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Rural Health Information Hub

Rural Health
Resources by Topic: Policy

September 2020 MedPAC Meeting Transcript
Transcript from the Medicare Payment Advisory Commission's (MedPAC) September 2020 meeting. Covers the coronavirus pandemic and Medicare, the context for Medicare payment policy, a mandated report on the skilled nursing facility value-based purchasing program, a mandated report on the Protecting Access to Medicare Act of 2014's changes to the Medicare clinical laboratory fee schedule, and a Congressional request on private equity and Medicare. Includes rural references throughout.
Date: 09/2020
Sponsoring organization: Medicare Payment Advisory Commission
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RHC Cost Reporting During COVID
Recording of a September 22, 2020, webinar covering cost reporting basics for Rural Health Clinics (RHCs), including telehealth reporting, FTE and visit calculations, productivity waiver requests, provider relief fund payments, and cost report filing deadlines. Part of the Rural Health Clinic Technical Assistance Series.
Additional links: Presentation Slides, Transcript
Date: 09/2020
Sponsoring organization: National Association of Rural Health Clinics
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Building Capacity for Value
Slides presented at the 2020 Nebraska Rural Health Conference describing the evolution of value-based care. Discusses different approaches to value-based care transformation, including the Medicare Shared Savings Program Accountable Care Organizations and global budgeting. Presents management and leadership strategies to navigate future changes while meeting community health needs.
Author(s): Karla Weng
Date: 09/2020
Sponsoring organization: Rural Health Value
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Third Evaluation Report: Next Generation Accountable Care Organization Model Evaluation
Reports on implementation experiences and outcomes for 50 Next Generation Accountable Care Organizations (NGACOs) that participated in the model in the 2018 performance year. Also evaluates findings of the model to date, from NGACOs entering the model in 2016, 2017, and 2018. Includes information on the extent to which NGACOs served rural areas.
Additional links: CMS Perspective, October 2020, Findings at a Glance, Technical Appendices
Date: 09/2020
Sponsoring organizations: Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services, NORC at the University of Chicago
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How Evidence-based Is US Dental Workforce Policy for Rural Communities?
Examines the alignment of policy and infrastructure with evidence-based strategies to promote access to oral health services for rural people. Focuses on best practices as well as barriers and facilitators to implementation of workforce strategies to increase the availability of services. Presents a scoping review of the evidence behind key strategies in the U.S. health policy context.
Author(s): Miranda Werts, Ginachukwa Amah, Elizabeth Mertz
Date: 09/2020
Sponsoring organization: Oral Health Workforce Research Center
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Tracking FY2019 Federal Funding to Combat the Opioid Crisis
Report covering the allocation of federal resources for opioid initiatives at the federal, state, and local level. Presents data on federal funding and offers case studies of state and county-level spending data for Ohio, Arizona, Louisiana, Washington, Tennessee, and New Hampshire. Makes policy recommendations and briefly discusses grant initiatives that target rural-specific barriers to treatment.
Date: 09/2020
Sponsoring organization: Bipartisan Policy Center
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An Evaluation of FirstNet's Progress
Presents a recording of a September 24, 2020, hearing before the U.S. Senate Committee on Commerce, Science, and Transportation. Examines FirstNet and AT&T's progress on developing a nationwide public safety broadband network. Testimony from Jason Porter, Senior Vice President of AT&T, discusses FirstNet's focus on rural America.
Additional links: Jason Porter Testimony
Date: 09/2020
Sponsoring organization: U.S. Senate Committee on Commerce, Science, and Transportation
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Certified Community Behavioral Health Clinics Demonstration Program: Report to Congress, 2019
Provides an overview of the Certified Community Behavioral Health Clinic (CCBHC) demonstration. Describes participating states' CCBHC activities including improved access to treatment and recovery support services, the range of services provided during the first year of the demonstration, how states have been reporting and utilizing required quality measures, and assess the costs to CCBHCs. This is the third of five annual reports to Congress on the CCBHC demonstration.
Date: 09/2020
Sponsoring organizations: HHS Office of the Assistant Secretary for Planning and Evaluation, Mathematica Policy Research, RAND Corporation
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Preliminary Cost and Quality Findings from the National Evaluation of the Certified Community Behavioral Health Clinic Demonstration
Provides an overview of the Certified Community Behavioral Health Clinic (CCBHC) demonstration through April 2019. Describes the CCBHC payment rates and costs of care through the first demonstration year as well as the experiences of states and CCBHCs reporting the required quality measures. Includes a comparison of payment rates by urban and rural clinic location.
Author(s): Joshua Breslau, Brian Briscombe, Michael Dunbar, et al.
Date: 09/2020
Sponsoring organizations: HHS Office of the Assistant Secretary for Planning and Evaluation, Mathematica
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Taskforce on Telehealth Policy (TTP) Findings and Recommendations
Report from the Taskforce on Telehealth Policy (TTP) examining the rapid expansion of telehealth use during the COVID-19 pandemic and possible permanent shifts in telehealth policy. Offers findings and policy recommendations related to patient safety, program integrity, data flow and care coordination, quality measurement, cost of care, and overarching issues.
Date: 09/2020
Sponsoring organizations: Alliance for Connected Care, ATA, National Committee for Quality Assurance
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