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Rural Health
Resources by Topic: Medicare

Access to Specialty Care for Medicare Beneficiaries in Rural Communities
Findings from a voluntary online survey conducted in 2019 of 111 Rural Health Clinic (RHC) staff, from 27 states, to identify the most difficult specialty healthcare service to access, and why it is the most difficult to access. Conducts an analysis of RHC distance to the nearest hospital or clinic to determine variation in difficulty accessing specialty services.
Author(s): Megan Lahr, Hannah Neprash, Carrie Henning-Smith, Mariana S. Tuttle, Ashley M. Hernandez
Date: 12/2019
Type: Document
Sponsoring organization: University of Minnesota Rural Health Research Center
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Access and Capacity to Care for Medicare Beneficiaries in Rural Health Clinics
Findings from a voluntary online survey conducted in 2019 of 111 Rural Health Clinic (RHC) staff from 27 states, to better understand how they address issues on accessibility, capacity, flexibility of services, and other clinic characteristics for Medicare beneficiaries, and to identify any gaps in healthcare.
Author(s): Megan Lahr, Carrie Henning-Smith, Ashley M. Hernandez, Hannah Neprash
Date: 12/2019
Type: Document
Sponsoring organization: University of Minnesota Rural Health Research Center
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Impact of the Medicare Disproportionate Share Hospital Payment Cap on Rural and Urban Hospitals
Describes the number and location of hospitals that qualify for Medicare Disproportionate Share Hospital (DSH) payments and meet the criteria for a 12% payment cap. Examines how the payment cap and lost revenue impacts urban and rural hospitals. Presents options to modify DSH payments to ease the financial strain on rural hospitals.
Author(s): Paula Weigel, Fred Ullrich, Keith J. Mueller
Date: 12/2019
Type: Document
Sponsoring organization: RUPRI Center for Rural Health Policy Analysis
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Evaluation of the Initiative to Reduce Avoidable Hospitalizations among Nursing Facility Residents-Payment Reform
Third annual report evaluating a Centers for Medicare and Medicaid (CMS) Innovation payment model intended to reduce avoidable hospitalizations for long-term care nursing facility residents by offering incentives for the provision of in-house care to eligible residents, rather than a transfer to a hospital for treatment. Presents details on the effect of the payment model on Medicare expenditures in the participating states: Alabama, Missouri, Indiana, Nevada, New York, and Pennsylvania. Discusses the implication of the payment model in rural facilities.
Date: 12/2019
Type: Document
Sponsoring organization: Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services
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Rural-Urban Differences in Access to and Attitudes Toward Care for Medicare Beneficiaries
Results of a study using data from the 2016 Medicare Current Beneficiary Survey to analyze differences between rural and urban Medicare beneficiaries in terms of travel time to usual provider, access barriers, and attitudes toward seeking care.
Author(s): Carrie Henning-Smith, Ashley M. Hernandez, Megan Lahr
Date: 12/2019
Type: Document
Sponsoring organization: University of Minnesota Rural Health Research Center
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Evaluation of the Million HeartsĀ® Cardiovascular Disease Risk Reduction Model: Second Annual Report
Evaluates the first two years of the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) Million Hearts Cardiovascular Disease Risk Reduction Model to determine whether, and how, it reduces first-time strokes, heart attacks, and Medicare spending. Covers participant characteristics, including rural or urban status and organization type; implementation of the model; short- and long-term impacts on beneficiaries; and the potential mechanisms that may explain observed impacts.
Author(s): Greg Peterson, Linda Barterian, Keith Kranker, et al.
Date: 11/2019
Type: Document
Sponsoring organizations: Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services, Mathematica Policy Research
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Evaluation of the Maryland All-Payer Model: Volume I - Final Report
Evaluation of the All-Payer Model operating under an agreement with the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) for hospitals in rural and urban settings implemented in Maryland in 2014. This model shifted the state's hospital payment structure to an annual, global hospital budget that includes both inpatient and outpatient hospital services. Report covers 4.5 years of implementation, and compares outcomes by rural and urban residency.
Author(s): Susan Haber, Heather Beil, Marisa Morrison, et al.
Date: 11/2019
Type: Document
Sponsoring organization: Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services
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Rural Health Clinic Costs and Medicare Reimbursement
Policy brief exploring whether updates to the Medicare per-visit reimbursement cap have allowed Rural Health Clinics (RHCs) of various types and sizes to keep pace with increases in staffing and other costs. Features statistics including RHC mean Medicare adjusted cost per visit and RHC mean Medicare healthcare staff costs as of 2014, with breakdowns by 4 sizes of RHCs and private or publicly-owned status.
Author(s): John Gale, Zachariah T. Croll, Andrew F. Coburn
Date: 11/2019
Type: Document
Sponsoring organization: Maine Rural Health Research Center
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Rural Hospitals: Here Today, Gone Tomorrow
Describes the conditions facing rural hospitals and their communities contributing to the high rate of rural hospital closure. Discusses state and federal legislation, policies, and programs developed to support rural hospitals. Provides data for 15 Southern states including their state and rural populations, percentage of population uninsured, Medicaid expansion status, percentage at high financial risk, and number of rural hospital closures.
Author(s): Nick Bowman
Date: 11/2019
Type: Document
Sponsoring organization: Southern Legislative Conference of The Council of State Governments
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Estimate of Federal Payment Reductions to Hospitals Following the ACA: 2010-2029: Estimates and Methodology
Estimates the reduction in Medicare hospital payments due to sequestration from 2010 to 2029, not including reductions enacted under the Affordable Care Act (ACA). Demonstrates how other legislative acts and regulatory changes by the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) reduced federal payments to hospitals over the same period. Highlights how reductions in Medicare payments for bad debt impacted Critical Access Hospitals (CAHs).
Date: 10/2019
Type: Document
Sponsoring organizations: American Hospital Association, Federation of American Hospitals
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