Rural Health
Resources by Topic: Medicare
Medicare Cognitive Assessments: Utilization Tripled between 2018 and 2022, but Challenges Remain
Describes the utilization of traditional Medicare's cognitive assessment service from 2018 through 2022. Presents stakeholder views on challenges providers and beneficiaries face in providing and accessing the service, respectively. Discusses steps the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) has taken to increase awareness of the service. Includes information on the number of cognitive assessment services by urban and rural beneficiaries by race and ethnicity.
Additional links: Full Report
Date: 12/2023
Sponsoring organization: Government Accountability Office
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Describes the utilization of traditional Medicare's cognitive assessment service from 2018 through 2022. Presents stakeholder views on challenges providers and beneficiaries face in providing and accessing the service, respectively. Discusses steps the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) has taken to increase awareness of the service. Includes information on the number of cognitive assessment services by urban and rural beneficiaries by race and ethnicity.
Additional links: Full Report
Date: 12/2023
Sponsoring organization: Government Accountability Office
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CMS Final Rules Overview - Impact for RHCs Beginning January 1, 2024
Recording of a December 11, 2023, webinar providing an overview of telehealth payment rates for Rural Health Clinics (RHCs) and other regulatory updates and potential changes for 2024. Covers new billable providers for RHCs, changes to care management services and billing, telehealth regulations, intensive outpatient program (IOP) services, and more. Part of the Rural Health Clinic Technical Assistance Series.
Additional links: Presentation Slides
Date: 12/2023
Sponsoring organization: National Association of Rural Health Clinics
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Recording of a December 11, 2023, webinar providing an overview of telehealth payment rates for Rural Health Clinics (RHCs) and other regulatory updates and potential changes for 2024. Covers new billable providers for RHCs, changes to care management services and billing, telehealth regulations, intensive outpatient program (IOP) services, and more. Part of the Rural Health Clinic Technical Assistance Series.
Additional links: Presentation Slides
Date: 12/2023
Sponsoring organization: National Association of Rural Health Clinics
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Section 1915(c) Waiver Program Participants in 2020
Presents data on the percentage and number of Medicaid enrollees who participated in a Section 1915(c) waiver program in 2020. Includes data on the share of enrollees who participated in a Section 1915(c) waiver program overall and by age, race and ethnicity, urban or rural residence, Medicaid eligibility category, and dual eligibility status.
Date: 12/2023
Sponsoring organization: Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services
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Presents data on the percentage and number of Medicaid enrollees who participated in a Section 1915(c) waiver program in 2020. Includes data on the share of enrollees who participated in a Section 1915(c) waiver program overall and by age, race and ethnicity, urban or rural residence, Medicaid eligibility category, and dual eligibility status.
Date: 12/2023
Sponsoring organization: Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services
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Participation in a Medicare Advanced Primary Care Model and the Delivery of High-Value Services
Examines if participation in the Comprehensive Primary Care Plus Initiative (CPC+) impacted the high-value services delivered by primary care providers. Utilizes multiple national data sets to estimate the association of CPC+ and services such as annual wellness visits (AWVs), advance care planning (ACP), flu shots, tobacco prevention counseling, and depression screening. Provides data on intervention groups and comparison groups by patient demographics as well as provider demographics, specialty, and location, including urban, large rural, small rural, and isolated rural.
Author(s): Fang He, Angela Gasdaska, Lindsay White, Yan Tang, Chris Beadles
Citation: Health Services Research, 58(6), 1266-1291
Date: 12/2023
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Examines if participation in the Comprehensive Primary Care Plus Initiative (CPC+) impacted the high-value services delivered by primary care providers. Utilizes multiple national data sets to estimate the association of CPC+ and services such as annual wellness visits (AWVs), advance care planning (ACP), flu shots, tobacco prevention counseling, and depression screening. Provides data on intervention groups and comparison groups by patient demographics as well as provider demographics, specialty, and location, including urban, large rural, small rural, and isolated rural.
Author(s): Fang He, Angela Gasdaska, Lindsay White, Yan Tang, Chris Beadles
Citation: Health Services Research, 58(6), 1266-1291
Date: 12/2023
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Medicare Advantage in Rural Areas: Implications for Hospital Sustainability
Explores the relationship between Medicare Advantage (MA) penetration levels in rural areas and acute care hospital financial distress and closure between 2008 and 2019. Analyzes data from Healthcare Cost and Utilization Project (HCUP) State Inpatient Databases from 14 states to describe rural acute care hospitals with low and high MA penetration.
Author(s): Rachel Mosher Henke, Kathryn R. Fingar, Lan Liang, H. Joanna Jiang
Citation: American Journal of Managed Care, 29(11), 594–600
Date: 11/2023
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Explores the relationship between Medicare Advantage (MA) penetration levels in rural areas and acute care hospital financial distress and closure between 2008 and 2019. Analyzes data from Healthcare Cost and Utilization Project (HCUP) State Inpatient Databases from 14 states to describe rural acute care hospitals with low and high MA penetration.
Author(s): Rachel Mosher Henke, Kathryn R. Fingar, Lan Liang, H. Joanna Jiang
Citation: American Journal of Managed Care, 29(11), 594–600
Date: 11/2023
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2023 Rural-Urban Disparities in Health Care in Medicare
Examines rural/urban differences in the quality of healthcare received by Medicare beneficiaries in 2022, with breakdowns by race and ethnicity. Focuses on patient experience and clinical care measures, including screening for and management of health conditions, medication-related issues, and access to and availability of care.
Date: 11/2023
Sponsoring organizations: Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services, RAND Corporation
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Examines rural/urban differences in the quality of healthcare received by Medicare beneficiaries in 2022, with breakdowns by race and ethnicity. Focuses on patient experience and clinical care measures, including screening for and management of health conditions, medication-related issues, and access to and availability of care.
Date: 11/2023
Sponsoring organizations: Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services, RAND Corporation
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Final Rule for CY 2024 Physician Fee Schedule: Fact Sheet
Fact sheet covering Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) telehealth policy changes for 2024 as outlined in the final calendar year (CY) 2024 Physician Fee Schedule. Covers eligible services that can be delivered by telehealth, remote monitoring services, physician supervision, diabetes self-management training (DSMT), and more.
Date: 11/2023
Sponsoring organization: Center for Connected Health Policy: The National Telehealth Policy Resource Center
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Fact sheet covering Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) telehealth policy changes for 2024 as outlined in the final calendar year (CY) 2024 Physician Fee Schedule. Covers eligible services that can be delivered by telehealth, remote monitoring services, physician supervision, diabetes self-management training (DSMT), and more.
Date: 11/2023
Sponsoring organization: Center for Connected Health Policy: The National Telehealth Policy Resource Center
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November 2023 MedPAC Meeting Transcript
Transcript from the Medicare Payment Advisory Commission's (MedPAC) November 2023 meeting. Covers the Rural Emergency Hospital (REH) designation, dual-eligible special needs plans (D-SNPs), MedPAC's proposed work plan on hospice and end-of-life care, Medicare coverage and payment for software as a medical service, and access and favorable selection in Medicare Advantage. Includes rural references and considerations throughout.
Date: 11/2023
Sponsoring organization: Medicare Payment Advisory Commission
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Transcript from the Medicare Payment Advisory Commission's (MedPAC) November 2023 meeting. Covers the Rural Emergency Hospital (REH) designation, dual-eligible special needs plans (D-SNPs), MedPAC's proposed work plan on hospice and end-of-life care, Medicare coverage and payment for software as a medical service, and access and favorable selection in Medicare Advantage. Includes rural references and considerations throughout.
Date: 11/2023
Sponsoring organization: Medicare Payment Advisory Commission
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The Evolution of Rural Emergency Hospitals as a New Model of Care
Podcast episode with Laura Appel, executive vice president of the Michigan Health and Hospital Association, and Christina Campos, CEO at Guadalupe County Hospital. Discusses the Rural Emergency Hospital (REH) designation, the conversion process, meeting eligibility requirements, and the benefit of REHs to rural patients and communities.
Date: 11/2023
Sponsoring organization: American Hospital Association
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Podcast episode with Laura Appel, executive vice president of the Michigan Health and Hospital Association, and Christina Campos, CEO at Guadalupe County Hospital. Discusses the Rural Emergency Hospital (REH) designation, the conversion process, meeting eligibility requirements, and the benefit of REHs to rural patients and communities.
Date: 11/2023
Sponsoring organization: American Hospital Association
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Ensuring Medicare Beneficiary Access: A Path to Telehealth Permanency
Recording of a November 14, 2023, U.S. Senate Committee on Finance Subcommittee on Health Care hearing on the role of telehealth in improving access to care and the potential to make COVID-19 Medicare flexibilities permanent. Features testimony from Nicki Perisho, Principal Investigator and Program Director for the Northwest Regional Telehealth Resource Center, and Eric Wallace, Medical Director for the University of Alabama at Birmingham (UAB) Health System Telehealth Program.
Additional links: Eric Wallace, UAB Health System Telehealth Program - Testimony, Nicki Perisho, Northwest Regional Telehealth Resource Center - Testimony
Date: 11/2023
Sponsoring organization: Senate Committee on Finance, Subcommittee on Health Care
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Recording of a November 14, 2023, U.S. Senate Committee on Finance Subcommittee on Health Care hearing on the role of telehealth in improving access to care and the potential to make COVID-19 Medicare flexibilities permanent. Features testimony from Nicki Perisho, Principal Investigator and Program Director for the Northwest Regional Telehealth Resource Center, and Eric Wallace, Medical Director for the University of Alabama at Birmingham (UAB) Health System Telehealth Program.
Additional links: Eric Wallace, UAB Health System Telehealth Program - Testimony, Nicki Perisho, Northwest Regional Telehealth Resource Center - Testimony
Date: 11/2023
Sponsoring organization: Senate Committee on Finance, Subcommittee on Health Care
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