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Critical Access
Hospitals
In 1997,
Congress, through the Balanced Budget Act, authorized creation
of what is called the Medicare Rural Hospital Flexibility (FLEX)
Program. This program has led to the creation of what is being
called the Critical Access Hospital. By establishing limited
service hospitals and rural health networks, these acute care
facilities can provide outpatient, emergency, and limited
inpatient services. The Department of Health has developed a Critical Access Hospital plan in consultation with the Arkansas Hospital Association. That plan was approved and funded by the Health Care Financing Administration, now known as the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS). There are currently 29 hospitals in the state that are designated as Critical Access Hospitals.
Each Critical
Access Hospital is required by the plan:
- To meet
certain staffing requirements and to enter into a patient
referral and transfer agreement with a larger, more viable
acute care hospital (referred to as an Affiliate Hospital).
- To participate
in the development and implementation of a communication
system with its network hospitals.
- To enter into
a transport agreement for emergency and non-emergency
transportation with the area Emergency Medical Service.
- To ensure the
quality of its services. (Quality assurance and
credentialing will be performed by the Affiliate Hospital
with which the CAH has contracted).
To satisfy state
requirements for designation as a CAH, the plan specifies that a
hospital must first agree to meet all Federal requirements for
designation. The hospital must submit an Application for Final
Designation as a member of a rural health network along with
other supporting documentation. The application must include a
completed community needs assessment, local health services
delivery plan and a financial feasibility study with cost
projections for at least a three-year period.
This program
provides more opportunity for States and their rural communities
to improve access to essential health care services, especially
for communities that cannot support a fully operational
facility. The CAH, recognized by CMS as a new type of
provider, is eligible for enhanced reimbursement. See the attached CAH
Map.pdf for locations.
Resources
Arkansas State Rural Health Plan | November
2008 - PDF
Funding Opportunities | November 2009 - PDF
- Archived Files >
Critical Access Hospitals (Map) - PDF
Rural News and Announcements
http://www.rupri.org -Rural Policy Research Institute (RUPRI) provides analysis and information on the challenges, needs and opportunities facing rural america
National Rural Health Association
The National Rural Health Association (NRHA) (www.ruralhtalthweb.org) is the voice of rural health, promoting leadership, communication, education, research, and advocacy since 1978. Some of the latest information available through NRHA include:
Rural Hospital Replacement Facility Study – a report that covers the impact of new Critical Access Hospitals (CAH) on local use of services, quality and performance improvement, as well as financial performance.
Rural Health Fact Sheets - Rural health information guides, tools, brochures, and fact sheets are now available, free of charge, in downloadable format from the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services' Medicare Learning Network (MLN). www.cms.hhs.gov/home/outreacheducation.asp .
Rural Health Care Quality
Health Literacy
“What Did the Doctor Say?:” Improving Health Literacy to Protect Patient Safety Low health literacy is identified as a patient safety problem. Research documents that patients with impaired health literacy have difficulty comprehending prescription instructions and warnings. A recent Joint Commission report, developed by an expert panel, contains specific recommendations for improving provider–patient communication, in order to overcome the challenge presented by low health literacy. To read this report and find out more about health literacy, visit the Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality Patient Safety Network at http://psnet.ahrq.gov/resource.aspx?
resourceID=4901.
National Healthcare Quality Report 2008
A comprehensive national overview of the quality of health care in the United States. Includes measures of effectiveness, patient safety, timeliness, and patient centeredness. Organization: Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality Date: 3 / 2009
Arkansas Foundation for Medical Care ( www.afmc.org ) -a nonprofit corporation dedicated to the clinical evaluation and improvement of health care in Arkansas.
Institute of Medicine - In 1996, the Institute of Medicine (IOM) launched a concerted, ongoing effort focused on assessing and improving the nation's quality of care, which is now in its third phase. To read more about Crossing the Quality Chasm: The IOM Health Care Quality Initiative , visit www.iom.edu
The Institute for Healthcare Improvement ( www.ihi.org ) - non- for-profit organization leading the improvement of health care throughout the world. IHI was founded in 1991 and is based in Cambridge, Massachusetts.
The Joint Commission on Accreditation of Healthcare Organizations recently announced the 2010 National Patient Safety Goals. Visit the following web site to find out more. www.jointcommission.org/PatientSafety/National
PatientSafetyGoals
The Commonwealth Fund ( www.cmwf.org ) is a private foundation that aims to promote a high performing health care system that achieves better access, improved quality, and greater efficiency, particularly for society's most vulnerable, including low-income people, the uninsured, minority Americans, young children, and elderly adults.
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