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Rural Health Information Hub

New Resources Identified in the Past 30 Days:

Added July 12, 2024

How Payment Caps Can Reduce Hospital Prices and Spending: Lessons from the Oregon State Employee Plan
Report discusses how policy changes to state employee insurance plans affected healthcare costs in Oregon. Details Oregon's plan to place payment caps tied to Medicare reimbursement rates and exceptions for rural and Critical Access Hospitals.
Author(s): Roslyn C. Murray, Christopher M. Whaley, Erin C. Fuse Brown, Andrew M. Ryan
Date: 07/2024
Type: Document
Sponsoring organization: Milbank Memorial Fund
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Added July 11, 2024

Assessing and Advancing Progress in the Delivery of High-Quality Cancer Care: Proceedings of a Workshop
Proceedings of a workshop focused on assessing progress in cancer care quality and equity in the past decade, from 2013-2023. Includes discussion on changes, strategies, and advances in cancer care, as well as how to improve cancer care for various populations, such as rural residents.
Additional links: Read Online
Author(s): National Cancer Policy Forum
Date: 2024
Type: Document
Sponsoring organization: Health and Medicine Division (HMD), National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine
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Calendar Year (CY) 2025 Medicare Physician Fee Schedule Proposed Rule
Fact sheet providing an overview of the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) proposed rule regarding updates and changes to the Medicare payments under the Physician Fee Schedule (PFS) and other Medicare Part B issues for calendar year 2025. Summarizes provisions related to telehealth services; advanced primary care management services; behavioral health services; opioid treatment programs; dental and oral health services; Rural Health Clinic (RHC) and Federally Qualified Health Center (FQHC) Conditions for Coverage, care coordination services, telecommunication services, payment for vaccine costs, intensive outpatient program (IOP) services; and more.
Date: 07/2024
Type: Document
Sponsoring organization: Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services
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CY 2025 Medicare Hospital Outpatient Prospective Payment System and Ambulatory Surgical Center Payment System Proposed Rule (CMS 1809-P)
Fact sheet providing an overview of the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) proposed rule regarding updates and changes to the Medicare payments for hospital outpatient and Ambulatory Surgical Center (ASC) services for calendar year 2025. Summarizes provisions regarding changes to Intensive Outpatient Program (IOP) and partial hospital program rate setting; a proposal to include an add-on payment to the Medicare outpatient hospital all-inclusive rate (AIR) for certain high-cost drugs for people with Medicare who receive care at Indian Health Service (IHS) or tribal hospitals; updates to the Hospital Outpatient Quality Reporting (OQR), Ambulatory Surgical Center Quality Reporting (ASCQR), and Rural Emergency Hospital Quality Reporting (REHQR) Programs; a proposal for new Conditions of Participation (CoPs) for hospitals and Critical Access Hospitals (CAHs) for obstetrical services; Medicaid and CHIP continuous eligibility; Medicaid clinic services "four walls" exceptions; and more.
Date: 07/2024
Type: Document
Sponsoring organization: Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services
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Evaluating the Feasibility and Acceptability of a Co-Designed Physical Activity Intervention for Rural Middle Schoolers: A Pilot Study
Examines a physical activity pilot study in a low-socioeconomic, rural, Midwestern setting with 6th and 7th grade students. Provides the study's conceptual framework, timeline of data collection, intervention-related feasibility indicators, physical activity and health measures, physiological measures, and more.
Author(s): Janette M. Watkins, Julia E. Brunnemer, Kathleen N. Heeter, et al.
Citation: BMC Public Health, 24, 1830
Date: 07/2024
Type: Document
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Merit-Based Incentive Payment System (MIPS): 2024 Reporting Options Comparison Resource
Provides an overview of the similarities and differences among the three Merit-Based Incentive Payment System (MIPS) reporting options: Traditional MIPS, MIPS Value Pathways (MVP), and Alternative Payment Model (APM) Performance Pathway (APP). Designed to help providers understand which reporting options may be best for their practice. Includes information on reporting flexibilities and scoring for small and rural practices.
Additional links: 2024 Merit-Based Incentive Payment System (MIPS) At-A-Glance Reporting Options for Small Practices
Date: 05/2024
Type: Document
Sponsoring organization: Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services
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Standing Technical Expert Panel for the Development, Evaluation, and Maintenance of Post-Acute Care (PAC) and Hospice Quality Reporting Program (QRP) Measurement Sets: Summary Report
Describes a December 15, 2023, Technical Expert Panel (TEP) regarding the development of additional cross-setting measures for the Post-Acute Care (PAC) and Hospice Quality Reporting Programs (QRPs), and filling measurement gaps with the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) Universal Foundation measures. Summarizes TEP comments on adding measures to PAC and Hospice QRPs in four domains: 1) behavioral and mental health, 2) patient experience of care, 3) pain management, and 4) immunization. Covers panelists' discussions on the appropriateness of the existing measure set and potential new measures, setting-specific considerations, data sources, and other topics related to each domain. Includes rural references throughout.
Date: 07/2024
Type: Document
Sponsoring organizations: Abt Associates, Acumen, Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services
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The Uneven Impact of Medicaid Expansion on Rural and Urban Black, Latino/a, and White Mortality
Examines mortality rates and the corresponding impact of Medicaid expansion on Black, Latino/a, and White populations, broken down by rural versus urban location. Utilizes 2009-2019 data of Average Treatment Effect on the Treated (ATET) estimates to provide statistical breakdowns and graphic representation of how Medicaid expansion has impacted mortality rates for varying populations.
Author(s): J. Tom Mueller, Regina S. Baker, Matthew M. Brooks
Citation: Journal of Rural Health
Date: 07/2024
Type: Document
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Added July 10, 2024

Advancing Research on Chronic Conditions in Women
Examines gaps in what is known about chronic conditions that affect women differently or are specific to or predominantly impact women. Includes insights specific to underserved rural women. Offers recommendations for a research agenda, one of which is inclusion of rural women in studies.
Additional links: Read Online
Author(s): Committee on a Framework for the Consideration of Chronic Debilitating Conditions in Women
Date: 2024
Type: Document
Sponsoring organization: Health and Medicine Division (HMD), National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine
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An Examination of Emergency Food Supply and Distribution in Rural Pennsylvania
Examines the strengths and challenges faced by the Pennsylvania emergency food network in meeting the needs of residents, especially those in rural areas. Uses survey, interview, and observational data from a sample of 22 food banks, 35 partner agencies, and 65 residents served by the partner agencies.
Additional links: Executive Summary
Author(s): Kristina Brant, Justine Lindemann, Hazel Velasco Palacios, Nicholas Demerly, Jihyun Shin
Date: 06/2024
Type: Document
Sponsoring organization: Center for Rural Pennsylvania
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