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Rural Health Information Hub

Critical Access Hospitals (CAHs) – Resources

Selected recent or important resources focusing on Critical Access Hospitals (CAHs).

Alternatives to Hospital Closure: Findings from a National Survey of CAH Executives
Discusses factors leading to rural hospital closures and alternatives to closure to maintain access to healthcare in rural areas and/or Critical Access Hospital (CAH) viability. Presents data from a survey of 227 CAH CEOs and other management staff, discussing their responses to a list of alternatives to hospital closure, including Rural Health Clinic (RHC) certification, conversion to emergency or urgent care services, Federally Qualified Health Center (FQHC) certification, and other alternatives.
Author(s): Sharita Thomas, Kristie Thompson, Kathleen Knocke, George Pink
Date: 02/2021
Type: Document
Sponsoring organization: North Carolina Rural Health Research Program
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Estimated Reduction in CAH Profitability from Loss of Cost-Based Reimbursement for Swing Beds
Examines the impact of proposed legislation recommending changes to swing bed reimbursements for Critical Access Hospitals (CAHs) from cost-based to the Skilled Nursing Facility Prospective Payment System (SNF PPS). Estimates CAH profitability using reimbursement formulas from Medicare cost reports and discusses the characteristics of CAHs most affected by a change in swing bed reimbursement.
Author(s): Drake M. Broussard, Kristin L. Reiter
Date: 05/2020
Type: Document
Sponsoring organization: North Carolina Rural Health Research Program
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Rural Quality Improvement Technical Assistance (RQITA) Resource Center
Provides technical assistance to Critical Access Hospitals (CAHs) and other rural healthcare organizations to improve healthcare and quality of care using data, measurement, and improvement activities. Offers information and resources on quality improvement and the Medicare Beneficiary Quality Improvement Project (MBQIP).
Type: Website
Sponsoring organization: Telligen
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RQITA Monthly
A monthly electronic newsletter providing Critical Access Hospitals (CAHs) information and support for quality reporting and improvement. Includes news items and information about the Medicare Beneficiary Quality Improvement Project (MBQIP).
Type: Journal/Newsletter
Sponsoring organizations: Rural Quality Improvement Technical Assistance (RQITA) Resource Center, Telligen
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Hospital Price Transparency
Offers resources for healthcare providers and consumers regarding hospital price transparency regulations and policies. Includes links to a GitHub repository of resources for templates and technical instructions and tools to support hospitals in meeting accessibility and machine-readable file requirements.
Additional links: GitHub Repository
Type: Website
Sponsoring organization: Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services
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Quality, Safety & Oversight - Guidance to Laws & Regulations: Critical Access Hospitals
Provides basic information about survey protocols and interpretive guidelines for Critical Access Hospitals. Includes links to Appendix W of the State Operations Manual and related information.
Type: Website
Sponsoring organization: Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services
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NARHC/3RNET Critical Access Hospital and Rural Health Clinic Job Board
Job board listing openings at Rural Health Clinics (RHCs) and Critical Access Hospitals (CAHs). Includes RHC and CAH jobs added to 3RNET's website. Searchable by profession/specialty and state.
Type: Website
Sponsoring organizations: 3RNET, National Association of Rural Health Clinics
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Care Compare
Provides information on the quality of care, cost, volume of services, and other data for Medicare-certified providers. Includes data on doctors and clinicians, hospitals, nursing homes, home health services, hospice care, inpatient rehabilitation facilities, long-term care hospitals, and dialysis facilities.
Type: Database
Sponsoring organization: Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services
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State Operations Manual Appendix W - Survey Protocol, Regulations and Interpretive Guidelines for Critical Access Hospitals (CAHs) and Swing-Beds in CAHs
Provides details from the State Operations Manual on swing beds for Critical Access Hospitals.
Type: Document
Sponsoring organization: Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services
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Critical Access Hospital Locations List
Provides a searchable list of Critical Access Hospitals (CAHs). Includes links to a corresponding map of CAH locations and historic data from 2004 to the present.
Type: Website
Sponsoring organization: Flex Monitoring Team
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Additional resources are available related to this guide. See the full list of resources by topic for:


Last Updated: 9/4/2024