Rural Health
Resources by Topic: Healthcare quality
MedPAC Report to the Congress: Medicare and the Health Care Delivery System, June 2020
Evaluates Medicare payment issues and offers recommendations to the U.S. Congress. Includes chapters on value-based payment in Medicare, Accountable Care Organizations (ACOs), the Medicare Advantage quality bonus program, the impact of changes in the 21st Century Cures Act to risk adjustment for Medicare Advantage enrollees, Medicare Part D, separately payable drugs in the hospital outpatient prospective payment system, and the Medicare end-stage renal disease prospective payment system. Examines the current payment policy for low-volume and rural dialysis facilities and proposes changes.
Additional links: Executive Summary
Date: 06/2020
Sponsoring organization: Medicare Payment Advisory Commission
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Evaluates Medicare payment issues and offers recommendations to the U.S. Congress. Includes chapters on value-based payment in Medicare, Accountable Care Organizations (ACOs), the Medicare Advantage quality bonus program, the impact of changes in the 21st Century Cures Act to risk adjustment for Medicare Advantage enrollees, Medicare Part D, separately payable drugs in the hospital outpatient prospective payment system, and the Medicare end-stage renal disease prospective payment system. Examines the current payment policy for low-volume and rural dialysis facilities and proposes changes.
Additional links: Executive Summary
Date: 06/2020
Sponsoring organization: Medicare Payment Advisory Commission
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Maternal and Obstetric Care Challenges in Rural America
Provides an overview of the clinical factors and social determinants of health that may increase the risk of maternal morbidity and mortality in rural communities. Discusses the impact of insurance coverage status, hospital and obstetric unit closures, and workforce shortages on rural maternal health. Describes the role of the Department of Health and Human Services in addressing maternal health outcomes. Offers policy recommendations to reduce rural maternal health disparities.
Date: 05/2020
Sponsoring organization: National Advisory Committee on Rural Health and Human Services
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Provides an overview of the clinical factors and social determinants of health that may increase the risk of maternal morbidity and mortality in rural communities. Discusses the impact of insurance coverage status, hospital and obstetric unit closures, and workforce shortages on rural maternal health. Describes the role of the Department of Health and Human Services in addressing maternal health outcomes. Offers policy recommendations to reduce rural maternal health disparities.
Date: 05/2020
Sponsoring organization: National Advisory Committee on Rural Health and Human Services
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Infection Control Deficiencies Were Widespread and Persistent in Nursing Homes Prior to COVID-19 Pandemic
Explores the prevalence of infection prevention and control deficiencies in nursing homes prior to the COVID-19 pandemic. Examines the percentage of nursing homes that had deficiencies cited in multiple years. Provides charts noting the number of nursing homes with an infection prevention and control deficiency by state. Includes a chart that presents the data by urban and rural status.
Additional links: Full Report
Date: 05/2020
Sponsoring organization: Government Accountability Office
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Explores the prevalence of infection prevention and control deficiencies in nursing homes prior to the COVID-19 pandemic. Examines the percentage of nursing homes that had deficiencies cited in multiple years. Provides charts noting the number of nursing homes with an infection prevention and control deficiency by state. Includes a chart that presents the data by urban and rural status.
Additional links: Full Report
Date: 05/2020
Sponsoring organization: Government Accountability Office
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Partnering for Impact: Early Insights from the Accountable Health Communities Model
Provides an overview of the November 11-12, 2019, CMS Accountable Health Communities (AHC) meeting. Summarizes sessions on engaging with Medicaid and Medicare beneficiaries with unique needs, AHC models, addressing service gaps in quality improvement plans, and more. Includes rural references throughout.
Date: 05/2020
Sponsoring organization: Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services
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Provides an overview of the November 11-12, 2019, CMS Accountable Health Communities (AHC) meeting. Summarizes sessions on engaging with Medicaid and Medicare beneficiaries with unique needs, AHC models, addressing service gaps in quality improvement plans, and more. Includes rural references throughout.
Date: 05/2020
Sponsoring organization: Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services
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As It Grows, Medicare Advantage is Enrolling More Low-Income and Medically Complex Beneficiaries
Examines how the demographics, socioeconomic status, and clinical characteristics of Medicare Advantage enrollees changed between 2012 and 2015. Explores how these changes related to changes in healthcare utilization and performance during this time.
Author(s): Christie Teigland, Zulkarnain Pulungan, Tanya Shah, Eric Schneider, Shawn Bishop
Date: 05/2020
Sponsoring organization: Commonwealth Fund
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Examines how the demographics, socioeconomic status, and clinical characteristics of Medicare Advantage enrollees changed between 2012 and 2015. Explores how these changes related to changes in healthcare utilization and performance during this time.
Author(s): Christie Teigland, Zulkarnain Pulungan, Tanya Shah, Eric Schneider, Shawn Bishop
Date: 05/2020
Sponsoring organization: Commonwealth Fund
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Quality Time: Sharing PIE - Becoming a QI Leader
First episode of a quarterly podcast focusing on Critical Access Hospital (CAH) performance improvement experiences. Profiles two CAH quality leaders who share strategies, tips, and lessons learned from their experiences becoming quality improvement professionals.
Date: 05/2020
Sponsoring organization: Stratis Health
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First episode of a quarterly podcast focusing on Critical Access Hospital (CAH) performance improvement experiences. Profiles two CAH quality leaders who share strategies, tips, and lessons learned from their experiences becoming quality improvement professionals.
Date: 05/2020
Sponsoring organization: Stratis Health
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COVID-19 Exposes Threat to America's Broken Rural Health Care System
Recording of an April 21, 2020, webinar featuring members of the Bipartisan Policy Center's Rural Health Task Force. Discusses the Task Force's policy recommendations to stabilize the rural healthcare infrastructure and ensure local access to care as outlined in the report Confronting Rural America's Health Care Crisis. Describes how these recommendations will address the closures of obstetrics units, promote value-based care, provide incentives for clinicians to stay in rural areas, and remove barriers to telehealth. Transcript available in the video description.
Date: 04/2020
Sponsoring organization: Bipartisan Policy Center
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Recording of an April 21, 2020, webinar featuring members of the Bipartisan Policy Center's Rural Health Task Force. Discusses the Task Force's policy recommendations to stabilize the rural healthcare infrastructure and ensure local access to care as outlined in the report Confronting Rural America's Health Care Crisis. Describes how these recommendations will address the closures of obstetrics units, promote value-based care, provide incentives for clinicians to stay in rural areas, and remove barriers to telehealth. Transcript available in the video description.
Date: 04/2020
Sponsoring organization: Bipartisan Policy Center
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Improving Access to Evidence-Based Medical Treatment for Opioid Use Disorder: Strategies to Address Key Barriers Within the Treatment System
Presents a study on the barriers to evidence-based treatment for opioid use disorder (OUD). Identifies nine common barriers to evidence-based care for people with OUD, including stigma, workforce training, and financial barriers, among others. Includes rural references throughout.
Author(s): Bertha K. Madras, N. Jia Ahmad, Jenny Wen, et al.
Citation: NAM Perspectives
Date: 04/2020
Sponsoring organization: National Academy of Medicine
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Presents a study on the barriers to evidence-based treatment for opioid use disorder (OUD). Identifies nine common barriers to evidence-based care for people with OUD, including stigma, workforce training, and financial barriers, among others. Includes rural references throughout.
Author(s): Bertha K. Madras, N. Jia Ahmad, Jenny Wen, et al.
Citation: NAM Perspectives
Date: 04/2020
Sponsoring organization: National Academy of Medicine
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Measure and Data Element Identification for the HRSA Evidence-Based Tele-Behavioral Health Network Program and the HRSA Substance Abuse Treatment Telehealth Network Grant Program
Provides an overview of the development of measures and data points to evaluate tele-behavioral health services delivered by two Federal Office of Rural Health Policy grant programs.
Author(s): Marcia M. Ward, Kimberley Fox, Kimberly Merchant, et al.
Date: 04/2020
Sponsoring organization: Rural Telehealth Research Center
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Provides an overview of the development of measures and data points to evaluate tele-behavioral health services delivered by two Federal Office of Rural Health Policy grant programs.
Author(s): Marcia M. Ward, Kimberley Fox, Kimberly Merchant, et al.
Date: 04/2020
Sponsoring organization: Rural Telehealth Research Center
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Best Practices from 14 CAH Executives Operating in Challenging Environments
Summarizes findings from interviews with Critical Access Hospital (CAH) chief executive officers about daily operations, forecasting, and community health outcomes. Identifies best practices of leaders of CAHs with low financial risk despite operating in challenging environments.
Author(s): Shartia R. Thomas, Kristin Reiter, George H. Pink
Date: 04/2020
Sponsoring organization: Flex Monitoring Team
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Summarizes findings from interviews with Critical Access Hospital (CAH) chief executive officers about daily operations, forecasting, and community health outcomes. Identifies best practices of leaders of CAHs with low financial risk despite operating in challenging environments.
Author(s): Shartia R. Thomas, Kristin Reiter, George H. Pink
Date: 04/2020
Sponsoring organization: Flex Monitoring Team
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