Rural Health
Resources by Topic: Healthcare quality
MedPAC Comment on CMS's Proposed Rule on the Outpatient Prospective Payment System for FY 2024
Comment on the July 31, 2023, Federal Register proposed rule revising the physician fee schedule to improve Medicare Hospital Outpatient Prospective Payment System (OPPS) and Medicare Ambulatory Surgical Center (ACS) payments for calendar year 2024. Includes discussions on extending the use of the hospital market basket to update ASC payment rates, a proposed quality measure for emergency department visits in Rural Emergency Hospitals (REHs), and more.
Date: 09/2023
Type: Document
Sponsoring organization: Medicare Payment Advisory Commission
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Comment on the July 31, 2023, Federal Register proposed rule revising the physician fee schedule to improve Medicare Hospital Outpatient Prospective Payment System (OPPS) and Medicare Ambulatory Surgical Center (ACS) payments for calendar year 2024. Includes discussions on extending the use of the hospital market basket to update ASC payment rates, a proposed quality measure for emergency department visits in Rural Emergency Hospitals (REHs), and more.
Date: 09/2023
Type: Document
Sponsoring organization: Medicare Payment Advisory Commission
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Year Three Evaluation Report: Evaluation of the EMS Supplemental Funding Grants
Provides an overview of the eight Flex Program Emergency Medical Services (EMS) Supplemental funding grant recipients, including a summary of the project goals, partners, and outcome measures. Details each grantee's project accomplishments, lessons learned, and sustainability strategies.
Author(s): John Gale, Karen Pearson
Date: 09/2023
Type: Document
Sponsoring organization: Flex Monitoring Team
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Provides an overview of the eight Flex Program Emergency Medical Services (EMS) Supplemental funding grant recipients, including a summary of the project goals, partners, and outcome measures. Details each grantee's project accomplishments, lessons learned, and sustainability strategies.
Author(s): John Gale, Karen Pearson
Date: 09/2023
Type: Document
Sponsoring organization: Flex Monitoring Team
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Quality Time: Sharing PIE – Improving Swing Bed Quality
Podcast episode discussing how two Critical Access Hospital (CAH) quality improvement leaders in Mississippi and Nevada used proactive approaches to improve their swing bed programs. Describes efforts in reducing healthcare-associated infections with pneumonia and improving the documentation and coordination of swing bed patients.
Date: 09/2023
Type: Audio
Sponsoring organization: Stratis Health
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Podcast episode discussing how two Critical Access Hospital (CAH) quality improvement leaders in Mississippi and Nevada used proactive approaches to improve their swing bed programs. Describes efforts in reducing healthcare-associated infections with pneumonia and improving the documentation and coordination of swing bed patients.
Date: 09/2023
Type: Audio
Sponsoring organization: Stratis Health
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Improving Maternal and Infant Services in Rural Iowa
Podcast episode discussing how St. Anthony Regional Hospital in Carroll, Iowa, responded to decreasing access to maternal health care in rural Iowa. Discusses the hospital's Center for Excellence pilot program that aims to expand access to obstetric services and improve maternal and infant health outcomes.
Date: 09/2023
Type: Audio
Sponsoring organization: American Hospital Association
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Podcast episode discussing how St. Anthony Regional Hospital in Carroll, Iowa, responded to decreasing access to maternal health care in rural Iowa. Discusses the hospital's Center for Excellence pilot program that aims to expand access to obstetric services and improve maternal and infant health outcomes.
Date: 09/2023
Type: Audio
Sponsoring organization: American Hospital Association
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Differential Treatment and Outcomes for Patients With Heart Attacks in Advantaged and Disadvantaged Communities
Analyzes geographic disparities in percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI) access, treatment, and outcomes among patients with acute myocardial infarction in California using 2006-2020 patient data. Compares mortality, readmissions, same-day PCI, distance to PCI, and more by neighborhood disadvantage status. Highlights factors associated with neighborhood disadvantage including race, ethnicity, and rurality.
Author(s): Yu-Chu Shen, Nandita Sarkar, Renee Y. Hsia
Citation: Journal of the American Heart Association, 12(17), e030506
Date: 08/2023
Type: Document
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Analyzes geographic disparities in percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI) access, treatment, and outcomes among patients with acute myocardial infarction in California using 2006-2020 patient data. Compares mortality, readmissions, same-day PCI, distance to PCI, and more by neighborhood disadvantage status. Highlights factors associated with neighborhood disadvantage including race, ethnicity, and rurality.
Author(s): Yu-Chu Shen, Nandita Sarkar, Renee Y. Hsia
Citation: Journal of the American Heart Association, 12(17), e030506
Date: 08/2023
Type: Document
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Medicare Beneficiary Quality Improvement Project (MBQIP) Quality Reporting Guide
Offers Flex Coordinators, Critical Access Hospital staff, and others who are working with the Medicare Beneficiary Quality Improvement Project (MBQIP) information to better understand the measure reporting process. Discusses how to register for the reporting site, which measures are to be reported, and how to submit data for each measure. Groups measures by how and where the data is to be reported.
Date: 08/2023
Type: Document
Sponsoring organization: Stratis Health
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Offers Flex Coordinators, Critical Access Hospital staff, and others who are working with the Medicare Beneficiary Quality Improvement Project (MBQIP) information to better understand the measure reporting process. Discusses how to register for the reporting site, which measures are to be reported, and how to submit data for each measure. Groups measures by how and where the data is to be reported.
Date: 08/2023
Type: Document
Sponsoring organization: Stratis Health
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Who's Accountable? Low-Value Care Received By Medicare Beneficiaries Outside Of Their Attributed Health Systems
Examines how much low-volume care and health system spending can be attributed to fee-for-service Medicare beneficiaries aged 65-years-old and older receiving care outside of the health system between 2017-2018. Explores beneficiary and health system factors associated with receiving the thirty most common low-value services, including beneficiaries' rurality and whether the low-value services originated from primary care physicians or specialists.
Author(s): Ishani Ganguli, Maia L. Crawford, Benjamin Usadi, et al.
Citation: Health Affairs, 42(8), 1128-1139
Date: 08/2023
Type: Document
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Examines how much low-volume care and health system spending can be attributed to fee-for-service Medicare beneficiaries aged 65-years-old and older receiving care outside of the health system between 2017-2018. Explores beneficiary and health system factors associated with receiving the thirty most common low-value services, including beneficiaries' rurality and whether the low-value services originated from primary care physicians or specialists.
Author(s): Ishani Ganguli, Maia L. Crawford, Benjamin Usadi, et al.
Citation: Health Affairs, 42(8), 1128-1139
Date: 08/2023
Type: Document
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Evaluation of the Million Hearts® Cardiovascular Disease Risk Reduction Model: Final Evaluation Report
Describes the results of the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) Million Hearts Cardiovascular Disease Risk Reduction Model, a five-year randomized trial that aimed to reduce the incidence of first-time heart attacks and strokes among Medicare beneficiaries. Covers participant characteristics, including rural or urban status and organization type; changes in cardiovascular disease risk scores; effects of the model on healthcare utilization; intermediate- and long-term impacts on beneficiaries; and the contribution of these findings to the broader literature on cardiovascular disease prevention and value-based care.
Additional links: Findings at a Glance
Date: 08/2023
Type: Document
Sponsoring organizations: Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services, Mathematica, RAND Corporation
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Describes the results of the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) Million Hearts Cardiovascular Disease Risk Reduction Model, a five-year randomized trial that aimed to reduce the incidence of first-time heart attacks and strokes among Medicare beneficiaries. Covers participant characteristics, including rural or urban status and organization type; changes in cardiovascular disease risk scores; effects of the model on healthcare utilization; intermediate- and long-term impacts on beneficiaries; and the contribution of these findings to the broader literature on cardiovascular disease prevention and value-based care.
Additional links: Findings at a Glance
Date: 08/2023
Type: Document
Sponsoring organizations: Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services, Mathematica, RAND Corporation
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Iowa Community Health Centers and Value-Based Care
Describes how Iowa Primary Care Association (Iowa PCA) and two sister organizations, IowaHealth+ and INConcertCare, pursued value-based care opportunities before joining the Medicare Shared Savings Program. Discusses the network's Medicaid value-based care contract; a partnership with Main Street Health to expand value-based contracting and provide more comprehensive, integrated primary care to patients with Medicare Advantage; data analytics; strategic planning and roadmaps; and next steps.
Date: 08/2023
Type: Document
Sponsoring organization: Rural Health Value
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Describes how Iowa Primary Care Association (Iowa PCA) and two sister organizations, IowaHealth+ and INConcertCare, pursued value-based care opportunities before joining the Medicare Shared Savings Program. Discusses the network's Medicaid value-based care contract; a partnership with Main Street Health to expand value-based contracting and provide more comprehensive, integrated primary care to patients with Medicare Advantage; data analytics; strategic planning and roadmaps; and next steps.
Date: 08/2023
Type: Document
Sponsoring organization: Rural Health Value
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Telehealth Use and Perceptions among Prostate Cancer Survivors
Examines the perceptions of telehealth among prostate cancer survivors and considers its perceived usefulness during the COVID-19 pandemic. Analyzes survey data from 487 prostate cancer survivors according to age, race, education, income, rural-urban residence, and time of survey.
Author(s): Luke W. Chen, Deborah S. Usinger, Aaron J. Katz
Citation: Cancer Medicine, 12(16), 17308-17312
Date: 08/2023
Type: Document
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Examines the perceptions of telehealth among prostate cancer survivors and considers its perceived usefulness during the COVID-19 pandemic. Analyzes survey data from 487 prostate cancer survivors according to age, race, education, income, rural-urban residence, and time of survey.
Author(s): Luke W. Chen, Deborah S. Usinger, Aaron J. Katz
Citation: Cancer Medicine, 12(16), 17308-17312
Date: 08/2023
Type: Document
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