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Rural Hospitals – Resources

Selected recent or important resources focusing on Rural Hospitals.

The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services Could Improve Its Wage Index Adjustment for Hospitals in Areas With the Lowest Wages
Analyzes characteristics of hospitals with area wage indexes (AWI) in the bottom quartile in 2020, including rurality, geography, Medicaid expansion status, and hourly wages. Provides an overview of the hospital wage index system and AWI, circularity, and the impact of these policies on prospective payment system (PPS) hospitals. Offers policy recommendations to the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services regarding future adjustments.
Additional links: Full Data Brief
Date: 12/2020
Type: Document
Sponsoring organization: Office of Inspector General (HHS)
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Examining Rural Hospital Bypass for Inpatient Services
Explores the drivers of rural hospital bypass for inpatient services. Examines demographic characteristics, why patients bypassed their nearest rural hospital, how the local supply of healthcare services affects rural hospital bypass, and if health insurance networks or cost affect the decision to bypass rural hospitals.
Date: 12/2020
Type: Document
Sponsoring organization: Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services
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Incidence of Adverse Events in Indian Health Service Hospitals
Explores the occurrence of harm events in Indian Health Service (IHS) hospitals. Discusses the rates of adverse harm events, or those leading to prolonged or permanent patient harm, and temporary harm events. Breaks down data by hospital size and patient age and reason for admission. Makes recommendations regarding quality control and oversight.
Date: 12/2020
Type: Document
Sponsoring organization: Office of Inspector General (HHS)
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ACEP Rural Emergency Care Task Force 2020: Report to the ACEP Board of Directors
Final report of the American College of Emergency Physicians' 2020 Rural Emergency Care Task Force. Addresses objectives and offers recommendations for developing strategies to support the current rural emergency department (ED) workforce, promote training, facilitate use of telemedicine, and improve quality of patient care. Features statistics on characteristics of hospitals in rural areas, and includes information on typical rural ED hospital practice environments in areas with 6 levels of population density.
Date: 10/2020
Type: Document
Sponsoring organization: American College of Emergency Physicians
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SHIP Pricing Transparency Guide
Supports Small Rural Hospital Improvement Program (SHIP) coordinators as they work to meet hospital price transparency rules. Provides an overview of the basics and history of price transparency regulations, key terms, eligibility, exemptions, and key components of the final rule. Includes resources, a list of shoppable services, and a template for work plan implementation.
Additional links: Price Transparency Webinar, Sample Price Transparency Work Plan
Date: 10/2020
Type: Document
Sponsoring organizations: Eide Bailly LLP, National Rural Health Resource Center
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Rural Hospital CEO Turnover
Policy paper examining CEO turnover in rural hospitals. Discusses factors that contribute to CEO turnover as well as the impact of turnover on hospitals. Offers policy initiatives and recommendations for hospital boards to address CEO turnover.
Author(s): Mellie Bridewell, Matt Shahan
Date: 10/2020
Type: Document
Sponsoring organization: National Rural Health Association
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Chart Book: The Far-Reaching Benefits of the Affordable Care Act's Medicaid Expansion
Compares states that expanded Medicaid coverage and those that did not expand Medicaid coverage using a variety of measures such as healthcare access and health outcomes. Addresses the impact on rural hospitals for Medicaid revenue, operating margins, and uncompensated care on page 18.
Date: 10/2020
Type: Document
Sponsoring organization: Center on Budget and Policy Priorities
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Understanding Rural Hospital Bypass Among Medicare Fee-for-Service (FFS) Beneficiaries in 2018
Examines the extent to which rural Medicare beneficiaries receive inpatient services at hospitals that are not their nearest rural hospital. Explores which hospital services rural Medicare beneficiaries most often seek locally and at distant hospitals.
Date: 09/2020
Type: Document
Sponsoring organization: Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services
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A Comparison of Rural and Urban Specialty Hospitals
Results of a study examining differences in long-term acute care hospitals, inpatient psychiatric hospitals, and inpatient rehabilitation facilities in urban and rural areas. Features statistics on ownership type, location, number of beds, percent of inpatient days for rural residents, percent of inpatient days for Medicare beneficiaries, operating expenses, percent of Medicaid days, and profitability.
Author(s): George H. Pink, Andrew Osgood, Pranathi Sana
Date: 09/2020
Type: Document
Sponsoring organization: North Carolina Rural Health Research Program
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Urban Hospitals with a High Percentage of Inpatient Days for Rural Patients
Results of a study evaluating differences in urban hospitals with high and low percentages of rural inpatient days. Features a map showing locations of urban hospitals with greater than 40% rural inpatient days and statistics on urban hospitals with breakdowns by rural inpatient day percentage categories and Medicare payment classifications.
Author(s): Randall John, Kathleen Knocke, George H. Pink
Date: 09/2020
Type: Document
Sponsoring organization: North Carolina Rural Health Research Program
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Last Updated: 3/22/2024