Rural Health
Resources by Topic: Policy
Medicare Payment Basics: Accountable Care Organizations Payment Systems
Provides an overview of Medicare's Accountable Care Organization (ACO) programs. Discusses the payment mechanics of ACOs, including the maximum shared savings and losses of Medicare Shared Savings Program ACOs by track and level.
Date: 11/2025
Sponsoring organization: Medicare Payment Advisory Commission
view details
Provides an overview of Medicare's Accountable Care Organization (ACO) programs. Discusses the payment mechanics of ACOs, including the maximum shared savings and losses of Medicare Shared Savings Program ACOs by track and level.
Date: 11/2025
Sponsoring organization: Medicare Payment Advisory Commission
view details
Medicare Payment Basics: Medicare Advantage Program Payment System
Overview of Medicare payments to Medicare Advantage (MA) local and regional plans discussing the methods for determining Medicare payments to both plans.
Date: 11/2025
Sponsoring organization: Medicare Payment Advisory Commission
view details
Overview of Medicare payments to Medicare Advantage (MA) local and regional plans discussing the methods for determining Medicare payments to both plans.
Date: 11/2025
Sponsoring organization: Medicare Payment Advisory Commission
view details
Medicare Payment Basics: Outpatient Hospital Services Payment System
Outlines Medicare's payments for outpatient hospital services, including considerations for rural sole community hospitals.
Date: 11/2025
Sponsoring organization: Medicare Payment Advisory Commission
view details
Outlines Medicare's payments for outpatient hospital services, including considerations for rural sole community hospitals.
Date: 11/2025
Sponsoring organization: Medicare Payment Advisory Commission
view details
Medicare Payment Basics: Part D Payment System
Overview of the Medicare Part D prescription drug benefit, including subsidy amounts, payments to plans, how enrollee premiums are calculated, and benefit and payment updates.
Date: 11/2025
Sponsoring organization: Medicare Payment Advisory Commission
view details
Overview of the Medicare Part D prescription drug benefit, including subsidy amounts, payments to plans, how enrollee premiums are calculated, and benefit and payment updates.
Date: 11/2025
Sponsoring organization: Medicare Payment Advisory Commission
view details
Medicare Payment Basics: Physician and Other Health Professional Payment System
Overview of Medicare payments for physician services conducted in a variety of settings including physicians' offices, hospitals, ambulatory surgical centers, skilled nursing facilities and other post-acute care settings, hospices, outpatient dialysis facilities, clinical laboratories, and beneficiaries' homes.
Date: 11/2025
Sponsoring organization: Medicare Payment Advisory Commission
view details
Overview of Medicare payments for physician services conducted in a variety of settings including physicians' offices, hospitals, ambulatory surgical centers, skilled nursing facilities and other post-acute care settings, hospices, outpatient dialysis facilities, clinical laboratories, and beneficiaries' homes.
Date: 11/2025
Sponsoring organization: Medicare Payment Advisory Commission
view details
Medicare Payment Basics: Skilled Nursing Facility Services Payment System
Overview of Medicare payments for skilled nursing and rehabilitation services. Describes what constitutes a skilled nursing facility and how small, rural hospitals and Critical Access Hospitals (CAHs) may be used to provide these services with CMS approval. Compares Medicare daily base rates for urban and rural skilled nursing facilities.
Date: 11/2025
Sponsoring organization: Medicare Payment Advisory Commission
view details
Overview of Medicare payments for skilled nursing and rehabilitation services. Describes what constitutes a skilled nursing facility and how small, rural hospitals and Critical Access Hospitals (CAHs) may be used to provide these services with CMS approval. Compares Medicare daily base rates for urban and rural skilled nursing facilities.
Date: 11/2025
Sponsoring organization: Medicare Payment Advisory Commission
view details
Rural Health Transformation Program: Rural Facility and Population Score Estimates by State
Spreadsheet indicating estimated rural facility and population scores for each state according to the methodology in Appendix 4 of the Rural Health Transformation Program Notice of Funding Opportunity.
Date: 10/2025
Sponsoring organization: The Cecil G. Sheps Center for Health Services Research
view details
Spreadsheet indicating estimated rural facility and population scores for each state according to the methodology in Appendix 4 of the Rural Health Transformation Program Notice of Funding Opportunity.
Date: 10/2025
Sponsoring organization: The Cecil G. Sheps Center for Health Services Research
view details
Report to the Secretary of Health and Human Services: Reducing Barriers to Participation in Population-Based Total Cost of Care (PB-TCOC) Models and Supporting Primary and Specialty Care Transformation
Summarizes findings from the Physician-Focused Payment Model Technical Advisory Committee's (PTAC) review of information on reducing barriers to participation in alternative payment models (APMs). Discusses key issues relating to reducing barriers to participation in APMs and value-based care transformation, areas where additional research is needed, and potential next steps.
Date: 10/2025
Sponsoring organization: HHS Office of the Assistant Secretary for Planning and Evaluation
view details
Summarizes findings from the Physician-Focused Payment Model Technical Advisory Committee's (PTAC) review of information on reducing barriers to participation in alternative payment models (APMs). Discusses key issues relating to reducing barriers to participation in APMs and value-based care transformation, areas where additional research is needed, and potential next steps.
Date: 10/2025
Sponsoring organization: HHS Office of the Assistant Secretary for Planning and Evaluation
view details
New Mexico Health Care Workforce Committee: 2025 Annual Report
Reports on New Mexico's healthcare workforce, including county-level data and comparisons to national benchmarks. Discusses rural and frontier area shortages, health workforce migration trends, potential solutions for workforce issues, and updates on previous recommendations. See Appendix C for healthcare professions gap analyses by county.
Date: 10/2025
Sponsoring organization: University of New Mexico - Health Sciences Center
view details
Reports on New Mexico's healthcare workforce, including county-level data and comparisons to national benchmarks. Discusses rural and frontier area shortages, health workforce migration trends, potential solutions for workforce issues, and updates on previous recommendations. See Appendix C for healthcare professions gap analyses by county.
Date: 10/2025
Sponsoring organization: University of New Mexico - Health Sciences Center
view details
Maternity Deserts: The Equality State's Growing Crisis
Highlights maternity healthcare deserts in Wyoming and nationally. Discusses the impact of labor and delivery department closures, maternal mortality and morbidity, and more on access to care. Notes opportunities to improve outcomes including increasing access to care, additional workforce training and facility protocols to improve healthcare quality, and promote networking opportunities to share knowledge. Offers policy recommendations based on report findings. Discusses rural throughout.
Date: 10/2025
Sponsoring organization: Wyoming Women's Action Network
view details
Highlights maternity healthcare deserts in Wyoming and nationally. Discusses the impact of labor and delivery department closures, maternal mortality and morbidity, and more on access to care. Notes opportunities to improve outcomes including increasing access to care, additional workforce training and facility protocols to improve healthcare quality, and promote networking opportunities to share knowledge. Offers policy recommendations based on report findings. Discusses rural throughout.
Date: 10/2025
Sponsoring organization: Wyoming Women's Action Network
view details