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Rural Health
Resources by Topic: Medicaid

Treating a Public Health Crisis for Rural Moms – A Comparative Analysis of Four Rural States Addressing Maternal Opioid Misuse with Medicaid Innovation Models
Discusses how four states - Colorado, Indiana, Maine, and Missouri - have used the Maternal Opioid Misuse (MOM) model to address maternal opioid use disorders among rural Medicaid beneficiaries. Compares different approaches taken by each state, including benefit eligibility, health insurance payers and health systems partnerships, and telehealth utilization.
Author(s): Jason Semprini
Citation: Online Journal of Rural Research & Policy, 16(2)
Date: 2021
Type: Document
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Left Behind Again: Rural Home Health Services in a Medicaid Pediatric Accountable Care Organization
Examines differences in pediatric home healthcare utilization among rural and urban children in a Medicaid pediatric Accountable Care Organization (ACO) in Ohio. Analyzes overall differences in healthcare use and annual trends in home health use by rurality and Medicaid eligibility group. Discusses how these findings could inform state policies and future research.
Author(s): Rose Y. Hardy, Gilbert C. Liu, Kimberly J. Conkol, Sean P. Gleeson, Kelly J. Kelleher
Citation: Journal of Rural Health
Date: 2021
Type: Document
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Implementing High-Quality Primary Care: Rebuilding the Foundation of Health Care
Examines the current state of primary care in the United States, and describes an implementation plan to strengthen high-quality primary care. Discusses value-based care and reimbursement, access to care, primary care workforce recruitment and training, and the role of health information technology. Includes rural references throughout.
Additional links: Read Online
Author(s): Board on Health Care Services
Date: 2021
Type: Document
Sponsoring organization: Health and Medicine Division (HMD), National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine
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The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services Could Improve Its Wage Index Adjustment for Hospitals in Areas With the Lowest Wages
Analyzes characteristics of hospitals with area wage indexes (AWI) in the bottom quartile in 2020, including rurality, geography, Medicaid expansion status, and hourly wages. Provides an overview of the hospital wage index system and AWI, circularity, and the impact of these policies on prospective payment system (PPS) hospitals. Offers policy recommendations to the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services regarding future adjustments.
Additional links: Full Data Brief
Date: 12/2020
Type: Document
Sponsoring organization: Office of Inspector General (HHS)
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Telemedicine Utilization Report: Telehealth and Telemedicine During the COVID-19 Pandemic
Examines the use of telemedicine to deliver Medicaid-covered services in the state of Minnesota. Describes state and federal telehealth policy waivers and modifications that were temporarily implemented in response to the COVID-19 pandemic. Discusses telehealth use by and special considerations for rural populations.
Author(s): Neerja Singh, Julie Marquardt
Date: 12/2020
Type: Document
Sponsoring organization: Minnesota Department of Human Services
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CMS Hierarchical Condition Category (HCC) 2014 Risk Scores Are Lower for Rural Medicare Beneficiaries than for Urban Beneficiaries
Research brief discussing the Hierarchical Condition Category (HCC) risk adjustment model developed by the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS), comparing data on metropolitan, micropolitan, and non-core regions. Presents data on beneficiary distribution, average risk scores, risk scores by race/ethnicity, and healthcare utilization using 2014 CMS Risk Score Files, which were the only data available.
Author(s): Tyler Malone, Denise Kirk, Randy Randolph, Kristin Reiter
Date: 12/2020
Type: Document
Sponsoring organization: North Carolina Rural Health Research Program
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Costs of Emergency Department Visits in the United States, 2017
Examines the cost of emergency department (ED) visits in the United States. Includes data by location of patient's residence for large metropolitan, small metro, micropolitan, and rural areas. Topics covered include aggregate costs, average costs, number of ED visits, aggregate costs by age, aggregate costs by community-level income, and aggregate costs by primary expected payer.
Author(s): Brian J. Moore, Lan Liang
Date: 12/2020
Type: Document
Sponsoring organization: Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality
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Informing Health Care Workforce Policy by Leveraging Data: A Toolkit for States
Describes how healthcare workforce data can be used to address questions regarding access to care. Discusses three key considerations for states to improve their healthcare workforce data collection practices. Includes examples from states that utilized data to inform policy.
Date: 11/2020
Type: Document
Sponsoring organization: National Governors Association
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Accountable Health Communities Model - Two Rural Participants' Experiences
Describes how two health systems, Ballard Health and Rocky Mountain Health Plan, implemented the Accountable Health Communities Model to address health-related social needs of rural Medicare, Medicaid, and dual-eligible beneficiaries. Discusses challenges each system faced while implementing the model.
Date: 11/2020
Type: Document
Sponsoring organization: Rural Health Value
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Rethinking Rural Health: FY 2020 Year in Review
Provides an overview of Centers for Medicaid and Medicare Services (CMS) programs and activities that have affected rural health and healthcare in fiscal year 2020. Focuses on nine priority areas: COVID-19, maternal health, Medicare Advantage (MA) and the Federally-facilitated Marketplace (FFM), quality improvement, practitioner engagement, patient empowerment and person-centered care, Medicare and Medicaid payment and policy, models and demonstrations, and telehealth.
Date: 11/2020
Type: Document
Sponsoring organization: Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services
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