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Rural Health
Resources by Topic: Medicare

Medicare Learning Network: Rural Emergency Hospitals
Details the regulatory requirements for providers to become a Rural Emergency Hospital (REH). Provides information on REH billing for Medicare services, Medicare payments for REH services, and the additional monthly facility payment.
Date: 11/2023
Type: Document
Sponsoring organization: Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services
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Assisting Rural Consumers
Offers information and guidance for Navigators and certified application counselors helping rural healthcare consumers. Covers rural-relevant considerations and policy updates regarding Federally-facilitated and State-based Marketplaces, Medicaid/CHIP, and Medicare. Outlines tips for assisters to address barriers to care and conducting outreach in rural areas.
Date: 10/2023
Type: Document
Sponsoring organization: Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services
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Rural Hospital Experiences in the Colorado Hospital Transformation Program
Provides an overview of the Colorado Hospital Transformation Program (CO HTP), a 5-year program that ties Medicaid supplemental payments to hospitals' ability to meet performance targets through September 2026. Describes the experiences of three Critical Access Hospitals (CAHs) and explores how CO HTP impacts rural hospitals. Covers planning and community engagement, quality of care, and healthcare costs.
Date: 10/2023
Type: Document
Sponsoring organization: Rural Health Value
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MBQIP Quality Measures National Annual Report - 2022
Summarizes quality measure reporting rates and performance among Critical Access Hospitals (CAHs) in 2022. Presents data on the four Medicare Beneficiary Quality Improvement Project (MBQIP) domains: patient safety/inpatient, outpatient, patient engagement, and care transitions.
Author(s): Megan Lahr, Alyssa Furukawa, Madeleine Pick, Robert Barclay
Date: 10/2023
Type: Document
Sponsoring organization: Flex Monitoring Team
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State Telehealth Laws and Reimbursement Policies Report, Fall 2023
Provides an overview of state telehealth policies as of early September 2023. Covers Medicaid reimbursement, private payer laws, and professional requirements.
Additional links: Executive Summary, Infographic, State Summary Chart
Date: 10/2023
Type: Document
Sponsoring organization: Center for Connected Health Policy: The National Telehealth Policy Resource Center
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Rural Health Policy for the Next Decade: Changes are Upon Us
Presentation slides that discuss the future of rural health policy, with a focus on the comprehensive community wealth approach, healthcare modalities and sites of care, and healthcare payment models, including Medicare Advantage.
Author(s): Keith J. Mueller
Date: 10/2023
Type: Presentation Slides
Sponsoring organizations: Iowa College of Public Health, Rural Policy Research Institute
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Medicare: Performance-Based and Geographic Adjustments to Physician Payments
Statement to the U.S. House of Representatives Committee on Energy and Commerce, Subcommittee on Health, summarizing the Government Accountability Organization's (GAO) 2021 reports on the Quality Payment Program and the two tracks it established to incentivize Medicare providers and its 2022 report on geographic adjustments to physician payments. Includes information on the participation of providers in rural and underserved areas in Advanced Alternative Payment Models (APMs) and the challenges these providers face in transitioning to APMs.
Additional links: Full Report
Date: 10/2023
Type: Document
Sponsoring organization: Government Accountability Office
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October 2023 MedPAC Meeting Transcript
Transcript from the Medicare Payment Advisory Commission's (MedPAC) October 2023 meeting. Covers updates to Medicare payment rates for clinician services, staffing ratios and turnover rates in nursing facilities, an alternative method to establish Medicare payments for select conditions treated in inpatient rehabilitation facilities, and a work plan relating to generic drug prices under Medicare Part D. Includes rural references and considerations throughout. Includes rural references throughout.
Date: 10/2023
Type: Document
Sponsoring organization: Medicare Payment Advisory Commission
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MedPAC Payment Basics
Series of briefs providing an of Medicare payment systems. Covers payments systems including Accountable Care Organizations (ACO), Critical Access Hospitals (CAH), Federally Qualified Health Centers and Rural Health Clinics, hospital acute inpatient services, and more.
Date: 10/2023
Type: Document
Sponsoring organization: Medicare Payment Advisory Commission
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Medicare Payment Basics: Federally Qualified Health Center and Rural Health Clinic Payment Systems
Presents an overview of Medicare payments for Federally Qualified Health Centers (FQHCs) and Rural Health Clinics (RHCs). Details how the all-inclusive rate (AIR) is calculated for RHCs and how the national statutory payment limit applies to provider-based RHCs enrolled in Medicare before December 31, 2020, and whether they part of a hospital with fewer than 50 beds. Includes information on special payment rules for certain services provided by FQHCs and RHCs.
Date: 10/2023
Type: Document
Sponsoring organization: Medicare Payment Advisory Commission
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