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Resources by Topic: Health insurance

Using Population-Based Outcome Measures to Assess the Impact of Telehealth Expansion on Medicare Beneficiaries' Access to Care and Quality of Care
Explores the feasibility of using population-based measures to estimate the association between telehealth use, quality of care, and access to care when both telehealth and in-person visits are available to fee-for-service (FFS) Medicare beneficiaries. Compares data from the second half of 2019 to the second half of 2021 by the level of telehealth utilization in Hospital Service Areas (HSAs). Includes rural references throughout.
Author(s): Morteza Saharkhiz, Tanvi Rao, Sara Parker Lue, et al.
Date: 06/2023
Sponsoring organizations: American Institutes for Research, Medicare Payment Advisory Commission
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Updated Simulation of a Prospective Payment System for Post-Acute Care
Updates a potential unified post-acute care (PAC) prospective payment system (PPS) and estimates the impact of a PAC PPS on providers and Medicare beneficiaries. Presents data comparing the estimated costs payments to actual payments by rurality and region.
Author(s): Doug Wissoker, Bowen Garrett
Date: 06/2023
Sponsoring organizations: Medicare Payment Advisory Commission, Urban Institute
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Report to Congress on Medicaid and CHIP, June 2023
Semi-annual report to Congress from the Medicaid and CHIP Payment and Access Commission (MACPAC). Covers recommendations on disproportionate share hospital (DSH) payments, care integration for people who are dually eligible for Medicaid and Medicare, access to Medicaid coverage for adults leaving incarceration, and barriers to Medicaid home- and community-based services (HCBS). Includes rural references throughout.
Date: 06/2023
Sponsoring organization: Medicaid and CHIP Payment and Access Commission
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The Benefits and Challenges of Converting to a Rural Emergency Hospital
Podcast episode with Anson General Hospital's Chief Executive Office and Chief Nursing Officer regarding the hospital's transition to a Rural Emergency Hospital. Discusses changes to services offered, financial and operational impacts of the conversion, and what the local patient population thinks about the transition.
Date: 06/2023
Sponsoring organization: American Hospital Association
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Health Panel Comment Letter - Hospital Inpatient Prospective Payment System for Acute Care Hospitals Proposed Rule
Comments offered in response to a May 1, 2023, proposed rule revising the Medicare Hospital Inpatient Prospective Payment System (IPPS) and Long-Term Care Hospital PPS for fiscal year 2024. Discusses methodologies used to calculate the Medicare Disproportionate Share Hospital (DSH) and uncompensated care payments; two potential geriatric care quality measures; and the identification of, and challenges facing, safety net hospitals.
Date: 06/2023
Sponsoring organization: Rural Policy Research Institute Rural Health Panel
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Minnesota Community Health Center Profile
An infographic that provides information on Minnesota Community Health Centers by patient demographics, including insurance status, poverty level, race/ethnicity, and patient location.
Date: 06/2023
Sponsoring organization: Minnesota Association of Community Health Centers
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QPP 2021: Participation Results At-a-Glance
Provides an overview of the results of the Quality Payment Program (QPP) for the 2021 performance year. Highlights mean and median final scores in the Merit-based Incentive Payment System (MIPS) for small and rural practices and compares results to those in 2020.
Date: 06/2023
Sponsoring organization: Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services
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MedPAC Comment on CMS's Proposed Rule on the Hospital Inpatient PPS for FY 2024
Comments on a May 1, 2023, Federal Register proposed rule revising the hospital inpatient and long-term care hospital (LTCH) prospective payment systems (PPS). Offers comments on future hospital safety-net policies, including a potential safety-net adjustment for Medicare inpatient hospital payments; recent case law on rural reclassification and estimated implications; and supplemental uncompensated care payments to Puerto Rico.
Date: 06/2023
Sponsoring organization: Medicare Payment Advisory Commission
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Medicare Accountable Care Organizations: Presence in Rural America
Presentation slides from a June 6, 2023, webinar for the Rural Northern Border Healthcare Support Technical Assistance Center. Provides an overview of the Medicare Shared Savings Program, including the composition of program participants in 2023, the spread of Accountable Care Organizations (ACOs) in rural counties, and the federal and state policy landscape. Details changes to the Shared Savings Program for 2024.
Author(s): Keith J. Mueller
Date: 06/2023
Sponsoring organization: Rural Policy Research Institute
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Diabetes Prevalence and Monitoring in Nonmetropolitan and Metropolitan Areas Within a Commercially Insured U.S. Population
Explores the prevalence of diabetes in metro and nonmetro areas. Draws data from commercial insurance enrollees and compares rates of diabetes testing and outcomes by rurality.
Author(s): Lindsey R. Hammerslag, Jeffery Talbert
Date: 06/2023
Sponsoring organization: Rural and Underserved Health Research Center
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