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Resources by Topic: Healthcare business and finance

Examining the Cost Effectiveness of Teaching Health Centers
Examines areas where the Teaching Health Center Graduate Medical Education (THCGME) program can produce savings, focusing on physician spending for patient encounters during and after residency training and patient Medicaid and Medicare insurance coverage. Identifies the location of THCGME programs and highlights program outcomes, including the percent of graduates who work in rural and underserved areas and practice primary care.
Author(s): Candice Chen, Leighton Ku, Marsha Regenstein, Fitzhugh Mullan
Date: 03/2019
Type: Document
Sponsoring organizations: Geiger Gibson Program in Community Health, George Washington University Milken Institute School of Public Health Department of Health Policy and Management, RCHN Community Health Foundation
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MedPAC Report to the Congress: Medicare Payment Policy: Hospital Inpatient and Outpatient Services: Chapter 3
Examines the adequacy of Medicare payments to hospitals in 2017 and offers recommendations for changes. Includes a discussion of rural hospital closures and provides rural/urban breakdowns for hospital occupancy rates, Medicare inpatient discharges, and Medicare margins.
Date: 03/2019
Type: Document
Sponsoring organization: Medicare Payment Advisory Commission
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Health Care Capital Expenditures in Minnesota - A Data Short Take
Provides an overview of healthcare expenditures in Minnesota. Includes information on spending by commitment size, provider type, and project type. Covers capital expenditures data by distribution and type of service for rural and urban areas in Minnesota from 2007 through 2016.
Date: 03/2019
Type: Document
Sponsoring organization: Health Economics Program Minnesota Department of Health
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MedPAC Report to the Congress: Medicare Payment Policy, 2019
Annual review of Medicare payment policies, with recommendations to Congress. Includes discussion on Medicare payment policies directly affecting rural providers and beneficiaries. Addresses opioids, Medicare Part D, Medicare Advantage, Medicare's quality incentive program for hospitals, and payment adequacy for healthcare facilities and services.
Date: 03/2019
Type: Document
Sponsoring organization: Medicare Payment Advisory Commission
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Report to Congress on Medicaid and CHIP, March 2019
Reports on three aspects of Medicaid: improving the structure of Disproportionate Share Hospital (DSH) payment reductions, oversight of upper payment limits for supplemental payments to hospitals, and Disproportionate Share Hospital (DSH) payments to states. Chapter 3 includes the annual report on DSH payments, which provide support to safety-net hospitals to help offset uncompensated care costs for Medicaid and uninsured patients. Table 3-1 identifies DSH spending for urban and rural hospitals and for Critical Access Hospitals.
Date: 03/2019
Type: Document
Sponsoring organization: Medicaid and CHIP Payment and Access Commission
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Drilling Down on Dental Coverage and Costs for Medicare Beneficiaries
Examines the oral health of Medicare beneficiaries. Addresses the costs of not obtaining dental care, use of dental services, current sources of dental coverage, and out-of-pocket spending. Includes rural/urban breakdowns.
Date: 03/2019
Type: Document
Sponsoring organization: KFF
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High Risk: Progress Made but Continued Attention Needed to Address Management Weaknesses at Federal Agencies Serving Indian Tribes
Identifies progress made and areas that still need to be addressed to remove the Bureau of Indian Education (BIE) and Indian Health Service (IHS) from the Government Accountability Office's list of high risk federal programs. Addresses leadership commitment, demonstrated progress, action plans, monitoring, and capacity. Appendix III lists open recommendations for IHS.
Additional links: Full Report
Date: 03/2019
Type: Document
Sponsoring organization: Government Accountability Office
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Implementation and Early Results of the Flex Program's Innovative Models Program Area: Final Evaluation Report
Reports on the implementation of the Flex Program and the integration of the Innovative Health Care Models (Innovative Projects) program area in 7 states focused on telehealth, care coordination, and quality improvement. Highlights lessons learned, program discussion, and the evaluation methods for each of the projects. Builds on a 2018 briefing paper, An Interim Evaluation Report of the Innovative Projects Portfolio of the Medicare Flex Grant Program.
Author(s): John A. Gale, Sara Kahn-Troster, Andrew Coburn
Date: 03/2019
Type: Document
Sponsoring organization: Flex Monitoring Team
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Best Practices and Barriers to Engaging People with Substance Use Disorders in Treatment
Reports on a study of how health plans are successfully engaging people in substance use disorder treatment for alcohol, opioids, and other substances. Discusses how initiation and engagement can be improved for commercial and Medicaid health insurance plans. Addresses rural factors throughout.
Author(s): Peggy O'Brien, Erika Crable, Catherine Fullerton, Lauren Hughey
Date: 03/2019
Type: Document
Sponsoring organization: HHS Office of the Assistant Secretary for Planning and Evaluation
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How Affordable Are 2019 ACA Premiums for Middle-Income People?
Examines the cost of health insurance premiums for plans available through Affordable Care Act Exchanges and discusses the implications for rural areas. Includes an interactive map showing differences in insurance cost by county, income, and age.
Date: 03/2019
Type: Document
Sponsoring organization: KFF
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