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Rural Health
Resources by Topic: Medicare

Variation in Use of Home Health Care among Fee-for-Service Medicare Beneficiaries by Rural-Urban Status and Geographic Region: Assessing the Potential for Unmet Need
County-level analysis of home health care use by Medicare beneficiaries in 2013. Explores characteristics of beneficiaries and their communities. Features statistics with breakdowns by geographic region and 5 levels of population density.
Author(s): Tracy M. Mroz, Lisa A. Garberson, Jennifer L. Wong, et al.
Date: 02/2020
Sponsoring organization: WWAMI Rural Health Research Center
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Health Care Use and Access among Rural and Urban Nonelderly Adult Medicare Beneficiaries
Highlights healthcare access and utilization by disabled adults under 65 who are enrolled in Medicare. Compares rural and urban participants by demographics and geographic region, among other measures.
Author(s): Erika Ziller, Amanda Burgess, Deborah Thayer
Date: 01/2020
Sponsoring organization: Maine Rural Health Research Center
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Second Evaluation Report: Next Generation Accountable Care Organization Model Evaluation
Reports on the impact of the Next Generation Accountable Care Organization model in 2016 and 2017, with information on the full sample of 46 participating NGACOs. Provides information on the models' impact on gross and net Medicare spending. The appendices include data on community characteristics, including rurality.
Additional links: Findings at a Glance, Technical Appendices
Date: 01/2020
Sponsoring organizations: Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services, NORC at the University of Chicago
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Report to Congress: Demonstration Project on Community Health Integration Models in Certain Rural Counties - Final Report
Presents findings from the Frontier Community Health Integration Project Demonstration (FCHIP) over the 3-year project period. Shares results for the 10 participating Critical Access Hospitals in three states: North Dakota, Montana, and Nevada. The demonstration focused on interventions addressing ambulance services, skilled nursing facility/nursing facility beds, and telehealth. Offers recommendations for legislative and administrative action.
Date: 2020
Sponsoring organization: U.S. Department of Health and Human Services
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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
Sponsoring organization: University of Minnesota Rural Health Research Center
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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
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
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
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
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
Sponsoring organization: Maine Rural Health Research Center
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