Rural Health
Resources by Topic: Service delivery models
Assessment of Mental and Physical Health Outcomes over Time in an Integrated Care Setting
Examines the impact of an integrated care setting in rural Louisiana for patients with mental health challenges. Utilizes data from 239 integrated care patients and analyzes various physical health indicators and mental health outcomes.
Author(s): Dependra Bhatta, Monteic A. Sizer, Binod Acharya, Dipendra Banjara
Citation: BMC Primary Care, 26, 181
Date: 05/2025
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Examines the impact of an integrated care setting in rural Louisiana for patients with mental health challenges. Utilizes data from 239 integrated care patients and analyzes various physical health indicators and mental health outcomes.
Author(s): Dependra Bhatta, Monteic A. Sizer, Binod Acharya, Dipendra Banjara
Citation: BMC Primary Care, 26, 181
Date: 05/2025
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Bringing Virtual Behavioral Health Care Access to Rural Youth in West Virginia
Podcast episode that discusses a virtual collaborative behavioral healthcare model for children in rural West Virginia. Focuses on early behavioral health interventions, access, and improved health outcomes.
Author(s): Tom Haederle, Adrienne Coopey, Jordan Steiger
Date: 05/2025
Sponsoring organization: American Hospital Association
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Podcast episode that discusses a virtual collaborative behavioral healthcare model for children in rural West Virginia. Focuses on early behavioral health interventions, access, and improved health outcomes.
Author(s): Tom Haederle, Adrienne Coopey, Jordan Steiger
Date: 05/2025
Sponsoring organization: American Hospital Association
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Impact of Telemental Health on Suicide Prevention Care in U.S. Emergency Departments
Describes results of a survey of 977 hospital emergency departments regarding the use of telemental healthcare, and presents data by hospital characteristics, including rural location and Critical Access Hospital (CAH) status. Explores whether access to telemental healthcare affects use of six recommended suicide prevention practices. Compares the use of suicide prevention practices among patients with identified suicide risk by telemental healthcare status and CAH designation.
Author(s): Stephanie K. Doupnik, Cadence F. Bowden, Diana Worsley, et al.
Citation: Academic Emergency Medicine, 32(9), 956-965
Date: 05/2025
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Describes results of a survey of 977 hospital emergency departments regarding the use of telemental healthcare, and presents data by hospital characteristics, including rural location and Critical Access Hospital (CAH) status. Explores whether access to telemental healthcare affects use of six recommended suicide prevention practices. Compares the use of suicide prevention practices among patients with identified suicide risk by telemental healthcare status and CAH designation.
Author(s): Stephanie K. Doupnik, Cadence F. Bowden, Diana Worsley, et al.
Citation: Academic Emergency Medicine, 32(9), 956-965
Date: 05/2025
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Environmental Scan on Reducing Barriers to Participation in Population-Based Total Cost of Care (PB-TCOC) Models and Supporting Primary and Specialty Care Transformation
Presents results of an environmental scan on reducing barriers to participation in population-based total cost of care (PB-TCOC) models and supporting primary and specialty care transformation. Discusses identifying pathways for maximizing participation of different kinds of organizations in PB-TCOC models; an assessment of and approaches to reducing organization-level barriers; approaches to support primary and specialty care transformation; an assessment of factors that influence the ability of PB-TCOC models to be competitive; and a summary of relevant features in previously submitted Physician-Focused Payment Model Technical Advisory Committee (PTAC) proposals. Includes rural references throughout.
Date: 05/2025
Sponsoring organization: HHS Office of the Assistant Secretary for Planning and Evaluation
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Presents results of an environmental scan on reducing barriers to participation in population-based total cost of care (PB-TCOC) models and supporting primary and specialty care transformation. Discusses identifying pathways for maximizing participation of different kinds of organizations in PB-TCOC models; an assessment of and approaches to reducing organization-level barriers; approaches to support primary and specialty care transformation; an assessment of factors that influence the ability of PB-TCOC models to be competitive; and a summary of relevant features in previously submitted Physician-Focused Payment Model Technical Advisory Committee (PTAC) proposals. Includes rural references throughout.
Date: 05/2025
Sponsoring organization: HHS Office of the Assistant Secretary for Planning and Evaluation
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Montana AHEC Scholars - HRSA: Area Health Education Center (AHEC)
Highlights the Montana AHEC Scholars Program, which provides interdisciplinary training in behavioral health integration, telehealth, and social determinants of health, among other topics, to improve the quality and access to care in rural communities.
Date: 05/2025
Sponsoring organizations: Montana Area Health Education Center, Montana Office of Rural Health
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Highlights the Montana AHEC Scholars Program, which provides interdisciplinary training in behavioral health integration, telehealth, and social determinants of health, among other topics, to improve the quality and access to care in rural communities.
Date: 05/2025
Sponsoring organizations: Montana Area Health Education Center, Montana Office of Rural Health
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Stories of Impact: Lee County Health Department
Profiles the Lee County Health Department in Iowa and their work to support community health worker certification, continuing education for public health workers, mobile resource clinics, and health and human services referral processes.
Date: 05/2025
Sponsoring organization: Georgia Health Policy Center
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Profiles the Lee County Health Department in Iowa and their work to support community health worker certification, continuing education for public health workers, mobile resource clinics, and health and human services referral processes.
Date: 05/2025
Sponsoring organization: Georgia Health Policy Center
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Evaluation of the Primary Care First Model: Third Annual Report
Provides an overview of the Primary Care First (PCF) model, which aims to enhance primary care and move primary care practitioners toward value-based payment. Describes the PCF model implementation experiences for Cohort 1 and Cohort 2 practices through 2023. Explores the characteristics of practices and payers that continued to participate in the PCF model compared to those who left. Examines the role that the PCF Model's incentives and supports played in the strategies and practices adopted to improve care delivery and how the trajectory of these strategies and activities practices have transformed over time. Estimates the impact of the PCF Model on Medicare fee-for-service (FFS) expenditures and service use, including acute hospitalizations. Estimates the impacts of the model on a set of seven leading indicators to provide an early assessment of whether care delivery changes are resulting in meaningful early outcome changes.
Additional links: Executive Summary, Findings at a Glance
Date: 05/2025
Sponsoring organizations: Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services, Mathematica
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Provides an overview of the Primary Care First (PCF) model, which aims to enhance primary care and move primary care practitioners toward value-based payment. Describes the PCF model implementation experiences for Cohort 1 and Cohort 2 practices through 2023. Explores the characteristics of practices and payers that continued to participate in the PCF model compared to those who left. Examines the role that the PCF Model's incentives and supports played in the strategies and practices adopted to improve care delivery and how the trajectory of these strategies and activities practices have transformed over time. Estimates the impact of the PCF Model on Medicare fee-for-service (FFS) expenditures and service use, including acute hospitalizations. Estimates the impacts of the model on a set of seven leading indicators to provide an early assessment of whether care delivery changes are resulting in meaningful early outcome changes.
Additional links: Executive Summary, Findings at a Glance
Date: 05/2025
Sponsoring organizations: Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services, Mathematica
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2024 National CAH Quality Inventory & Assessment National Report
Presents a high-level summary of key data points from the September-November 2024 National Critical Access Hospital (CAH) Quality Inventory and Assessment. Includes data on CAH system affiliation; median average daily census and emergency department volume; median swing bed admissions and swing bed length of stay; hospital inpatient, behavioral health and specialty care, and outpatient and other service lines; and CAH quality payment model participation.
Date: 05/2025
Sponsoring organization: Flex Monitoring Team
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Presents a high-level summary of key data points from the September-November 2024 National Critical Access Hospital (CAH) Quality Inventory and Assessment. Includes data on CAH system affiliation; median average daily census and emergency department volume; median swing bed admissions and swing bed length of stay; hospital inpatient, behavioral health and specialty care, and outpatient and other service lines; and CAH quality payment model participation.
Date: 05/2025
Sponsoring organization: Flex Monitoring Team
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Medicare Shared Savings Program: Rule Changes and Implications for Rural Health Care Organizations
Summarizes changes to the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) Medicare Shared Savings Program (SSP) that take effect in January 2023 for current participants, and in January 2024 for organizations applying for a January 1, 2024 start. Discusses the potential impact of these changes on rural health and participation considerations.
Date: 05/2025
Sponsoring organization: Rural Health Value
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Summarizes changes to the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) Medicare Shared Savings Program (SSP) that take effect in January 2023 for current participants, and in January 2024 for organizations applying for a January 1, 2024 start. Discusses the potential impact of these changes on rural health and participation considerations.
Date: 05/2025
Sponsoring organization: Rural Health Value
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The Role of Telehealth in Sepsis Care in Rural Emergency Departments: A Qualitative Study of Emergency Department Sepsis Telehealth User Perspectives
Explores rural emergency department staff use of and perspectives on provider-to-provider telehealth (tele-ED) use for rural patients with sepsis, using data from interviews with 27 hub physicians, rural ED providers, and nurses in the Upper Midwest. Discusses topics related to rural barriers and facilitators of tele-ED use, impacts on quality of care, staff and facility-level factors, and more.
Author(s): Nicholas M. Mohr, Kimberly A.S. Merchant, Brian M. Fuller, et al.
Citation: PLOS One, 20(4), e0321299
Date: 04/2025
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Explores rural emergency department staff use of and perspectives on provider-to-provider telehealth (tele-ED) use for rural patients with sepsis, using data from interviews with 27 hub physicians, rural ED providers, and nurses in the Upper Midwest. Discusses topics related to rural barriers and facilitators of tele-ED use, impacts on quality of care, staff and facility-level factors, and more.
Author(s): Nicholas M. Mohr, Kimberly A.S. Merchant, Brian M. Fuller, et al.
Citation: PLOS One, 20(4), e0321299
Date: 04/2025
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