Rural Health
Resources by Type: Document
Medicare Payment Basics: Hospital Acute Inpatient Services Payment System
Overview of Medicare payments to hospitals for acute inpatient care. Includes information on rate setting, Medicare payments for medical education, payments to Medicare Disproportionate Share Hospitals (DSH), new technology payments special payments for rural hospitals, quality incentive payments and penalties, and payment rate updates.
Date: 10/2026
Sponsoring organization: Medicare Payment Advisory Commission
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Overview of Medicare payments to hospitals for acute inpatient care. Includes information on rate setting, Medicare payments for medical education, payments to Medicare Disproportionate Share Hospitals (DSH), new technology payments special payments for rural hospitals, quality incentive payments and penalties, and payment rate updates.
Date: 10/2026
Sponsoring organization: Medicare Payment Advisory Commission
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Medicare Payment Basics: Inpatient Psychiatric Facilities Services Payment System
Overview of Medicare's payment system for inpatient psychiatric services provided in freestanding hospitals or specialized hospital-based units. Demonstrates how payments for these services are adjusted to reflect geographic differences in labor costs, and cost of care by facility and patient characteristics.
Date: 10/2026
Sponsoring organization: Medicare Payment Advisory Commission
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Overview of Medicare's payment system for inpatient psychiatric services provided in freestanding hospitals or specialized hospital-based units. Demonstrates how payments for these services are adjusted to reflect geographic differences in labor costs, and cost of care by facility and patient characteristics.
Date: 10/2026
Sponsoring organization: Medicare Payment Advisory Commission
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Medicare Payment Basics: Inpatient Rehabilitation Facilities Payment System
Overview of Medicare's payment system for inpatient rehabilitation services in freestanding facilities or within acute care hospitals. Demonstrates how payment rates are adjusted to account for certain facility characteristics, including facilities in rural areas.
Date: 10/2026
Sponsoring organization: Medicare Payment Advisory Commission
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Overview of Medicare's payment system for inpatient rehabilitation services in freestanding facilities or within acute care hospitals. Demonstrates how payment rates are adjusted to account for certain facility characteristics, including facilities in rural areas.
Date: 10/2026
Sponsoring organization: Medicare Payment Advisory Commission
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Medicare Payment Basics: Long-term Care Hospitals Payment System
Overview of Medicare payments for long-term care hospitals (LTCH) and services. Discusses the LTCH prospective payment system (PPS) and payment rate settings for LTCH and site-neutral cases.
Date: 10/2026
Sponsoring organization: Medicare Payment Advisory Commission
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Overview of Medicare payments for long-term care hospitals (LTCH) and services. Discusses the LTCH prospective payment system (PPS) and payment rate settings for LTCH and site-neutral cases.
Date: 10/2026
Sponsoring organization: Medicare Payment Advisory Commission
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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: 10/2026
Sponsoring organization: Medicare Payment Advisory Commission
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Overview of Medicare payments to Medicare Advantage (MA) local and regional plans discussing the methods for determining Medicare payments to both plans.
Date: 10/2026
Sponsoring organization: Medicare Payment Advisory Commission
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Medicare Payment Basics: Outpatient Hospital Services Payment System
Outlines Medicare's payments for outpatient hospital services, including considerations for rural sole community hospitals.
Date: 10/2026
Sponsoring organization: Medicare Payment Advisory Commission
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Outlines Medicare's payments for outpatient hospital services, including considerations for rural sole community hospitals.
Date: 10/2026
Sponsoring organization: Medicare Payment Advisory Commission
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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: 10/2026
Sponsoring organization: Medicare Payment Advisory Commission
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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: 10/2026
Sponsoring organization: Medicare Payment Advisory Commission
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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: 10/2026
Sponsoring organization: Medicare Payment Advisory Commission
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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: 10/2026
Sponsoring organization: Medicare Payment Advisory Commission
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Beneficiary and Clinician Perspectives on Medicare and Other Issues: Findings from 2026 Focus Groups in Select States, and 2021–2026 Rural Focus Groups
Summarizes findings from 21 focus groups of Medicare beneficiaries, Medicare and Medicaid (dual eligible) beneficiaries, and clinicians conducted between May and June 2026, including one virtual focus group of rural Medicare beneficiaries. Compiles findings from 14 focus groups of rural Medicare beneficiaries between 2021 and 2026. Highlights themes that emerged across the focus groups covering Medicare coverage options, access to care, telehealth, and prescription drugs.
Date: 09/2026
Sponsoring organizations: Medicare Payment Advisory Commission, NORC at the University of Chicago
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Summarizes findings from 21 focus groups of Medicare beneficiaries, Medicare and Medicaid (dual eligible) beneficiaries, and clinicians conducted between May and June 2026, including one virtual focus group of rural Medicare beneficiaries. Compiles findings from 14 focus groups of rural Medicare beneficiaries between 2021 and 2026. Highlights themes that emerged across the focus groups covering Medicare coverage options, access to care, telehealth, and prescription drugs.
Date: 09/2026
Sponsoring organizations: Medicare Payment Advisory Commission, NORC at the University of Chicago
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Pharmacists' Perspectives on Current Issues in Pharmacy and Medicare: Findings from 2026 Virtual Focus Groups
Summarizes findings from three focus groups of pharmacists who serve Medicare beneficiaries in outpatient settings in 2026. Covers topics related to pharmacist workload and patient access to pharmacy care, including pharmacists' daily responsibilities, reimbursement rates, drug stocking and shortages, pharmacy closures, labor market conditions, pharmacist well-being, and more. Includes rural references throughout.
Date: 09/2026
Sponsoring organizations: Medicare Payment Advisory Commission, NORC at the University of Chicago
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Summarizes findings from three focus groups of pharmacists who serve Medicare beneficiaries in outpatient settings in 2026. Covers topics related to pharmacist workload and patient access to pharmacy care, including pharmacists' daily responsibilities, reimbursement rates, drug stocking and shortages, pharmacy closures, labor market conditions, pharmacist well-being, and more. Includes rural references throughout.
Date: 09/2026
Sponsoring organizations: Medicare Payment Advisory Commission, NORC at the University of Chicago
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