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Rural Health
Resources by Topic: Medicare

Behavioral Health Integration into Primary Care: A Microsimulation of Financial Implications for Practices
Evaluates the financial impact of integrating behavioral health services into primary care practices by simulating data using Medicare payments. Compares the potential impact for Federally Qualified Health Centers (FQHCs), rural versus urban non-FQHCs in high-poverty areas, and practices in lower-poverty areas. Addresses the costs and revenues for two types of behavioral health integration, the collaborative care model (CoCM) and the primary care behaviorist model (PCBM).
Citation: Journal of General Internal Medicine, 32(12), 1330-1341
Date: 12/2017
Type: Document
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State Innovation Models (SIM) Round 2: Model Test Annual Report One
First annual report describing the design and progress of the Round 2 State Innovation Models (SIM) program across eleven participating states - Colorado, Connecticut, Delaware, Idaho, Iowa, Michigan, New York, Ohio, Rhode Island, Tennessee, and Washington. Includes information about the program's organization, data and methods, and implementation activities. Addresses challenges for rural areas throughout and shares highlights from each state's site visits.
Date: 12/2017
Type: Document
Sponsoring organizations: Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services, RTI International
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Modernizing Rural Health Clinic Provisions
Reviews Rural Health Clinics (RHCs) statutory authorization and current regulations to identify areas for improvement to meet the current and future healthcare needs. Includes recommendations regarding payment options, program support, services offered, workforce issues, and law requirements.
Date: 12/2017
Type: Document
Sponsoring organization: National Advisory Committee on Rural Health and Human Services
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The Evolution of Private Plans in Medicare
Examines major policy changes affecting Medicare Advantage plans, and the impact of these policies on plan participation, enrollment, average premiums and cost-sharing, total costs to Medicare, and quality of care. Briefly discusses the challenges associate with providing risk-based plans in rural areas.
Author(s): Yash M. Patel, Stuart Guterman
Date: 12/2017
Type: Document
Sponsoring organization: Commonwealth Fund
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Rural-Urban Enrollment in Part D Prescription Drug Plans: June 2017 Update
Updates prior policy briefs and shows state-to-state variation in stand-alone prescription drug plans and Medicare Advantage with Prescription Drug plans. Features statistics with breakdowns by rural and urban enrollment in 2008 and 2017.
Author(s): Paula Weigel, Fred Ullrich, Keith Mueller
Date: 12/2017
Type: Document
Sponsoring organization: RUPRI Center for Rural Health Policy Analysis
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MedPAC Report to the Congress: Physician Supervision Requirements in Critical Access Hospitals and Small Rural Hospitals
Provides background information on Medicare physician supervision requirements, and examines how enforcement of these requirements impacts access to care, quality of care, and staffing needs in Critical Access Hospitals (CAHs) and small rural hospitals. Findings are based on interviews with CMS officials, hospital association representatives, and CAH administrators in several states.
Date: 12/2017
Type: Document
Sponsoring organization: Medicare Payment Advisory Commission
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State Innovation Model (SIM) Evaluation Report on Award Year 2 (AY2) Activities
Discusses the process and implementation activities of the State Innovation Model (SIM) grant program administered by the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) in the state of Iowa. SIM provides funding for states to develop innovative strategies to address healthcare reform by improving the patient healthcare experience, population health, and reducing healthcare costs. Describes interventions and actions from the SIM initiative, community characteristics, and settings impacted by the initiative.
Author(s): Suzanne Bentler, Tessa Heeren, Rochelle Schultz Spinarski, Elizabeth Momany, Peter Damiano
Date: 11/2017
Type: Document
Sponsoring organization: University of Iowa Public Policy Center
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Emerging Strategies to Ensure Access to Health Care Services: Emergency Medical Center
Provides an overview of the emergency medical center (EMC) model, which would allow struggling hospitals to convert to EMC status and provide emergency and outpatient services, without having to provide inpatient acute care services. Also outlines rural-specific federal policy proposals that seek to create similar hospital designations, with the goal of improving access to and the delivery of care in underserved communities.
Date: 11/2017
Type: Document
Sponsoring organization: American Hospital Association
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Hospital Transfers and Subsequent Hospitalizations among Rural Medicare Beneficiaries
Poster presentation examining hospital transfer patterns among patients admitted to rural hospitals. Tracks patterns of post-transfer healthcare utilization in a subset of Medicare beneficiaries.
Author(s): Kevin Bennett, Janice C. Probst, Jarrod Bullard
Date: 11/2017
Type: Document
Sponsoring organization: Rural and Minority Health Research Center (formerly the South Carolina Rural Health Research Center)
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Differences in Community Characteristics of Sole Community Hospitals
Findings brief presenting a snapshot of Sole Community Hospitals (SCHs) and their communities in 2015, and identifying trends in characteristics of selected SCHs and their communities from 2006 through 2015. Features statistics including breakdowns by large rural, small rural, and isolated rural location.
Author(s): Sharita R. Thomas, Mark Holmes, George H. Pink
Date: 11/2017
Type: Document
Sponsoring organization: North Carolina Rural Health Research Program
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