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Rural Health Information Hub

Critical Access Hospitals (CAHs) – Resources

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

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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Rural Emergency Hospital Technical Assistance Center
Provides technical assistance to rural hospitals and Critical Access Hospitals interested in examining the feasibility of converting to a Rural Emergency Hospital (REH). Also offers support throughout the application process, planning for REH conversion, and implementing service changes.
Type: Website
Sponsoring organization: Rural Health Redesign Center
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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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Emergency Department Transfer Communication
Provides an overview of the Emergency Department Transfer Communication (EDTC) quality measure for Critical Access Hospitals (CAHs) in the Medicare Beneficiary Quality Improvement Project (MBQIP). Offers a data specifications manual and training video, as well as Excel-based data collection tools, manual, and training video. Includes a technical expert panel summary and final summary report.
Type: Website
Sponsoring organization: Stratis Health
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Additional resources are available related to this guide. See the full list of resources by topic for:


Last Updated: 6/27/2024