<p><a href="http://www.kansascity.com/news/business/health-care/article2146988.html…; target="_blank">Link to Kansas City Star article</a><br />“Hospitals are really struggling with prioritizing who should get financial aid and what it should be. How do they help the people who need help the most without discouraging people from getting insurance?” said Melinda Hatton, general counsel of the American Hospital Association.

<p>All 45 state-level reports examining Critical Access Hospitals' performance and reporting rates on Hospital Compare measures, originally distributed to Flex Coordinators and State Offices of  Rural Health in June 2014, are now available for download on www.flexmonitoring.org.  These reports utilize Hospital Compare data from April 2012 through March 2013.<br /><a href="

<p>The Flex Monitoring Team has released findings from a study examining the feasibility of conducting collaborative Community Health Needs Assessments (CHNAs) in Critical Access Hospitals (CAHs).  The primary purpose of this brief is to inform the efforts of state Flex Programs to support CAHs in conducting collaborative Community Health Needs Assessments (CHNAs). The results of these assessments can be used by hospitals as well as state Flex Programs to inform their ongoing strategic initiatives.</p>

<p>The Flex Monitoring Team has released findings from their study of rural community paramedicine.  A policy brief and full-length report examine the evidence base for community paramedicine in rural communities, the role of community paramedics in the rural healthcare delivery system, challenges faced by states in implementing community paramedicine programs, and the role of the state Flex programs in supporting development of community paramedicine programs, while also providing a snapshot of community paramedicine programs currently being developed and/or implemented in rural ares

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