Rural Health Clinics (RHCs)

Current Projects

• Medical and Mental Health Service Provision Amongst Rural Health Clinics
  This study will provide a descriptive analysis of differences in Rural Health Clinic (RHC) type, clinic size, and geographic location of RHCs providing same day medical and mental health visits, compared to RHCs that are only providing one or the other type of visits on the same day.
  Research center: Maine Rural Health Research Center
  Topics: Health services, Mental and behavioral health, Rural Health Clinics (RHCs)
  
• RHCs and CAHs Participating in SSP: Characteristics of the Providers and Communities
  This project describes characteristics of Rural Health Clinics (RHCs) and Critical Access Hospitals (CAHs) participating in the Medicare Shared Savings Program (SSP), and the communities they serve. Comparisons will be made to RHCs and CAHs not participating in the SSP.
  Research center: RUPRI Center for Rural Health Policy Analysis
  Topics: Critical Access Hospitals (CAHs), Healthcare financing, Medicare, Rural Health Clinics (RHCs)
  
• Rural-Urban Differences in Addressable Drivers of Staff Turnover in Skilled Nursing Facilities
  The aim of the proposed study is to assess facility-level turnover rates for total nursing and registered nursing personnel across levels of rurality and by region looking at factors such as staffing ratios that can be managed by facility administrators.
  Research center: Rural and Minority Health Research Center
  Topics: Health services, Hospitals and clinics, Nurses and nurse practitioners, Public health, Rural Health Clinics (RHCs), Workforce
  
• Understanding Rural Health Clinic Services, Use, and Reimbursement
  This study describes the scope and intensity of services provided to Medicare beneficiaries by independent and provider-based Rural Health Clinics. It will also assess the adequacy of the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services' changes to the outpatient evaluation and management codes in 2021 compared to the 2021 per-visit reimbursement cap.
  Research center: Maine Rural Health Research Center
  Topics: Health services, Healthcare financing, Hospitals and clinics, Medicare, Rural Health Clinics (RHCs)
  
• Usual Source of Primary Care for Rural Medicare Beneficiaries Before and During COVID-19
  The global pandemic was highly disruptive to existing health care use patterns, potentially affecting rural America more than urban communities. This study will describe the usual sources of primary care (USC) for rural Medicare beneficiaries before and during COVID-19 to provide insight into how COVID-19 affected USC of Medicare beneficiaries.
  Research center: North Carolina Rural Health Research and Policy Analysis Center
  Topics: Federally Qualified Health Centers (FQHCs), Healthcare access, Hospitals and clinics, Medicare, Rural Health Clinics (RHCs)