Publications

• 2012-14 Profitability of Urban and Rural Hospitals by Medicare Payment Classification
  Policy Brief
  North Carolina Rural Health Research and Policy Analysis Center
  Date: 03/2016
  The profitability of urban hospitals to that of rural hospitals are compared for fiscal years 2012-2014 based on size and rural Medicare payment classifications.
• Eligible but Not Enrolled? Potential for Targeting Over a Half-Million Rural Medicare Beneficiaries for Enrollment in the Low-Income Subsidy Prescription Drug Program
  Policy Brief
  RUPRI Center for Rural Health Policy Analysis
  Date: 12/2008
  Medicare Part D low-income supplement (LIS) is designed to help low-income persons access prescription drugs with reduced premiums and lower out-of-pocket costs. Despite efforts to enroll as many eligible persons as possible, many Medicare beneficiaries are estimated to be eligible for but not enrolled in the LIS program.
• The Experience of Sole Community Rural Independent Pharmacies With Medicare Part D: Reports From the Field
  North Carolina Rural Health Research and Policy Analysis Center, RUPRI Center for Rural Health Policy Analysis
  Date: 11/2006
  This case study describes firsthand reports from 12 rural independent pharmacists in seven states about their experiences with Medicare Part D plans in the first seven months of 2006.
• Geographic Variation in the Profitability of Critical Access Hospitals
  Policy Brief
  North Carolina Rural Health Research and Policy Analysis Center
  Date: 09/2013
  This study describes geographic variation in the profitability of Critical Access Hospitals (CAHs) in 2012 to understand some of the regional differences in the potential effects of implementing policy proposals impacting CAHs.
• Geographic Variation in the Profitability of Urban and Rural Hospitals
  Policy Brief
  North Carolina Rural Health Research and Policy Analysis Center
  Date: 03/2016
  Historic and recent evidence suggest that unprofitability can reduce hospital services and quality, or worse, lead to closure. This study describes the current geographic variability of hospital profitability by comparing the 2014 profitability of CAHs, other rural hospitals, and urban hospitals by census region, census division, and state.
• Geographic Variation in Uncompensated Care Between Rural and Urban Hospitals
  Policy Brief
  North Carolina Rural Health Research and Policy Analysis Center
  Date: 06/2018
  The purpose of this brief is to compare uncompensated care in rural and urban hospitals and to describe how it varies across regions of the country.
• Independently Owned Pharmacy Closures in Rural America
  Policy Brief
  RUPRI Center for Rural Health Policy Analysis
  Date: 07/2008
  This brief focuses on rural pharmacy closure because of the potential threat such closures present to access to any local pharmacy services in a community.
• One Year In: Sole Community Rural Independent Pharmacies and Medicare Part D (Final Report)
  North Carolina Rural Health Research and Policy Analysis Center, RUPRI Center for Rural Health Policy Analysis
  Date: 09/2007
  This report describes the experiences of 51 rural, independently owned pharmacies that are the sole providers of pharmacy services in their communities one year after implementation of the Medicare Part D prescription drug benefit.
• One Year In: Sole Community Rural Independent Pharmacies and Medicare Part D (Findings Brief)
  North Carolina Rural Health Research and Policy Analysis Center, RUPRI Center for Rural Health Policy Analysis
  Date: 10/2007
  This brief describes the experiences of 51 rural independently-owned pharmacies that are the sole providers of pharmacy services in their communities one year after implementation of the Medicare Part D prescription drug benefit.
• Profitability of Rural Hospitals
  Policy Brief
  North Carolina Rural Health Research and Policy Analysis Center
  Date: 08/2013
  This study compares the profitability between 2010 and 2012 of urban and rural hospitals paid under the Medicare Prospective Payment System (U-PPS and R-PPS, respectively) to rural hospitals with special Medicare payment provisions.
• Provision of Uncompensated Care by Rural Hospitals: A Preliminary Look at Medicare Cost Report Worksheet S-10
  Policy Brief
  North Carolina Rural Health Research and Policy Analysis Center
  Date: 08/2013
  This brief is a preliminary assessment of uncompensated care data quality included in Medicare Cost Report Worksheet S-10 for critical access hospitals and other rural hospitals to identify data quality issue implications for research and policy decisions. Worksheet S-10 data were collected from the Healthcare Cost Reporting Information System.
• Rural Enrollment in Medicare Advantage Continues to Grow Rapidly in 2008, Led by Private Fee-for-Service Plans
  Policy Brief
  RUPRI Center for Rural Health Policy Analysis
  Date: 08/2008
  Enrollment of rural beneficiaries into Medicare Advantage (MA) plans has more than quadrupled since the inception of the MA program in 2006 and increased 35% in the last year. However, the enrollment rate in rural areas remains well below the national enrollment rate. This policy brief shows enrollment in the MA program in rural areas.
• Spread of Accountable Care Organizations in Rural America
  Policy Brief
  RUPRI Center for Rural Health Policy Analysis
  Date: 10/2016
  This brief updates a RUPRI Center analysis of the presence of Medicare Accountable Care Organizations (ACOs) in rural areas of the US in 2013. Using participation data through 2015, the current brief finds that there has been broad growth in the number of places where ACO participating providers can be found, including rural locations.