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Rural Health Information Hub

Rural Health
Resources by Topic: Medicare

CMS and State Efforts to Interact with the Indian Health Service and Indian Tribes
Discusses the interactions between the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) and the Indian Health Service (IHS) to provide support to IHS-funded facilities and tribes in their access to Medicare and Medicaid and to address broader policy concerns.
Additional links: Full Report
Date: 07/2008
Sponsoring organization: Government Accountability Office
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MedPAC Report to the Congress: Reforming the Delivery System
Describes a direction for Medicare payment and delivery system reform, makes recommendations to promote primary care, and examines hospital–physician collaborative relationships. Includes rural/urban data related to skilled nursing facilities and hospice.
Date: 06/2008
Sponsoring organization: Medicare Payment Advisory Commission
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MedPAC Report to the Congress: Medicare Payment Policy, 2008
Annual review of Medicare payment policies, with recommendations to Congress. Discussions of rural aspects of Medicare payment policies are included throughout the report.
Date: 03/2008
Sponsoring organization: Medicare Payment Advisory Commission
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Review of the Relationship between Medicare Part D Payments to Local, Community Pharmacies and the Pharmacies' Drug Acquisition Costs
Analyzes the relationship between Medicare Part D payments, excluding dispensing fees, to local, community pharmacies and the pharmacies' drug acquisition costs. Estimate Part D dispensing fees and compares them with Medicaid dispensing fees. Includes some data specific to rural pharmacies.
Date: 01/2008
Sponsoring organization: Office of Inspector General (HHS)
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Medicare Program: Changes to the Hospital Outpatient Prospective Payment System, Ambulatory Surgical Center System, Graduate Medical Education and Critical Access Hospital; Interim and Final Rule with Comment Period
Addresses changes to the Hospital Outpatient Prospective Payment System (OPPS) and CY 2008 Payment Rates, the Ambulatory Surgical Center Payment System and CY 2008 Payment Rates, the Hospital Inpatient Prospective Payment System (IPPS) and FY 2008 Payment Rates. Describes changes relating to the necessary provider designations of Critical Access Hospitals (CAHs) and to the conditions of participation requirements. Also addresses changes to graduate medical education (GME) payments made to teaching hospitals that have Medicare affiliation agreements for certain emergency situations.
Citation: Federal Register, 72(227), 66579-67226
Date: 11/2007
Sponsoring organization: Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services
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Medicare Advantage Plans in Rural America
Identifies key policy issues and questions concerning the impact of Medicare Advantage (MA) in rural areas.
Author(s): Andrew F. Coburn, A. Clinton MacKinney, Timothy D. McBride, et al.
Date: 10/2007
Sponsoring organization: Rural Policy Research Institute Rural Health Panel
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Rural Inpatient Psychiatric Units Improve Access to Community-Based Mental Health Services, but Medicare Payment Policy a Barrier
Examines inpatient psychiatric units (IPUs) in rural hospitals as well as the community-based mental health services available to patients.
Author(s): Stephenie Loux, David Hartley, David Lambert
Date: 08/2007
Sponsoring organization: Maine Rural Health Research Center
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How Will Elimination of Hospital Bad Debt Reimbursement Affect Rural PPS Hospitals?
Examines the financial effect that changes in Medicare bad debt payment policy could have on rural hospitals.
Author(s): Janet P. Sutton, Alene Kennedy, Lucia Hammer, Grace Yang
Date: 07/2007
Sponsoring organization: NORC Walsh Center for Rural Health Analysis
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Retail Pharmacy Participation in Medicare Part D Prescription Drug Plans in 2006
Discusses the extent to which retail pharmacies participate in Medicare Part D stand-alone prescription drug plans (PDPs). Includes comparison of pharmacy participation rates among metropolitan and nonmetropolitan pharmacies.
Date: 06/2007
Sponsoring organization: Office of Inspector General (HHS)
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Potential Refinements to Medicare's Wage Indexes for Hospitals and Other Sectors
Analyzes issues in the Medicare wage index and alternative wage indexes. Includes a historical overview of the Medicare wage index.
Author(s): Kathleen Dalton, Gregory C. Pope, Walter Adamache, Brian Dulisse, Nathan West
Date: 06/2007
Sponsoring organization: Medicare Payment Advisory Commission
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