The Key Role of Sole Community Pharmacists in Their Local Healthcare Delivery Systems project overview Sole community independent pharmacists provide essential services to residents of small towns and isolated communities. Anecdotal reports indicate their role within the local health care community is often multi-faceted, extending beyond the provision of prescription and nonprescription medications at their… Read more »

Workforce Issues Among Sole Community Pharmacies overview In just over one thousand small rural communities throughout the United States, pharmacy services are delivered through a single independently owned retail outlet. In recent years this group of pharmacies has been subject to increased financial pressures, while at the same time facing uncertain prospects for the future… Read more »

Medicaid & CHIP Participation Among Rural & Urban Children overview Public Health Insurance Programs Are Especially Important For Rural Children Compared to urban residents, rural families have less access to job-based coverage and may be less able to afford non-group private plans. Medicaid and the Children’s Health Insurance Program (CHIP) can help fill this gap…. Read more »

Characteristics of Rural & Urban Children Who Qualify For Medicaid or CHIP But Are Not Enrolled overview Substantial Portions of Children Who Are Eligible to Enroll in Medicaid or CHIP Are Uninsured About three-quarters of children who qualify for Medicaid or CHIP are enrolled, with slightly higher rates in rural areas than in urban areas.1… Read more »

Profile of Sole Community Pharmacists’ Prescription Sales and Overall Financial Position overview Sole community independent pharmacists provide essential services to residents of small towns and isolated communities. In an effort to document the role sole community pharmacies play in their local health care system and to monitor their financial and operational status we conducted a… Read more »

A Financial Comparison of Rural Hospitals With Special Medicare Payment Provisions to Hospitals Paid Under Prospective Payment overview The financial performance of rural hospitals has long been a concern to federal and state agencies as well as banks, creditors, bond rating firms, and regulators. For these reasons, Federal law makers have created and modified special… Read more »

Pediatric Care in Rural Hospital Emergency Departments overview Optimal emergency care for children may be difficult for rural hospitals to provide. Rural hospitals have less access to pediatric and emergency medicine trained physicians and a low volume of pediatric ED patients makes it difficult for staff to maintain pediatric care skills. In addition, rural hospitals… Read more »

States’ Use of Cost-Based Reimbursement for Medicaid Services at Critical Access Hospitals overview Critical Access Hospitals (CAH) are reimbursed by Medicare at 101% of allowable cost for both inpatient and outpatient services. State Medicaid agencies, however, are not required to reimburse CAHs on a cost-basis and have flexibility in determining how CAHs are paid for… Read more »