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Rural Health
News by Topic: Reimbursement and payment models

Jun 4, 2024 - Notice from the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) making technical and typographical corrections to the May 2, 2024, proposed rule regarding changes to the hospital inpatient prospective payment system (IPPS) for operating and capital-related costs of acute care hospitals for fiscal year 2025.
Source: Federal Register
May 30, 2024 - Describes the Accountable Care Organization (ACO) Primary Care (PC) Flex Model and offers the Request for Applications. Applications begin by applying to the Shared Savings Program due June 17th as well as submitting the ACO PC Flex Model application due August 1st. Outlines the full application process in Section III.
Source: Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services, Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Innovation
May 24, 2024 - Notice of direct final rule from the Department of Defense Assistant Secretary of Defense for Health Affairs (ASD(HA)) removing certain temporary regulation changes put in place in response to the COVID-19 pandemic that were automatically terminated by the end of the President's national emergency and the associated Health and Human Services (HHS) Public Health Emergency (PHE). Temporary provisions being removed by this rule include a waiver of the requirement for a three-day prior hospital stay before admission to a skilled nursing facility; waiver of certain acute care hospital requirements for temporary hospitals and freestanding ambulatory surgery centers; a waiver of certain interstate and international licensing requirements for individual professional providers; and more. If adverse comments are received, DOD will withdraw this rule and issue a proposed rule. Otherwise, this rule is effective on August 2, 2024.
Source: Federal Register
May 23, 2024 - Notice of final rule from the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) amending its medical regulations to conform with section 101 of the Joseph Maxwell Cleland and Robert Joseph Dole Memorial Veterans Benefits and Health Care Improvement (Cleland-Dole) Act of 2022, which expanded the provision of hospital care, medical services, and nursing home care to World War II (WWII) veterans. The VA is also amending its medical regulations to remove existing references to Mexican border period and World War I (WWI) veterans since there are no longer any living veterans of these eras. This rule is effective May 23, 2024.
Source: Federal Register
May 21, 2024 - Notice from the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) seeking comments on the extension of an information collection titled "Quality Payment Program/Merit-Based Incentive Payment System (MIPS) Surveys and Feedback Collections." This generic clearance will cover surveys and feedback collections designed to obtain data and feedback from MIPS eligible clinicians, third-party intermediaries, Medicare beneficiaries, and any other audiences that would support CMS in improving MIPS or the Quality Payment Program. Comments are due by July 22, 2024.
Source: Federal Register
May 21, 2024 - Highlights a Tennessee Critical Access Hospital's strategies for remaining open despite national trends toward closure. Discusses reimbursement, workforce, community vitality, and swing beds. Caption available in video player.
Source: WVLT 8
May 17, 2024 - Notice of proposed rule from the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) describing a new mandatory Medicare payment model, the Increasing Organ Transplant Access Model (IOTA Model). The IOTA Model would test whether performance-based incentive payments paid to or owed by participating kidney transplant hospitals increase access to kidney transplants for patients with end-stage renal disease (ESRD) while preserving or enhancing the quality of care and reducing Medicare expenditures. This proposed rule also describes standard provisions for CMS Innovation Center (CMMI) models relating to beneficiary protections, cooperation in model evaluation and monitoring, audits and records retention, rights in data and intellectual property, monitoring and compliance, and more. These standard provisions would apply to any CMMI model whose first performance period begins on or after January 1, 2025, and in whole or in part to any CMMI model whose first performance period began before January 1, 2025. Comments are due by July 16, 2024.
Source: Federal Register
May 16, 2024 - The Senate Finance Committee heard from hospital leaders and healthcare experts, with the goal of finding ways to help rural hospitals find funding to stay open. Senator Ron Wyden and others said the issue is complicated and requires a multi-pronged approach. Discussion included the need for maternity care in rural hospitals.
Source: Oregon Capital Chronicle
May 7, 2024 - Provides an overview of new legislation aimed at improving healthcare access, with a focus on rural and underserved areas. Details six bills addressing a range of issues including telehealth access, rural hospital stabilization, and healthcare workforce shortages.
Source: House Committee on Ways and Means