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Rural Health
Resources by Topic: Healthcare business and finance

Assessing Medicaid Payment Rates and Costs of Caring for the Medicaid Population Residing in Nursing Homes
Explores the relationship between Medicaid per diem payment rates to nursing homes and facilities' costs of providing care to Medicaid patients for facilities with a fiscal year ending on June 30, 2019. Examines the determinants of average cost and payment variations across each state. Presents data by facility-level characteristics, including ownership status, chain affiliation, rural or urban location, and more.
Date: 06/2024
Type: Document
Sponsoring organizations: HHS Office of the Assistant Secretary for Planning and Evaluation, Miami University, RTI International, University of Massachusetts
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Report to the Secretary of Health and Human Services: Encouraging Rural Participation in Population-Based Total Cost of Care (PB-TCOC) Models
Summarizes findings from the Physician-Focused Payment Model Technical Advisory Committee's (PTAC) review of information on best practices for addressing rural health challenges and encouraging rural participation in value-based care and PB-TCOC models. Describes the importance of addressing challenges affecting patients and providers in rural communities, developing financial incentives and glide paths to encourage rural participation in value-based care, and measuring and incentivizing value-based care and social determinants of health for patients in rural areas. Identifies areas where areas where additional research is needed, considerations for policymakers, and potential next steps.
Date: 06/2024
Type: Document
Sponsoring organization: HHS Office of the Assistant Secretary for Planning and Evaluation
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Texas Biannual Therapy Access Monitoring Report: June 2024
Analyzes pediatric acute care therapy services data for physical, occupational, and speech therapies, as required biannually by the Texas State Legislative Budget Board and the Governor, to determine any adverse impact in access to care in rural, micro, and metro counties.
Date: 06/2024
Type: Document
Sponsoring organization: Texas Health and Human Services
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Telehealth Trends and Hypertension Management Among Rural and Medicaid Patients After COVID-19
This study examines trends in primary care utilization and hypertension management among adults who visited Dartmouth Health System in 2017-2018 and 2022. Compares changes in synchronous and asynchronous primary care utilization and effective control of elevated blood pressure by rurality and Medicaid enrollment before and during the COVID-19 pandemic through 2022.
Author(s): Matthew Mackwood, Oleksandra Pashchenko, Christopher Leggett, et al.
Citation: Telemedicine and e-Health, 30(6), e1677-e1688
Date: 06/2024
Type: Document
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Healthcare Spending among Diverse Populations with Alzheimer's Disease and Related Dementias: A Claims-Based Analysis
Examines healthcare spending and utilization among commercially insured Alzheimer's disease and related dementia (ADRD) patients. Explores the impact of race and ethnicity, poverty, and urban/rural status on annual spending among ADRD patients by analyzing data from the FAIR Health National Private Insurance Claims between January 2016 and December 2023, along with demographic and socioeconomic data from the U.S. Census American Community Survey. Includes data on the probability of ADRD patients using different care venues and the average and expected amounts allowed within each venue based on sociodemographic characteristics.
Date: 06/2024
Type: Document
Sponsoring organization: FAIR Health
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Nurse Staffing Estimates in US Nursing Homes, May 2024
Provides an overview of the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) April 2024 final rule that established minimum nurse staffing requirements for nursing homes. Analyzes May 2024 data from Nursing Home Care Compare to examine current staffing levels in U.S. nursing homes relative to specific minimum staffing requirements in the final rule. Includes an illustrative example of a 100-bed facility to explore how many nurse staff would need to be added per shift during the final rule's implementation phase to meet or exceed the final rule's minimum requirements. Presents data by facility characteristics, including ownership type, rural or urban location, and bed size.
Author(s): Martin Blanco, Iara Oliveira, Marie Squillace, Damian Da Costa
Date: 06/2024
Type: Document
Sponsoring organization: HHS Office of the Assistant Secretary for Planning and Evaluation
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Evaluation of the Vermont All-Payer Accountable Care Organization Model: 2018-2022 - Fourth Evaluation Report
Evaluates the first five performance years of the Vermont All-Payer Accountable Care Organization Model (VTAPM), which aims to assess whether scaling an Accountable Care Organization (ACO) across all payers in the state can reduce program expenditures while preserving or improving care quality. Discusses the implementation of the model, provider engagement, efforts to address population health goals; characteristics of participating hospitals, practitioners, and beneficiaries; and the model's impacts on Medicare spending, utilization, and quality of care. Includes analyses of Medicare ACO subgroups and Medicaid spending, utilization, and quality of care trends. Outlines challenges and lessons learned.
Additional links: Findings at a Glance, Technical Appendices
Date: 06/2024
Type: Document
Sponsoring organizations: Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services, NORC at the University of Chicago
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Health Subcommittee Hearing on Improving Value-Based Care for Patients and Providers
Recording of a June 26, 2024, House Committee on Ways and Means Subcommittee on Health hearing on the challenges and opportunities associated with delivering better health outcomes and Medicare savings through value-based care. Features testimony from Sarah Chouinard, Chief Medical Officer of Main Street Health, regarding value-based care delivery in rural areas.
Additional links: Sarah Chouinard, Main Street Health - Testimony
Date: 06/2024
Type: Video/Multimedia
Sponsoring organization: House Ways and Means Committee, Subcommittee on Health
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The Appalachian Region: A Data Overview from the 2018-2022 American Community Survey Chartbook
State- and county-level information on population, age, race and ethnicity, housing occupancy, education, labor force, employment, transportation, income, health insurance coverage, disability, and veteran status, for the 13 Appalachian states. Features statistics with breakdowns by 5 levels of population density. Includes data explorer options for Appalachian categories such as population and age, education, income and poverty, computer and broadband access, rural Appalachia versus rural America, and employment and commuting.
Additional links: Full Report
Author(s): Sara Srygley, Nurfadila Khairunnisa, Diana Elliott
Date: 06/2024
Type: Website
Sponsoring organizations: Appalachian Regional Commission, Population Reference Bureau
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Information Hub: Health Insurance Coverage in Kansas
An insurance coverage dashboard that provides county-level information on health insurance coverage in Kansas, including sources of health insurance coverage and characteristics of the uninsured population. Includes definitions to explain data descriptors presented in the dashboard.
Author(s): Angela S Wu, Kaci Cink, Alex Ferguson, Wen-Chieh Lin
Date: 06/2024
Type: Document
Sponsoring organization: Kansas Health Institute
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