This Issue Brief, developed by the FORHP-funded Rural Maternal Health Data Support and Analysis Program, describes how prenatal care can be delivered in a group setting in rural communities, drawing from the experiences of a Rural Maternity and Obstetrics Management Strategies (Rural MOMS) network in northern Minnesota. It also shares lessons learned from other group-oriented maternal health services provided by FORHP-funded networks.
The U.S. Census Bureau released estimates of the July 1, 2025 population at the municipal level. This release includes total population estimates for all municipalities in Pennsylvania.
Key Findings from the Report:
For more information on municipal population change in Pennsylvania, read this month’s brief.
The Health Resources & Services Administration (HRSA) has oral health literacy resources available on their website. These free materials are intended for health professionals, health educators, community health workers, and any other organizations working with patients. Topics include pregnancy and young children, oral health for adults, and oral health in connection with other health conditions.
Penn Dental Medicine at the University of Pennsylvania and the American Dental Association (ADA) shared a new platform to support providers in clinical decisions. The ADA Living Guideline platform aims to provide continuously updated, evidence-based guidance for providers to access chairside. The goal of the platform is to keep providers up to date and provide quick access to guidelines.
The Journal of Public Health Dentistry released a special issue intended to inspire readers to consider how they can continue to advance health equity during uncertain times. The special edition includes a collection of editorials, articles, and commentaries that focus on science, education, public health practice, workforce, and advocacy.
Free access has been granted for all readers.
The Pennsylvania Health Care Cost Containment Council’s (PHC4) Financial Analysis 2024 – Rural Hospitals, displays information specific to Pennsylvania general acute care (GAC) hospitals located in rural counties. Supplementary to PHC4’s Financial Analysis, this is the second report in this new annual series, offering succinct data to support all who rely on rural health care in the Commonwealth.
Rural hospitals, which comprise 41% of Pennsylvania’s statewide total number of GAC hospitals, exhibit distinct financial characteristics. This analysis focuses on the 63 GAC hospitals located in rural areas in fiscal year 2024 (FY24). Of these 63 rural hospitals, 22 (35%) reported operating losses during FY24 based on their operating margins. The average net patient revenue for these hospitals operating at a loss was $80 million in FY24. The key factors that may contribute to the financial challenges at rural hospitals include:
PHC4 strives to ensure Pennsylvanians are armed with publicly available, fact-based, health care information and plans to continuously enrich its reporting and the resources it develops to bring value to communities across the Commonwealth.
PHC4 is an independent council formed under Pennsylvania statute (Act 89 of 1986, as amended by Act 15 of 2020) in order to address rapidly growing health care costs. PHC4 continues to produce comparative information about the most efficient and effective health care to individual consumers and group purchasers of health services. In addition, PHC4 produces information used to identify opportunities to contain costs and improve the quality of care delivered. In addition, PHC4 produces information used to identify opportunities to contain costs and improve the quality of care delivered. For more information, visit phc4.org or access the report here.
The Pennsylvania Health Care Cost Containment Council (PHC4) is taking the next step in supporting stakeholders with the publication of a new educational resource aimed at teaching data literacy.
For 40 years PHC4 has served the Commonwealth with fact-based, transparent health care reporting. Under the guidance of a newly established strategic plan, the organization has developed several resources aimed at ensuring Pennsylvanians have the tools needed to effectively interpret data. This series of educational modules is now available for public access online at phc4.org.
This effort is supported by a collaboration with the Pennsylvania Medical Society (PAMED). Recognizing the value in PHC4’s data and expertise, these two entities saw the opportunity to amplify the support offered to all stakeholders. PAMED’s Director of Physician Education, Leslie B. Howell, CHCP, CAE, alongside PHC4’s Department of Public Affairs entered into an effort that is now a data literacy learning module, accredited with CME. These modules are now available for Continuing Medical Education (CME) credits through PAMED, at pamedsoc.org.
PHC4 is an independent council formed under Pennsylvania statute (Act 89 of 1986, as amended by Act 15 of 2020) in order to address rapidly growing health care costs. PHC4 continues to produce comparative information about the most efficient and effective health care to individual consumers and group purchasers of health services. In addition, PHC4 produces information used to identify opportunities to contain costs and improve the quality of care delivered.
For more information, visit phc4.org or interact with each of these online resources at Resources for Educators – Self-paced – Data Literacy – PHC4, or for CME at Data Literacy | Pennsylvania Medical Society.
The Georgia Health Policy Center released a series of briefs, sharing rural-relevant strategies that communities can act on. Highlighted briefs:
The Congressional Research Service (CRS) is a nonpartisan agency within the Library of Congress that provides objective research and analysis to U.S. Congress members, committees, and staff.
This report displays data on four types of rural hospitals – Sole Community Hospitals, Medicare-Dependent Hospitals, Low-Volume Hospitals, and Critical Access Hospitals – that receive Medicare payment under the Inpatient Prospective Payment System.
The Rural Health Information Hub (RHIhub) just updated their topic guide with information and resources on how and where to find rural and rural-relevant data resources.
It also covers how to navigate specific statistics on data.census.gov, details related to comparing data across geographic areas, and other factors to consider when searching for and using rural health data.
