assesses the implementation of 11 opioid stewardship program (OSP) elements at 17 Arizona Critical Access Hospitals. Compares data between the emergency and inpatient departments and analyzes trends. Discusses standardization of OSPs and both preventing and treating opioid misuse disorder.
Author(s): Benjamin R. Brady, Bianca SantaMaria, Kathryn Tucker Ortiz y Pino, Bridget S. Murphy
Citation: Journal of Opioid Management, 20(1), 21-30
Date: 02/2024
Type: Document
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