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Resources by Topic: Accountable Care Organizations

MedPAC Comment on CMS's Proposed Rule on the Physician Fee Schedule and Other Revisions to Part B for CY 2022
Comment on a July 23, 2021, Federal Register proposed rule revising the physician fee schedule to improve payment systems for physicians and other Medicare Part B revisions. Includes a discussion of the expansion of telehealth service coverage after the COVID-19 public health emergency, as well as reimbursement rates to Rural Health Clinics and Federally Qualified Health Centers for telehealth mental health services.
Date: 09/2021
Type: Document
Sponsoring organization: Medicare Payment Advisory Commission
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Evaluation of the Vermont All-Payer Accountable Care Organization Model: First Evaluation Report
Evaluates the first two performance years of the Vermont All-Payer Accountable Care Organization Model (VTAPM), which aims to assess whether scaling an Accountable Care Organization (ACO) across all payers in the state can reduce program expenditures while preserving or improving care quality. Discusses the implementation of the model, provider engagement, efforts to address population health goals; characteristics of participating hospitals, practitioners, and beneficiaries; and the model's impacts on Medicare spending, utilization, and quality of care. Includes information on hospital and provider participation in rural counties and unique challenges for rural Critical Access Hospitals.
Additional links: Findings at a Glance, Technical Appendices
Date: 08/2021
Type: Document
Sponsoring organizations: Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services, NORC at the University of Chicago
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Adoption of Health System Innovations: Evidence of Urban-Rural Disparities from the Ohio Primary Care Marketplace
Examines the market penetration of Medicare Shared Savings Program (MSSP) Accountable Care Organizations (ACOs), patient-centered medical homes (PCMHs), and the meaningful use of electronic health records (EHRs) among primary care providers (PCPs) in Ohio between 2011 and 2015. Compares the percentage of PCPs who are affiliated with ACOs, PCMHs, and meaningful use by urban and rural county status.
Author(s): Joseph E. Tanenbaum, Mark Votruba, Douglas Einstadter, Thomas E. Love, Randall D. Cebul
Citation: Journal of General Internal Medicine, 36(6), 1584–1590
Date: 06/2021
Type: Document
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Basics of Value-based Care and Payment
Slides presented to the Rural Healthcare Provider Transition Project (RHPTP) providing an overview of value-based care and payment models. Includes examples of rural providers addressing patient social needs, tackling local health issues, and aligning services with community needs.
Author(s): Jennifer P. Lundblad
Date: 06/2021
Type: Presentation Slides
Sponsoring organization: Rural Health Value
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Pulmonary Rehabilitation: Benefiting Rural Individuals, Benefiting Rural Population Health
Discusses the benefits of pulmonary rehabilitation (PR) as a treatment for chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD). Highlights the potential of telehealth to deliver PR in rural areas and features the work of rural PR programs.
Author(s): Kay Miller Temple
Citation: Rural Monitor
Date: 06/2021
Type: Document
Sponsoring organization: Rural Health Information Hub
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Strengthening Primary Care and Improving Population Health: Nebraska's Approach
Explores efforts to strengthen primary care in Nebraska through Patient-Centered Medical Homes, Accountable Care Organizations (ACOs), and the Comprehensive Primary Care Plus program. Discusses the development of pilot programs and a partnership with a local nonprofit and the University of Nebraska College of Public Health.
Author(s): Martha Hostetter, Sarah Klein
Date: 04/2021
Type: Document
Sponsoring organization: Milbank Memorial Fund
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Sustainability Strategies for Community-based Palliative Care
Summarizes themes from two roundtable discussions conducted in late 2018 with 9 rural palliative care programs in Minnesota and surrounding states. Offers examples and resources for sustainability strategies to support community-based palliative care programs.
Date: 03/2021
Type: Document
Sponsoring organization: Stratis Health
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High-Functioning Rural Medicare ACOs – A Qualitative Review
Describes the success factors common to high-performing Accountable Care Organizations (ACOs) based in rural areas of New York, Maine, Missouri and Arkansas, and New Hampshire. Examines these organizations' governance, ACO history, operations, finances, population health, and lessons learned.
Author(s): Thomas Vaughn, Keith Mueller, Clinton MacKinney
Date: 02/2021
Type: Document
Sponsoring organization: RUPRI Center for Rural Health Policy Analysis
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Frontline Presence, Building Trust, Emergency Preparedness, and Lessons Learned: Q&A with Dr. Tim Putnam
An interview with Tim Putnam sharing rural health leadership insights from his experiences as a rural hospital CEO, a member of a White House task force, and in an academic healthcare policy position.
Author(s): Kay Miller Temple
Citation: Rural Monitor
Date: 01/2021
Type: Document
Sponsoring organization: Rural Health Information Hub
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Accountable Care Hospitals and Preventable Emergency Department Visits for Rural Dementia Patients
Examines differences in the frequency of emergency department visits among rural and urban patients with Alzheimer's disease and related dementias (ADRD). Compares the odds of preventable ED visits for ADRD patients at hospitals affiliated and not affiliated with an Accountable Care Organization (ACO).
Author(s): Nianyang Wang, Aitalohi Amaize, Jie Chen
Citation: Journal of the American Geriatrics Society, 69(1), 185-190
Date: 01/2021
Type: Document
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