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Rural Health
Resources by Topic: Medicare

Infectious Diseases Society of America Position Statement on Telehealth and Telemedicine as Applied to the Practice of Infectious Diseases
Position statement to educate members of the Infectious Diseases Society of America on telehealth and to promote use of this technology in clinical care, research, and education. Explores the potential to increase access to subspecialist care in rural areas, and describes reimbursement policies of private insurers, Medicare, and Medicaid, for telehealth services provided to patients in rural areas. Also describes HIPAA requirements for telehealth interactions and protected health information.
Author(s): Jeremy D. Young, Rima Abdel-Massih, Thomas Herchline, et al.
Citation: Clinical Infectious Diseases, 68(9), 1437-1443
Date: 05/2019
Type: Document
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Health Centers: Trends in Revenue and Grants Supported by the Community Health Center Fund
Examines funding sources for community health centers for 2010-2017, including various state and federal grants and health insurance reimbursement. Addresses whether the funding went to existing services or service expansions. Provides data on the rural/urban location of new community health center sites.
Additional links: Full Report
Date: 05/2019
Type: Document
Sponsoring organization: Government Accountability Office
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Medicare Advantage Demographics Report, 2016
Summarizes demographics data on Medicare Advantage enrollment. Addresses rural/urban differences in Appendix B.
Date: 05/2019
Type: Document
Sponsoring organization: AHIP
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The Special Diabetes Program for Indians: Estimates of Medicare Savings
Examines the potential Medicare savings due to the Special Diabetes Program for Indians (SDPI) efforts in providing diabetes prevention and treatment services to American Indians and Alaska Natives. Focuses on diabetes prevalence and end-stage renal disease related to diabetes. Appendix II includes additional information about the SDPI.
Date: 05/2019
Type: Document
Sponsoring organization: HHS Office of the Assistant Secretary for Planning and Evaluation
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Rural/Urban and Regional Variation in the 2019 CMS Hospital Wage Index
Findings brief describing the geographic variation in the 2019 Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) hospital wage index by rural and urban definitions. Includes data comparisons for rural and urban definitions by Census region, frontier and remote (FAR) codes, and state.
Author(s): Kristie W. Thompson, Ann Howard, George H. Pink
Date: 05/2019
Type: Document
Sponsoring organization: North Carolina Rural Health Research Program
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Medicare Physician Payment Reform After Two Years: Examining MACRA Implementation and the Road Ahead
Provides a recording of a U.S. Senate Committee on Finance hearing on physician payment reforms under the Medicare Access and CHIP Reauthorization Act (MACRA). Features testimonies about what is working well and challenges faced, including provisions and challenges for small and rural practices. Contains testimonies from the American Medical Association, American Academy of Family Physicians, American College of Surgeons, American Medical Group Association, and Brookings Institution.
Additional links: American Medical Association Testimony, John Cullen Testimony, Scott Hines Testimony
Date: 05/2019
Type: Video/Multimedia
Sponsoring organization: Senate Committee on Finance
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2019 Wage Index Diļ¬€erences and Selected Characteristics of Rural and Urban Hospitals
Findings brief describing and comparing rural and urban hospitals by Medicare payment classification, amount of patient revenue, and number of beds. Features statistics with breakdowns by urban and rural locations.
Author(s): George H. Pink, Kristie W. Thompson, H. Ann Howard
Date: 05/2019
Type: Document
Sponsoring organization: North Carolina Rural Health Research Program
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The Center for Medicare and Medicaid Innovation 2018 Report to Congress
Reports to Congress on payment and service delivery models and initiatives tested or announced by the Center for Medicare and Medicaid Innovation between October 2016 and 2018. Addresses Accountable Care Organization (ACO) models, population-based payment models, bundled payment models, and models that integrated Medicaid and Medicare beneficiary care. Identifies model adaptations for rural health organizations, such as the ACO Investment model, and includes a section on the Pennsylvania Rural Health Model.
Date: 04/2019
Type: Document
Sponsoring organization: Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services
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Independent Evaluation of Comprehensive Primary Care Plus (CPC+): First Annual Report
Provides an overview of first-year findings for CPC+, including who participated, the supports practices received, how practices implemented CPC+, and the impacts on cost, service use, and outcomes for Medicare beneficiaries. Features statistics with breakdowns by rural, suburban, or urban location.
Additional links: Appendices to the Supplemental Volume, Findings at a Glance, Supplemental Volume
Author(s): Deborah Peikes, Grace Anglin, Mary Harrington, et al.
Date: 04/2019
Type: Document
Sponsoring organizations: Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services, Mathematica Policy Research
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Primary Care Clinician Participation in the CMS Quality Payment Program
Analyzes primary care clinician participation in the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) Quality Payment Program (QPP). Provides data by provider type, specialty, practice location for metro and nonmetro areas, and Advanced Alternative Payment Model (A-APM) or Merit-Based Incentive Payment System (MIPS) program participation.
Author(s): A. Clinton MacKinney, Fred Ullrich, Keith J. Mueller
Date: 04/2019
Type: Document
Sponsoring organization: RUPRI Center for Rural Health Policy Analysis
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