Rural Health
Resources by Topic: Policy
Medicaid and CHIP in Guam
Summarizes key requirements and design features of Medicaid and the State Children's Health Insurance Program (CHIP) in Guam. Features statistics on program costs from fiscal years 2011-2019, with breakdowns by federal spending and Guam spending.
Date: 04/2020
Type: Document
Sponsoring organization: Medicaid and CHIP Payment and Access Commission
view details
Summarizes key requirements and design features of Medicaid and the State Children's Health Insurance Program (CHIP) in Guam. Features statistics on program costs from fiscal years 2011-2019, with breakdowns by federal spending and Guam spending.
Date: 04/2020
Type: Document
Sponsoring organization: Medicaid and CHIP Payment and Access Commission
view details
Medicaid and CHIP in American Samoa
Summarizes key requirements and design features of Medicaid and the State Children's Health Insurance Program (CHIP) in American Samoa. Features statistics on program costs from fiscal years 2011-2019, with breakdowns by federal spending and American Samoa spending.
Date: 04/2020
Type: Document
Sponsoring organization: Medicaid and CHIP Payment and Access Commission
view details
Summarizes key requirements and design features of Medicaid and the State Children's Health Insurance Program (CHIP) in American Samoa. Features statistics on program costs from fiscal years 2011-2019, with breakdowns by federal spending and American Samoa spending.
Date: 04/2020
Type: Document
Sponsoring organization: Medicaid and CHIP Payment and Access Commission
view details
On the Front Lines of COVID-19: A Blueprint for Health and Human Services from Washington State
Issue brief exploring the major COVID-19 initiatives taken in Washington state during February and March, 2020, and the lessons learned. Includes information on the support given to rural healthcare providers.
Author(s): Susan Birch, MaryAnne Lindeblad, Eileen Cody
Date: 04/2020
Type: Document
Sponsoring organization: Milbank Memorial Fund
view details
Issue brief exploring the major COVID-19 initiatives taken in Washington state during February and March, 2020, and the lessons learned. Includes information on the support given to rural healthcare providers.
Author(s): Susan Birch, MaryAnne Lindeblad, Eileen Cody
Date: 04/2020
Type: Document
Sponsoring organization: Milbank Memorial Fund
view details
MedPAC Comment on CMS's Proposed Rule on Contract Year 2021 and 2022 Policy and Technical Changes to Medicare Advantage and Part D
Responds to a proposed rule to revise regulations for Medicare Advantage (MA) and the Medicare Prescription Drug Benefit program (Part D). Provides comments on CMS proposals regarding out-of-network telehealth benefits, updates to the quality rating models for MA and Part D plans, and changes to MA network adequacy standards. Discusses how changes to network adequacy standards would impact access to dialysis facilities for beneficiaries in micropolitan counties, rural counties, and counties with extreme access considerations (CEAC).
Date: 04/2020
Type: Document
Sponsoring organization: Medicare Payment Advisory Commission
view details
Responds to a proposed rule to revise regulations for Medicare Advantage (MA) and the Medicare Prescription Drug Benefit program (Part D). Provides comments on CMS proposals regarding out-of-network telehealth benefits, updates to the quality rating models for MA and Part D plans, and changes to MA network adequacy standards. Discusses how changes to network adequacy standards would impact access to dialysis facilities for beneficiaries in micropolitan counties, rural counties, and counties with extreme access considerations (CEAC).
Date: 04/2020
Type: Document
Sponsoring organization: Medicare Payment Advisory Commission
view details
Rural Health Care and Medicaid Telehealth Flexibilities, and Guidance Regarding Section 1009 of the Substance Use-Disorder Prevention that Promotes Opioid Recovery and Treatment (SUPPORT) for Patients and Communities Act (Pub. L. 115-271), entitled Medicaid Substance Use Disorder Treatment via Telehealth
Discusses the benefits of utilizing telehealth services to expand access to Medicaid services in rural areas and the flexibility states have in covering these services. Provides guidance on options states have to receive federal reimbursement for substance use disorder treatments provided via telehealth services.
Date: 04/2020
Type: Document
Sponsoring organization: Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services
view details
Discusses the benefits of utilizing telehealth services to expand access to Medicaid services in rural areas and the flexibility states have in covering these services. Provides guidance on options states have to receive federal reimbursement for substance use disorder treatments provided via telehealth services.
Date: 04/2020
Type: Document
Sponsoring organization: Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services
view details
CARES Act: Provisions to Help Rural Hospitals
Provides an overview of aspects of the Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security (CARES) Act designed to support rural hospitals. Highlights provisions related to access to capital, Medicare payments, and telehealth, among others.
Date: 04/2020
Type: Document
Sponsoring organization: American Hospital Association
view details
Provides an overview of aspects of the Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security (CARES) Act designed to support rural hospitals. Highlights provisions related to access to capital, Medicare payments, and telehealth, among others.
Date: 04/2020
Type: Document
Sponsoring organization: American Hospital Association
view details
Public Law 116-136: Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security (CARES) Act
Text of the Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security (CARES) Act, Public Law 116-136 (March 27, 2020). Outlines telehealth flexibilities to support providers and enhance access to care during the COVID-19 Public Health Emergency. Among other things, the CARES Act allows Rural Health Clinics (RHCs) and Federally Qualified Health Centers (FQHCs) to serve as distant sites to provide telehealth services to patients in their homes during the public health emergency (PHE); establishes the Paycheck Protection Program (PPP); extends the ability to order home health services to physician assistants, nurse practitioners, and certified nurse specialists; and provides additional funding to the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) to enable the provision of telehealth services.
Date: 03/2020
Type: Document
Sponsoring organization: U.S. Congress
view details
Text of the Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security (CARES) Act, Public Law 116-136 (March 27, 2020). Outlines telehealth flexibilities to support providers and enhance access to care during the COVID-19 Public Health Emergency. Among other things, the CARES Act allows Rural Health Clinics (RHCs) and Federally Qualified Health Centers (FQHCs) to serve as distant sites to provide telehealth services to patients in their homes during the public health emergency (PHE); establishes the Paycheck Protection Program (PPP); extends the ability to order home health services to physician assistants, nurse practitioners, and certified nurse specialists; and provides additional funding to the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) to enable the provision of telehealth services.
Date: 03/2020
Type: Document
Sponsoring organization: U.S. Congress
view details
March 2020 MedPAC Meeting Transcript
Transcript from the Medicare Payment Advisory Commission's (MedPAC) March 2020 meeting. Covers Medicare Shared Savings Program vulnerabilities, the role of specialists in alternative payment models and accountable care organizations, incentives in Medicare Part D, the Medicare Advantage quality bonus program, and Medicare's end-stage renal disease (ESRD) prospective payment system. Includes a discussion of ESRD payment adjustments for rural and low-volume providers.
Date: 03/2020
Type: Document
Sponsoring organization: Medicare Payment Advisory Commission
view details
Transcript from the Medicare Payment Advisory Commission's (MedPAC) March 2020 meeting. Covers Medicare Shared Savings Program vulnerabilities, the role of specialists in alternative payment models and accountable care organizations, incentives in Medicare Part D, the Medicare Advantage quality bonus program, and Medicare's end-stage renal disease (ESRD) prospective payment system. Includes a discussion of ESRD payment adjustments for rural and low-volume providers.
Date: 03/2020
Type: Document
Sponsoring organization: Medicare Payment Advisory Commission
view details
National Advisory Committee on Rural Health and Human Services Meeting Summary, Atlanta, Georgia, March 2-4, 2020
Summarizes the 87th meeting of the National Advisory Committee on Rural Health and Human Services (NACRHHS), which was held in Atlanta, Georgia. Presents an overview of national and state perspectives on the meeting's two areas of focus: rural maternal health and HIV prevention and treatment.
Date: 03/2020
Type: Document
Sponsoring organization: National Advisory Committee on Rural Health and Human Services
view details
Summarizes the 87th meeting of the National Advisory Committee on Rural Health and Human Services (NACRHHS), which was held in Atlanta, Georgia. Presents an overview of national and state perspectives on the meeting's two areas of focus: rural maternal health and HIV prevention and treatment.
Date: 03/2020
Type: Document
Sponsoring organization: National Advisory Committee on Rural Health and Human Services
view details
Second Report to Congress: Social Risk Factors and Performance in Medicare's Value-Based Purchasing Programs
Analyzes the effect of individuals' social risk factors on quality measures, resource utilization, and other Medicare program measures using Medicare and non-Medicare data sources. Describes how Medicare value-based purchasing (VBP) programs impact providers who serve socially at-risk beneficiaries. Categorizes rurality as a social risk factor. Explores emerging trends among providers addressing social risk factors through cooperation with social services and community-based organizations. Offers policy recommendations for the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services to account for social risk factors in VBP programs and achieve better outcomes for those with social risk factors. Second of two reports required by the Improving Medicare Post-Acute Care Transformation (IMPACT) Act of 2014. See the first report.
Additional links: Executive Summary
Date: 03/2020
Type: Document
Sponsoring organization: HHS Office of the Assistant Secretary for Planning and Evaluation
view details
Analyzes the effect of individuals' social risk factors on quality measures, resource utilization, and other Medicare program measures using Medicare and non-Medicare data sources. Describes how Medicare value-based purchasing (VBP) programs impact providers who serve socially at-risk beneficiaries. Categorizes rurality as a social risk factor. Explores emerging trends among providers addressing social risk factors through cooperation with social services and community-based organizations. Offers policy recommendations for the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services to account for social risk factors in VBP programs and achieve better outcomes for those with social risk factors. Second of two reports required by the Improving Medicare Post-Acute Care Transformation (IMPACT) Act of 2014. See the first report.
Additional links: Executive Summary
Date: 03/2020
Type: Document
Sponsoring organization: HHS Office of the Assistant Secretary for Planning and Evaluation
view details