Rural Health
Resources by Topic: Reimbursement and payment models
Independent Evaluation of Comprehensive Primary Care Plus (CPC+): Second Annual Report
Reports on the first two program years of the CPC+, a CMS primary care payment and delivery reform effort. Discusses CPC+ participating practices, payer partners, and health information technology (HIT) vendors supporting the program. Describes practices changes and outcomes for Medicare fee-for-service beneficiaries. Includes statistics with breakdowns by rural, suburban, or urban practice location.
Additional links: Appendices to the Supplemental Volume, CMS Perspective Report, Findings at a Glance, Supplemental Volume
Date: 07/2020
Type: Document
Sponsoring organizations: Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services, Mathematica
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Reports on the first two program years of the CPC+, a CMS primary care payment and delivery reform effort. Discusses CPC+ participating practices, payer partners, and health information technology (HIT) vendors supporting the program. Describes practices changes and outcomes for Medicare fee-for-service beneficiaries. Includes statistics with breakdowns by rural, suburban, or urban practice location.
Additional links: Appendices to the Supplemental Volume, CMS Perspective Report, Findings at a Glance, Supplemental Volume
Date: 07/2020
Type: Document
Sponsoring organizations: Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services, Mathematica
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Advance Care Planning: New Realities in Times of COVID-19
Examines the challenges of advance care planning, planning for decision-making in times of medical crisis, due to COVID-19. Shares insights from clinicians and others involved in helping rural patients.
Author(s): Kay Miller Temple
Citation: Rural Monitor
Date: 07/2020
Type: Document
Sponsoring organization: Rural Health Information Hub
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Examines the challenges of advance care planning, planning for decision-making in times of medical crisis, due to COVID-19. Shares insights from clinicians and others involved in helping rural patients.
Author(s): Kay Miller Temple
Citation: Rural Monitor
Date: 07/2020
Type: Document
Sponsoring organization: Rural Health Information Hub
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Insights for What Enhances or Undermines Trust in Hospital Settings
Reviews research on the trust rural and underserved populations have in hospitals. Highlights dimensions of patient trust identified by researchers. Profiles a study by the Colorado Hospital Association examining the relationship between patient and family engagement activities and patient trust in rural hospitals. Includes a discussion on the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on rural hospitals and Critical Access Hospitals.
Author(s): Bonnie Austin Cluxton
Date: 07/2020
Type: Document
Sponsoring organization: AcademyHealth
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Reviews research on the trust rural and underserved populations have in hospitals. Highlights dimensions of patient trust identified by researchers. Profiles a study by the Colorado Hospital Association examining the relationship between patient and family engagement activities and patient trust in rural hospitals. Includes a discussion on the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on rural hospitals and Critical Access Hospitals.
Author(s): Bonnie Austin Cluxton
Date: 07/2020
Type: Document
Sponsoring organization: AcademyHealth
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MedPAC Comment on CMS's Proposed Rule on the Hospital Inpatient PPS and the Long-term Care Hospital PPS for FY 2021
Comments on a May 29, 2020, Federal Register proposed rule revising the hospital inpatient and long-term care hospital (LTCH) prospective payment systems. Discusses proposals to use commercial insurer data to set Medicare severity–diagnosis related group (MS–DRG) relative weights and adopt changes to geographic area delineations to establish hospital wage indexes for the IPPS and LTCH PPS.
Date: 07/2020
Type: Document
Sponsoring organization: Medicare Payment Advisory Commission
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Comments on a May 29, 2020, Federal Register proposed rule revising the hospital inpatient and long-term care hospital (LTCH) prospective payment systems. Discusses proposals to use commercial insurer data to set Medicare severity–diagnosis related group (MS–DRG) relative weights and adopt changes to geographic area delineations to establish hospital wage indexes for the IPPS and LTCH PPS.
Date: 07/2020
Type: Document
Sponsoring organization: Medicare Payment Advisory Commission
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South Carolina Telehealth Alliance - COVID-19: Resources for Patients and Providers in South Carolina
Features links to resources for online screening, laws and regulations, and reimbursement policies, related to telehealth in South Carolina.
Date: 07/2020
Type: Website
Sponsoring organization: South Carolina Telehealth Alliance
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Features links to resources for online screening, laws and regulations, and reimbursement policies, related to telehealth in South Carolina.
Date: 07/2020
Type: Website
Sponsoring organization: South Carolina Telehealth Alliance
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The Impact of Medicare's Rural Add-on Payments on Supply of Home Health Agencies Serving Rural Counties
Examines how Medicare rural add-on payments affected the number of home health agencies serving rural counties between 2002-2017. Compares the population-adjusted number of home health agencies in urban, urban-adjacent non-urban-adjacent rural counties during periods with add-on payments and without add-on payments. Discusses implications for revised and future add-on payments to maintain or increase the supply of rural home health agencies.
Author(s): Tracy M. Mroz, Davis G. Patterson, Bianca K. Frogner
Citation: Health Affairs, 39(6), 949-957
Date: 06/2020
Type: Document
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Examines how Medicare rural add-on payments affected the number of home health agencies serving rural counties between 2002-2017. Compares the population-adjusted number of home health agencies in urban, urban-adjacent non-urban-adjacent rural counties during periods with add-on payments and without add-on payments. Discusses implications for revised and future add-on payments to maintain or increase the supply of rural home health agencies.
Author(s): Tracy M. Mroz, Davis G. Patterson, Bianca K. Frogner
Citation: Health Affairs, 39(6), 949-957
Date: 06/2020
Type: Document
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Improving Rural Health: State Policy Options for Increasing Access to Care
Discusses strategies from state legislatures and other stakeholders to increase access to healthcare in rural areas. Focuses on policies and policy options for state legislatures in three areas: improving health insurance coverage, safeguarding rural health facilities, and changing rural healthcare delivery. Features examples from Colorado, Georgia, Pennsylvania, and Wisconsin.
Author(s): Jack Pitsor
Date: 06/2020
Type: Document
Sponsoring organization: National Conference of State Legislatures
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Discusses strategies from state legislatures and other stakeholders to increase access to healthcare in rural areas. Focuses on policies and policy options for state legislatures in three areas: improving health insurance coverage, safeguarding rural health facilities, and changing rural healthcare delivery. Features examples from Colorado, Georgia, Pennsylvania, and Wisconsin.
Author(s): Jack Pitsor
Date: 06/2020
Type: Document
Sponsoring organization: National Conference of State Legislatures
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Out‐of‐Network Air Ambulance Bills: Prevalence, Magnitude, and Policy Solutions
Examines the prevalence and cost of surprise air ambulance bills among privately insured patients. Describes air ambulance rates for commercial payers in relation to Medicare rates. Compares the number of air ambulance claims from urban and rural locations. Offers policy solutions to address surprise and out-of-network bills for these services.
Author(s): Erin C. Fuse Brown, Erin Trish, Bich Ly, Mark Hall, Loren Adler
Citation: Milbank Quarterly
Date: 06/2020
Type: Document
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Examines the prevalence and cost of surprise air ambulance bills among privately insured patients. Describes air ambulance rates for commercial payers in relation to Medicare rates. Compares the number of air ambulance claims from urban and rural locations. Offers policy solutions to address surprise and out-of-network bills for these services.
Author(s): Erin C. Fuse Brown, Erin Trish, Bich Ly, Mark Hall, Loren Adler
Citation: Milbank Quarterly
Date: 06/2020
Type: Document
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How Telehealth Policy is Structured in the United States
June 23, 2020, webinar recording provides an overview of the telehealth policy landscape on the federal and state levels. Discusses telehealth reimbursement policies. Outlines federal and state telehealth policy changes as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic.
Additional links: Presentation Slides
Date: 06/2020
Type: Video/Multimedia
Sponsoring organization: Center for Connected Health Policy: The National Telehealth Policy Resource Center
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June 23, 2020, webinar recording provides an overview of the telehealth policy landscape on the federal and state levels. Discusses telehealth reimbursement policies. Outlines federal and state telehealth policy changes as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic.
Additional links: Presentation Slides
Date: 06/2020
Type: Video/Multimedia
Sponsoring organization: Center for Connected Health Policy: The National Telehealth Policy Resource Center
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Provision of Mental Health Services by Critical Access Hospital-Based Rural Health Clinics
Examines the extent to which Critical Access Hospital (CAH)-based Rural Health Clinics (RHCs) provide mental health services. Describes the characteristics and staffing patterns of CAH-based RHCs that offer these services. Explores challenges of providing mental health services at RHCs and strategies for integrating mental health and primary care services.
Author(s): John Gale, Zacharia Croll, Nathan First, Sara Kahn-Troster
Date: 06/2020
Type: Document
Sponsoring organization: Flex Monitoring Team
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Examines the extent to which Critical Access Hospital (CAH)-based Rural Health Clinics (RHCs) provide mental health services. Describes the characteristics and staffing patterns of CAH-based RHCs that offer these services. Explores challenges of providing mental health services at RHCs and strategies for integrating mental health and primary care services.
Author(s): John Gale, Zacharia Croll, Nathan First, Sara Kahn-Troster
Date: 06/2020
Type: Document
Sponsoring organization: Flex Monitoring Team
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