Rural Health
Research Gateway

Rural Health Clinics (RHCs)

Completed Projects

Listed by project completion date. You can also view these projects alphabetically.

2024

  • How are Rural Health Clinics Serving Pediatric and Obstetrical Medicaid Populations?
    This project examined the roles of independent and provider-based Rural Health Clinics in serving pediatric and obstetrical patients covered by state Medicaid programs.
    Research center: Maine Rural Health Research Center
    Topics: Children and adolescents, Health services, Healthcare financing, Maternal health, Medicaid and CHIP, Rural Health Clinics (RHCs), Women

2023

  • Assessing Cancer Care Coordination in Rural Health Clinics During a Pandemic
    This project aimed to understand how Rural Health Clinics perceived and implemented evidence-based cancer screening and treatment and related intervention strategies before and during the COVID-19 pandemic.
    Research center: Rural and Minority Health Research Center
    Topics: Cancer, Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-19), Rural Health Clinics (RHCs)
  • Financial Risk Assumption Among Rural Healthcare Providers
    This project assessed rural/urban providers' participation in different payment models and assumption of financial risk in the Medicare Quality Payment Program. We conducted qualitative interviews to examine rural providers' motivations and preparedness for participating in different risk-bearing payment models.
    Research center: RUPRI Center for Rural Health Policy Analysis
    Topics: Health reform, Healthcare financing, Rural Health Clinics (RHCs)

2022

  • Longitudinal Trends in Community Mental Health Center and Federally Qualified Health Center Supply in Nonmetropolitan and Metropolitan Counties
    This study described how the supply of community mental health centers and Federally Qualified Health Centers has changed over time in nonmetropolitan and metropolitan counties nationally.
    Research center: Rural and Underserved Health Research Center
    Topics: Health disparities and health equity, Health promotion and disease prevention, Hospitals and clinics, Mental and behavioral health, Rural Health Clinics (RHCs), Substance use and treatment
  • Northern Border Regional Commission State and Region Chartbooks: A Health-Focused Landscape Analysis
    The aim of this study was to compile the most recent publicly available data related to health and healthcare access at the county-level and state-level for the Norther Border Region and the individual states: ME, NH, VT, and NY. We highlighted counties with worse health outcomes, as compared to the rest of the counties in the region.
    Research center: Maine Rural Health Research Center
    Topics: Federally Qualified Health Centers (FQHCs), Rural Health Clinics (RHCs), Rural statistics and demographics, Social determinants of health, Substance use and treatment, Telehealth, Uninsured and underinsured, Workforce
  • Planning and Pilot Testing of Evidence-Based Cancer Prevention and Control Interventions with Rural Health Clinics
    This project leveraged growing collaborative efforts between the Rural and Minority Health Research Center, South Carolina Office of Rural Health, South Carolina Primary Health Care Association, and Center for Rural and Primary Healthcare to assess and improve cancer prevention and control among rural South Carolina residents.
    Research center: Rural and Minority Health Research Center
    Topics: Cancer, Minority health, Rural Health Clinics (RHCs)
  • Rural Health Clinics Chartbook
    This project produced a comprehensive, descriptive chartbook detailing the characteristics and status of rural health clinics (RHCs) nationally. It also assessed the use of secondary data to construct a national set of indicators for RHCs and identify gaps in our knowledge that cannot be addressed using secondary data.
    Research center: Maine Rural Health Research Center
    Topic: Rural Health Clinics (RHCs)

2019

  • Identification of High-Need Rural Counties Lacking an FQHC Presence
    Federally Qualified Health Centers (FQHCs) have been key safety net providers since the program was initiated. However, many rural communities lack this resource. Expanding on the index of relative rural deprivation developed by the SCRHRC, we identified high-need rural counties that currently are not served by an FQHC or similar provider.
    Research center: Rural and Minority Health Research Center
    Topics: Critical Access Hospitals (CAHs), Federally Qualified Health Centers (FQHCs), Rural Health Clinics (RHCs)
  • Rural Health Clinic Financial Performance and Productivity
    This study used Medicare cost reports for independent and provider-based clinics to provide a detailed national picture of the financial and operational performance of RHCs and describe variations in performance related to revenue, costs, staffing, payer mix, productivity levels, and hours of operation across independent and provider-based clinics. The project also developed measures that can be used to benchmark RHC performance over time.
    Research center: Maine Rural Health Research Center
    Topics: Medicare, Rural Health Clinics (RHCs)

2018

2017

  • Do Rural Health Clinics (RHCs) Provide Services that Lower Rates of Preventable Hospitalizations?
    This project uses 3 years of individual-level Medicare claims data to analyze the relationship between receiving care at a Rural Health Clinic (RHC) and the likelihood of potentially preventable hospitalization and/or potentially preventable emergency department (ED) visits. The project will explore this relationship among both fee-for-service Medicare enrollees and Medicare-Medicaid dual eligibles.
    Research center: RUPRI Center for Rural Health Policy Analysis
    Topics: Hospitals and clinics, Rural Health Clinics (RHCs)

2016

  • Rural Health Clinics: Medicare & Medicaid Profile (Year 2)
    Year 2 of a project developing a longitudinal data collection/tracking mechanism of key RHC Medicare claims data and cost report elements. RHC Medicaid data for a sample of states also will be requested and analyzed to determine utilization patterns and identification of potential quality metrics.
    Research center: North Carolina Rural Health Research and Policy Analysis Center
    Topics: Medicaid and CHIP, Medicare, Rural Health Clinics (RHCs)

2015

  • Role of Free Clinics in the Rural Safety Net
    This two-part study will combine a mapping project that documents the location of free clinics across the US with a telephone survey of the 21 state and 2 regional free clinic associations.
    Research center: Rural and Minority Health Research Center
    Topics: Hospitals and clinics, Rural Health Clinics (RHCs)
  • Rural Health Clinics: Medicare & Medicaid Profile
    This study builds on our work with the 2009 RHC Medicare claims. This project will result in the development of a longitudinal data collection/tracking mechanism of key RHC Medicare claims data and cost report elements (provider-based cost reports only at this point in time). RHC Medicaid data for a sample of states will be requested and analyzed to determine utilization patterns and identification of potential quality metrics.
    Research center: North Carolina Rural Health Research and Policy Analysis Center
    Topics: Healthcare access, Medicare, Rural Health Clinics (RHCs)
  • Transformation of Rural Health Clinics: Are They Ready to Serve as Patient-Centered Medical Homes?
    Rural Health Clinics (RHCs) face pressure to transform their practices by becoming patient-centered medical homes (PCMHs). This study will document the readiness of RHCs to serve as PCMHs and provide information to assist policymakers in developing technical assistance and other policy resources to support RHCs in doing so.
    Research center: Maine Rural Health Research Center
    Topics: Care management, Rural Health Clinics (RHCs)
  • Year 2 of the Sentinel Cohort of Rural Health Clinics: Testing, Evaluating and Refining a Set of Rural Health Clinic Quality Measures
    This project implements the set of core consensus quality measures identified during Year One of the Rural Health Clinic (RHC) Sentinel Cohort project among a group of approximately 130 RHCs in 13 states.
    Research center: Maine Rural Health Research Center
    Topics: Quality, Rural Health Clinics (RHCs)

2014

  • Assessing HIT Readiness of Rural Health Clinics: A National Survey
    We will design and conduct a national survey of rural health clinics, both independent and provider-based, to determine the current level of health information technology adoption and readiness in these clinics
    Research center: Maine Rural Health Research Center
    Topics: Health information technology, Rural Health Clinics (RHCs)
  • Developing a Sentinel Cohort of Rural Health Clinics for Use in Developing Relevant Quality Measures and Monitoring Program Performance
    This two year project will assemble a cohort of Rural Health Clinics (RHCs) from ten to thirteen states to participate in a sentinel quality measurement process. During the first year of the project, the cohort of RHCs will participate in the identification, development, and refinement of a discrete set RHC quality measures in conjunction with the project team and an expert panel of RHC and quality measurement experts. During the second year, the cohort will be asked to implement, report, and evaluate the measures.
    Research center: Maine Rural Health Research Center
    Topics: Quality, Rural Health Clinics (RHCs)

2013

  • Use of Rural Health Clinics by Medicare Beneficiaries
    Determination of Medicare beneficiaries utilization of available RHCs and development of a descriptive profile of Medicare beneficiaries who utilize RHCs including both geographic and diagnostic elements and a comparison to Medicare beneficiaries who utilize FQHCs.
    Research center: North Carolina Rural Health Research and Policy Analysis Center
    Topics: Medicare, Rural Health Clinics (RHCs)

2010

  • Provision of Specialty Mental Health Services by Rural Health Clinics
    This project will document the extent to which Rural Health Clinics (RHCs) are employing mental health staff nationally, understand why more RHCs are not employing specialty mental health staff, and analyze the barriers to and opportunities for the delivery of mental health services by RHCs. The results will identify opportunities and interventions to encourage RHCs to offer this important service.
    Research center: Maine Rural Health Research Center
    Topics: Health services, Mental and behavioral health, Rural Health Clinics (RHCs), Substance use and treatment
  • Safety Net Activities of Independent Rural Health Clinics
    This national study will investigate and describe the safety net role of independent Rural Health Clinics (RHC). It will further examine the market effect of Federally Qualified Health Centers (FQHC) on the safety net role of independent RHCs at the county level.
    Research center: Maine Rural Health Research Center
    Topics: Federally Qualified Health Centers (FQHCs), Rural Health Clinics (RHCs)

2009

  • Effect of Safety Net Providers on Ambulatory Care Sensitive Hospitalization Rates in Rural Counties
    This project will determine if the presence of a community health center or rural health clinic in a county reduces ambulatory care sensitive hospitalizations for children, working age adults, and older adults.
    Research center: Rural and Minority Health Research Center
    Topics: Chronic diseases and conditions, Federally Qualified Health Centers (FQHCs), Health services, Poverty, Rural Health Clinics (RHCs)

2006

  • Rural Health Center Expansion and Recruitment Survey
    This collaborative project between WWAMI and the South Carolina Rural Health Research Centers examined and described the current staffing needs of rural health centers (RHCs), ascertained the staffing, recruitment, and retention issues that RHC CEOs regard as most critical; distinguished how issues differ between CEOs contemplating development of expansion sites versus those who are not; and described how these findings correlate with the literature and current national supply projections for the categories of health professions needed by the RHCs.
    Research centers: Rural and Minority Health Research Center, WWAMI Rural Health Research Center
    Topics: Federally Qualified Health Centers (FQHCs), Rural Health Clinics (RHCs), Workforce

2005

  • Quality of Women's Care in Rural Health Clinics: A National Analysis
    This study will analyze the rates at which women patients receive five recommended preventive screening interventions in a national, geographically stratified random sample of Rural Health Clinics. Results of the analysis will be used to derive implications for rural health policy.
    Research center: FORHP-funded Individual Grantees
    Topics: Quality, Rural Health Clinics (RHCs), Women

2002

2001