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Rural Health
Resources by Topic: Outpatient care

MedPAC Data Book: Health Care Spending and the Medicare Program, 2023
Provides an overview of Medicare spending and highlights data on Medicare beneficiary demographics, dual-eligible beneficiaries, quality of care provided through the Medicare program, and other payer liability. Examines settings of care, including rural-specific provider sites, as they relate to spending, access to care, and profit margins. Compares rural and urban beneficiaries and providers throughout. Chart 6-2 addresses rural hospital closures.
Date: 07/2023
Type: Document
Sponsoring organization: Medicare Payment Advisory Commission
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Telemedicine and the Carbon Footprint of Healthcare: An Empirical Analysis of Illinois Counties
Examines the impact of telemedicine on reducing carbon emissions in Illinois. Provides metro versus nonmetro estimates as well as county-level estimates of carbon emissions savings in both outpatient and hospital settings.
Author(s): Adee Athiyaman
Date: 07/2023
Type: Document
Sponsoring organization: Illinois Institute for Rural Affairs
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April 2023 MedPAC Meeting Transcript
Transcript from the Medicare Payment Advisory Commission's (MedPAC) April 2023 meeting. Covers high prices of drugs covered under Medicare Part B, draft recommendations for reforming Medicare's wage index systems, aligning fee-for-service payment rates across ambulatory settings, leveraging Medicare policies to address social determinants of health, assessing post-sale rebates for prescription drugs in Medicare Part D, and assessing the need for Medicare safety net payments for skilled nursing facilities and home health agencies. Features discussions on draft reports regarding a prototype design for a post-acute care prospective payment system, telehealth in Medicare, and behavioral health in Medicare. Includes rural references throughout.
Date: 04/2023
Type: Document
Sponsoring organization: Medicare Payment Advisory Commission
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MedPAC Report to the Congress: Medicare Payment Policy, 2023
Annual review of Medicare payment policies, with recommendations to Congress. Includes discussion on Medicare payment policies directly affecting rural providers and beneficiaries. Addresses payment adequacy for healthcare facilities and services; Medicare Advantage (MA), including a mandated report comparing per enrollee spending in the MA program with that of traditional fee-for-service (FFS) Medicare; and Medicare Part D.
Date: 03/2023
Type: Document
Sponsoring organization: Medicare Payment Advisory Commission
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National Ambulatory Medical Care Survey: 2019 National Summary Tables
Provides data on outpatient visits to physician offices, with information on physician practice, patient, and visit characteristics. Tables 1, 12, 17, and 28 include data by metropolitan status for metro and nonmetro areas.
Date: 01/2023
Type: Document
Sponsoring organization: National Center for Health Statistics
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Total Knee Arthroplasty in the Outpatient vs Inpatient Settings: Impact of Site of Care on Early Postoperative Economic and Clinical Outcomes
Compares inpatient and outpatient outcomes of total knee arthroplasty adult patients treated with the Attune Knee System implant between October 1, 2015 and December 2020. Table 1 shows comparison of rural patients to urban patients among other demographic characteristics. Discusses the difference in both clinical and financial outcomes when the procedure occurs at rural hospitals as compared to urban hospitals.
Author(s): Jack Mantel, Jill W. Ruppenkamp, Maricruz Cantu, Chantal E. Holy
Citation: Journal of Orthopaedic Surgery and Research, 2023(18), 273
Date: 2023
Type: Document
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Improving Rural Health Through Telehealth-Guided Provider-to-Provider Communication
Presents the results of a comprehensive literature review to identify, summarize, and evaluate available research on the contributions of rural provider-to-provider telehealth communication and collaboration in addressing health disparities, and improving the health of rural populations. Topics cover the specific applications, effectiveness, implementation, sustainability, and barriers and facilitators of provider-to-provider telehealth in rural areas.
Additional links: Executive Summary, Full Report, Telehealth's Potential To Benefit Rural Healthcare Delivery: Infographic 1, Telehealth's Potential To Benefit Rural Healthcare Delivery: Infographic 2
Author(s): Annette Totten, Dana M. Womack, Marian S. McDonagh, et al.
Date: 12/2022
Type: Document
Sponsoring organization: Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality
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December 2022 MedPAC Meeting Transcript
Transcript from the Medicare Payment Advisory Commission's (MedPAC) December 2022 meeting. Covers payment adequacy and updates for hospital inpatient and outpatient services and supporting Medicare safety-net hospitals, ambulatory surgical center services, outpatient dialysis services, physician and other health professional services, hospice services, skilled nursing facilities, home health services, and inpatient rehabilitation facility services. Includes rural references throughout.
Date: 12/2022
Type: Document
Sponsoring organization: Medicare Payment Advisory Commission
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National Hospital Ambulatory Medical Care Survey: 2020 Emergency Department Summary Tables
Provides data on ambulatory care emergency department (ED) hospital visits. Table 1 provides metropolitan/nonmetropolitan ED visit data based on hospital location.
Date: 12/2022
Type: Document
Sponsoring organization: National Center for Health Statistics
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Patterns of Health Care Use among Rural-Urban Medicare Beneficiaries Age 85 and Older, 2010-2017
Policy brief examining how rural and urban Medicare beneficiaries age 85+ differ in terms of their socioeconomic and health characteristics that may inform healthcare use. Features statistics on trends in healthcare use, including inpatient and emergency department care, outpatient and prescription services, specialists and dentists, and home health and durable medical equipment, with breakdowns by urban and rural location.
Author(s): Yvonne Jonk, Heidi O'Connor, Amanda Burgess, Carly Milkowski
Date: 11/2022
Type: Document
Sponsoring organization: Maine Rural Health Research Center
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