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Resources by Topic: Rural Health Clinics

Health Professional Shortage Areas: Problems Remain With Primary Care Shortage Area Designation System
Reviews the number and location of Health Professional Shortage Areas (HPSAs) and federal programs that use HPSA designations to allocate resources or provide benefits. Discusses available research on HPSA designation criteria and methodology. Addresses the impact of a 2002 provision that automatically designates Federally Qualified Health Centers (FQHCs) and certain Rural Health Clinics (RHCs) as facility HPSAs.
Additional links: Full Report
Date: 10/2006
Type: Document
Sponsoring organization: Government Accountability Office
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Comparison of the Rural Health Clinic and Federally Qualified Health Center Programs
Provides a general comparison of the financial components of the Rural Health Clinic (RHC) and Federally Qualified Health Center (FQHC) programs under Medicare and Medicaid.
Date: 06/2006
Type: Document
Sponsoring organization: Health Resources and Services Administration
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Status of the Rural Health Clinic Program
Office of Inspector General report discussing the location status of Rural Health Clinics (RHCs). Includes statistics on the number of RHCs in locations that do not have current shortage designations and RHCs in areas no longer considered rural. Includes historical overview of the RHC location requirements and recommendations for improvement.
Date: 08/2005
Type: Document
Sponsoring organization: Office of Inspector General (HHS)
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Health Centers and Rural Clinics: State and Federal Implementation Issues for Medicaid's New Payment System
Reviews states' implementation of the prospective payment system (PPS) for Medicaid payments to Federally Qualified Health Centers (FQHCs) and Rural Health Clinics (RHCs). Includes recommendations for CMS on guidance and oversight for states.
Additional links: Full Report
Date: 06/2005
Type: Document
Sponsoring organization: Government Accountability Office
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Scope of Services Offered by Critical Access Hospitals: Results of the 2004 National CAH Survey
Examines how Critical Access Hospital (CAH) services have changed over time, based on 2000, 2002, and 2004 survey data. Discusses the role of network affiliations in service changes and reasons for reported service expansions.
Author(s): David Hartley, Stephenie Loux
Date: 03/2005
Type: Document
Sponsoring organization: Flex Monitoring Team
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Starting a Rural Health Clinic: A How-To Manual
Detailed guide describing the Rural Health Clinic (RHC) program. Includes instructions on how to determine eligibility and financial feasibility of RHC status and how to apply to become an RHC. Includes a sample RHC policies and procedures manual.
Date: 04/2004
Type: Document
Sponsoring organization: Federal Office of Rural Health Policy
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Modeling the Frontier Extended Stay Clinic Conditions of Participation and Reimbursement Methodologies
Discusses the financial feasibility of the Frontier Extended Stay Clinic (FESC), a proposed provider type to expand services in remote and isolated primary care clinics. Compares Medicare reimbursement for FESC status with Federally Qualified Health Center (FQHC), Rural Health Clinic (RHC), and Critical Access Hospital (CAH) reimbursement. Includes detailed examples of financial impact for seven clinics in rural Alaska, Nevada, Washington, and Wyoming.
Date: 2004
Type: Document
Sponsoring organization: Federal Office of Rural Health Policy
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Characteristics and Roles of Rural Health Clinics in the United States: A Chartbook
Offers a comprehensive picture of the Rural Health Clinic (RHC) program and the operations of RHCs. Covers characteristics of RHCs, staffing and recruitment, location, and more.
Author(s): John A. Gale, Andrew F. Coburn
Date: 01/2003
Type: Document
Sponsoring organization: Maine Rural Health Research Center
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Implementing Quality Assessment and Performance Improvement Systems in Rural Health Clinics: Clinic and State Agency Responses
Assesses Rural Health Clinics (RHCs) and their compliance with Quality Assessment and Performance Improvement (QAPI) requirements.
Author(s): Astrid Knott, Karen Travers
Date: 08/2002
Type: Document
Sponsoring organization: University of Minnesota Rural Health Research Center
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Trends in Special Medicare Payments and Service Utilization for Rural Areas in the 1990s
Presents the findings of an analysis of payment trends for providers qualifying under Medicare special payment provisions for rural providers. Covers payment trends for rural hospitals, Rural Health Clinics, Federally Qualified Health Centers, and physicians.
Author(s): Donna O. Farley, Lisa R. Shugarman, Pat Taylor, et al.
Date: 06/2002
Type: Document
Sponsoring organization: RAND Corporation
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