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Rural Health
Resources by Topic: Medicare

Anticipating the Rural Impact of Medicare Value-Based Purchasing
Describes the design and implementation of Medicare value-based purchasing (VBP) programs. Addresses the potential impact of these programs on rural healthcare providers. Includes discussion on the five provider types: Prospective Payment system (PPS) hospitals, Critical Access Hospitals (CAHs), Skilled Nursing Facilities (SNFs), home health agencies, and physician office practices.
Author(s): A. Clinton MacKinney, Keith J. Mueller, Nicholas P. Lillios, et al.
Date: 04/2012
Type: Document
Sponsoring organization: Rural Policy Research Institute Rural Health Panel
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MedPAC Report to the Congress: Medicare Payment Policy, 2012
Reviews Medicare payment policies and covers policy recommendations to Congress. Discusses rural aspects of Medicare payment policies.
Date: 03/2012
Type: Document
Sponsoring organization: Medicare Payment Advisory Commission
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Communities Served by Rural Medicare Dependent Hospitals
Explores the potential consequences of termination of the Medicare Dependent Hospital (MDH) program by comparing MDHs to rural prospective payment system hospitals (R-PPS) in terms of utilization and the characteristics of the communities they serve.
Author(s): Kristin L. Reiter, George M. Holmes, Saleema A. Karim, George H. Pink
Date: 03/2012
Type: Document
Sponsoring organization: North Carolina Rural Health Research Program
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National Advisory Committee on Rural Health & Human Services Meeting Minutes, Washington DC, February 15-17, 2012
Minutes from the NACRHHS, which provides recommendations on rural health and human services issues to the Secretary of the Department of Health and Human Services. Meeting included the following topics: Center for Medicare and Medicaid Innovation, children and families, Head Start, health professional shortage areas, rural healthcare infrastructure, and the White House Rural Council.
Date: 2012
Type: Document
Sponsoring organization: National Advisory Committee on Rural Health and Human Services
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Geographic Adjustment in Medicare Payment Phase I: Improving Accuracy, Second Edition
Report brief that expands on recommendations made in an earlier report for improving how the Medicare program calculates geographic practice cost indexes that result in payments to hospitals, physicians, and other clinical practitioners based on their geographic locations.
Additional links: Read Online
Date: 2012
Type: Document
Sponsoring organization: Institute of Medicine
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Physician Value-Based Payment Modifier Program
Discusses provisions from the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act including the Physician Payment Modifier (VBM) program, which provides differential payment to physicians or physician groups based on the quality of care provided compared to the cost of providing care.
Date: 12/2011
Type: Document
Sponsoring organization: National Advisory Committee on Rural Health and Human Services
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Medicare Copayments for Critical Access Hospital Outpatient Services - 2009 Update
Discusses the impact of Part B coinsurance on beneficiaries receiving outpatient services at Critical Access Hospitals.
Author(s): Sara Freeman, Kathleen Dalton
Date: 12/2011
Type: Document
Sponsoring organization: Medicare Payment Advisory Commission
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Effect of Swing Bed Use on Medicare Average Daily Cost and Reimbursement in Critical Access Hospitals
Estimates the average net cost to Medicare of a skilled nursing facility swing day by simulating the elimination of all Medicare skilled nursing facility swing bed days in Critical Access Hospitals in 2009.
Author(s): Kristin L. Reiter, George M. Holmes, George H. Pink, Victoria A. Freeman
Date: 12/2011
Type: Document
Sponsoring organization: North Carolina Rural Health Research Program
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Rural Medicare Advantage 2011: Enrollment Trends and Plan Characteristics
Addresses the plans, characteristics, and enrollment trends of the Medicare Advantage program in 2011, specifically examining how these trends affect rural America.
Additional links: Policy Brief
Author(s): Leah Kemper, Lisa Pollack, Abigail Barker, Timothy D. McBride, Keith J. Mueller
Date: 10/2011
Type: Document
Sponsoring organization: RUPRI Center for Rural Health Policy Analysis
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Will Bundling Work in Rural America? Analysis of the Feasibility and Consequences of Bundled Payments for Rural Health Providers and Patients
Assesses how bundled payments may affect both healthcare quality and access among rural providers, and explains the financial and operational challenges associated with implementing bundled payments in low-volume providers such as Critical Access Hospitals (CAHs).
Author(s): Robert Town, Walter Gregg, Ira Moscovice, Shailendra Prasad, Jill Klingner
Date: 09/2011
Type: Document
Sponsoring organization: Upper Midwest Rural Health Research Center
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