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Rural Health
Resources by Topic: Health reform

Telemedicine Reimbursement
Policy position brief showing how telemedicine can help safety net providers care for people who live and work in rural and underserved areas. Lists types of programs, explores reimbursement issues, gives examples of innovative programs with telemedicine components, and offers recommendations for increasing access and improving outcomes.
Author(s): Becky Sanders, Zach Allen, Greg Maurer
Date: 05/2018
Type: Document
Sponsoring organization: National Rural Health Association
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Toward Hospital Global Budgeting: State Considerations
Overview of hospital global budgeting, using case studies from Maryland, Pennsylvania, and Vermont. Explores ways in which global budgets can offer some financial stability for rural hospitals.
Author(s): Robert Murray
Date: 05/2018
Type: Document
Sponsoring organization: State Health & Value Strategies
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Views from the Heartland: Prospects for Bipartisanship in Health Reform
Reports on the views and opinions of 27 state legislators serving on health, budget, or appropriations committees in Colorado and Kansas. Discusses Medicaid expansion in rural areas and highlights the importance of promoting quality healthcare and removing barriers to access in rural communities.
Author(s): David K. Jones
Date: 04/2018
Type: Document
Sponsoring organization: Milbank Memorial Fund
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State Innovation Models (SIM) Initiative Evaluation: Model Test Year Four Annual Report
Fourth annual report on Round 1 of the CMS State Innovation Models (SIM) Initiative, which tests the ability of the governments in six states - Arkansas, Maine, Massachusetts, Minnesota, Oregon, and Vermont - to move providers to value-based payment models (VPMs). Describes the experiences of providers, health systems, consumers, payers, and state officials during the final full implementation year for most Round 1 states. Presents interim impacts on healthcare utilization, cost, and quality for individuals reached by SIM-supported VPMs during the SIM Initiative period. Includes information specific to rural areas.
Date: 03/2018
Type: Document
Sponsoring organizations: Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services, RTI International
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Insurers Remaining in Affordable Care Act Markets Prepared for Continued Uncertainty in 2018, 2019
Results of interviews with 10 insurance companies that participate in the individual market in 28 states and the District of Columbia, regarding their participation and pricing decisions for plan years 2018 and 2019.
Author(s): Sabrina Corlette, Linda Blumberg, John Holahan, et al.
Date: 03/2018
Type: Document
Sponsoring organizations: Robert Wood Johnson Foundation, Urban Institute
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Health Reform and Changes in Health Insurance Coverage in 2017
Examines changes in healthcare coverage over three time periods: before the Affordable Care Act's (ACA) major coverage expansions took effect in 2014; during the Obama Administration after the expansion began in 2014; and during the Trump Administration in 2017 in rural and urban populations in the U.S. Includes rural statistics on healthcare coverage changes from 2013-2017.
Author(s): Benjamin D. Sommers, Kathryn L. Clark, Arnold M. Epstein
Date: 03/2018
Type: Document
Sponsoring organizations: Harvard T. H. Chan School of Public Health, Robert Wood Johnson Foundation
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Taking Stock: Policy Opportunities for Advancing Rural Health
Examines the progress of health system transformation and discusses the challenges that remain for rural people, places, and providers. Organized around seven main topics: Medicare, Medicaid and CHIP, insurance coverage and affordability, quality, healthcare finance and system transformation, workforce, and population health. Provides background information on each topic and shares policy suggestions for addressing each topic's most pressing issues.
Author(s): Keith J. Mueller, Charles Alfero, Andrew F. Coburn, et al.
Date: 01/2018
Type: Document
Sponsoring organization: Rural Policy Research Institute Rural Health Panel
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State Innovation Models (SIM) Round 2: Model Test Annual Report Two
Second annual report on the Round 2 State Innovation Models (SIM) program across eleven participating states - Colorado, Connecticut, Delaware, Idaho, Iowa, Michigan, New York, Ohio, Rhode Island, Tennessee, and Washington. Covers adoption of delivery models and payment reforms related to value-based purchasing and alternative payment models (APMs); strategies to support healthcare delivery transformation related to quality, health information technology, and workforce; and population health strategies.
Date: 2018
Type: Document
Sponsoring organizations: Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services, RTI International
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Getting to Healthcare Value: Redirecting the Policy Debate Toward Lower Costs and Better Quality
Report reflecting discussions and views of participants of the Healthcare Value Hub meeting in New Orleans, November 6-8, 2017. Includes a section on challenges and opportunities for healthcare value in rural areas.
Date: 12/2017
Type: Document
Sponsoring organization: Healthcare Value Hub
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State Innovation Models (SIM) Round 2: Model Test Annual Report One
First annual report describing the design and progress of the Round 2 State Innovation Models (SIM) program across eleven participating states - Colorado, Connecticut, Delaware, Idaho, Iowa, Michigan, New York, Ohio, Rhode Island, Tennessee, and Washington. Includes information about the program's organization, data and methods, and implementation activities. Addresses challenges for rural areas throughout and shares highlights from each state's site visits.
Date: 12/2017
Type: Document
Sponsoring organizations: Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services, RTI International
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