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Rural Health
Resources by Topic: Medicare

Frontier Community Health Integration Project (FCHIP) Demonstration Evaluation: Final Evaluation Report
Presents findings from an evaluation of the Frontier Community Health Integration Project (FCHIP) Demonstration. Describes the three possible interventions, including their impact, progress and accomplishments, challenges, and lessons learned. Identifies commonalities that emerged across the FCHIP interventions that may inform future demonstrations among rural healthcare providers.
Additional links: Findings At-A-Glance
Date: 12/2020
Type: Document
Sponsoring organizations: Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services, RTI International
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Association of CMS-HCC Risk Scores with Health Care Utilization among Rural and Urban Medicare Beneficiaries
Research brief exploring healthcare utilization by rural and urban Medicare beneficiaries in order to better understand CMS Hierarchical Condition Categories (HCCs) and accurately apply the CMS-HCC risk score model. Analyzes 2014 CMS-HCC risk score data for different healthcare outcomes, including inpatient and outpatient ER visits, acute inpatient stays, and hospital readmissions, comparing rural and urban populations.
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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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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Estimated Number of Eligible Part B Beneficiaries for the Medicare Diabetes Prevention Program at the County Level and by Urban–Rural Classification
Utilizes data from 2011-2016 National Health and Nutrition Examination Surveys to estimate the number of Medicare beneficiaries that were eligible for the Medicare Diabetes Prevention Program (MDPP). Provides county-level beneficiary estimates and estimated proportions of prediabetes among older adults by sex, age, and race/ethnicity.
Author(s): Boon Peng Ng, Yiling J. Cheng, Stephanie Rutledge, et al.
Citation: PLoS One, 15(11)
Date: 11/2020
Type: Document
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November 2020 MedPAC Meeting Transcript
Transcript from the Medicare Payment Advisory Commission's (MedPAC) November 2020 meeting. Covers the expansion of telehealth in Medicare, Medicare beneficiaries' access to care in rural areas, effects of pharmaceutical manufacturer rebates on Part D's risk adjustment, and improving competition among Part D's benchmark plans.
Date: 11/2020
Type: Document
Sponsoring organization: Medicare Payment Advisory Commission
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COVID-19 and Rural Health Clinics: Ask Us Anything!!
Recording of a November 23, 2020, webinar offering responses to common questions about the funding of Rural Health Clinic (RHC) COVID-19 testing and the required reporting. Identifies links to resources related to COVID-19 testing in RHCs and in rural areas. Part of the Rural Health Clinic Technical Assistance Series.
Additional links: Presentation Slides, Transcript
Date: 11/2020
Type: Video/Multimedia
Sponsoring organization: National Association of Rural Health Clinics
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Maintaining Flexible Telehealth Policies After COVID-19
Provides an overview of the views of stakeholder organizations on topics for federal policymakers to consider regarding Medicare telehealth flexibilities after the COVID-19 public health emergency. Covers payment policy, telehealth services, and provider and patient location, among other topics.
Author(s): Sue Felt-Lisk
Date: 11/2020
Type: Document
Sponsoring organization: Mathematica Policy Research
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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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