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Rural Health
Resources by Topic: Healthcare quality

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
Sponsoring organizations: Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services, Mathematica, RAND Corporation
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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
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MedPAC Comment on CMS's Proposed Rule on the Home Health Prospective Payment System for FY 2024
Comments on a July 10, 2023, Federal Register proposed rule related to Medicare payment policies for home health agencies. Includes comments on expanding the Home Health Value-Based Purchasing Model nationwide, wage index adjustments, the Hospice Special Focus Program (SFP), and more.
Date: 08/2023
Sponsoring organization: Medicare Payment Advisory Commission
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Quality Time: Sharing PIE – Preventing Readmissions
Podcast episode discussing the varied approaches used by quality leaders from three Critical Access Hospitals to reduce readmissions. Covers community partnerships and collaboration with local health and human services providers, including emergency medical services (EMS).
Date: 08/2023
Sponsoring organization: Stratis Health
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FY 2024 Hospital Inpatient Prospective Payment System (IPPS) and Long-Term Care Hospital Prospective Payment System (LTCH PPS) Final Rule — CMS-1785-F and CMS-1788-F Fact Sheet
Fact sheet providing an overview of the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) fiscal year 2024 hospital inpatient prospective payment system (IPPS) and long-term care hospital prospective payment system (LTCH PPS) final rule. Includes information about the low-wage index hospital policy, Rural Emergency Hospitals (REHs) being allowed to receive Medicare Graduate Medical Education (GME) payments, changes to the rural wage index calculation methodology, and more.
Date: 08/2023
Sponsoring organization: Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services
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2023 Flex Program Reverse Site Visit
Details the Flex Program's Reverse Site Visit meeting held on July 19-20, 2023, for Medicare Rural Hospital Flexibility (Flex) Program grantees. Includes links to each presentation's slides. Presentations cover federal program activities, policy updates, and program examples from several states.
Date: 07/2023
Sponsoring organizations: National Rural Health Resource Center, Technical Assistance and Services Center
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Tackling the Maternal and Infant Health Crisis: A Governor's Playbook
Provides an overview of maternal morbidity and mortality trends, including racial and geographic disparities, as well as the underlying causes of poor maternal health in the United States. Outlines 32 recommendations across five priority areas that can be implemented in coordination with critical stakeholders, such as industry and community leaders, community-based organizations, faith-based organizations, and people with lived experience. Priority 3 covers recommendations related to disparities affecting Black and American Indian/Alaska Native individuals. Includes rural references throughout.
Date: 07/2023
Sponsoring organizations: Afton Bloom, Boldly Go Philanthropy, National Governors Association
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Population Health Outcome Measurement Strategies for State Flex Programs
Presents a framework for population health outcome measurement strategies for State Flex Programs (SFPs). Outlines a series of sequential steps, including identifying the needs to be addressed, educational programming, developing shared learning collaboratives/cohorts to support performance improvement, and implementing interventions. Offers practical examples of population health improvement performance improvement activities with short, intermediate, and long-term outcomes to document program impact over time.
Author(s): John Gale, Celia Jewell, Sara Kahn-Troster
Date: 07/2023
Sponsoring organization: Flex Monitoring Team
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Emergency Medical Services Outcome Measurement Strategies for State Flex Programs
Presents a framework regarding emergency medical services (EMS) outcome measurement for State Flex Programs (SFPs). Outlines a series of sequential steps, including identifying the needs to be addressed, educational programming, developing shared learning collaboratives/cohorts to support performance improvement, and implementing interventions. Offers practical examples of EMS performance improvement activities with short, intermediate, and long-term outcomes.
Author(s): John Gale, Karen Pearson, Celia Jewell, Sara Kahn-Troster, Kenneth Rosati
Date: 07/2023
Sponsoring organization: Flex Monitoring Team
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The Other Side of Rural Health Care
Podcast episode with Terry Scoggin, CEO of Titus Regional Medical Center in northeast Texas, discussing how the hospital uses innovative data to understand and meet the needs of its community.
Date: 07/2023
Sponsoring organization: American Hospital Association
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