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Rural Health
Resources by Topic: Health reform

Rural Medicare Advantage Plan Payment in 2015
Examines how changes to the Medicare Advantage (MA) payment policy formula, which were implemented as part of the Affordable Care Act (ACA), are impacting MA plans and beneficiaries in rural and urban areas.
Author(s): Leah Kemper, Abigail R. Barker, Timothy D. McBride, Keith Mueller
Date: 12/2015
Type: Document
Sponsoring organization: RUPRI Center for Rural Health Policy Analysis
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Health Care Innovation Awards (HCIA) Meta-Analysis and Evaluators Collaborative: Annual Report Year 1
Highlights key implementation and impact findings across 108 Health Care Innovation Awards (HCIA) grant recipients, based on work by 7 independent evaluators. Includes discussion of project experiences in rural areas.
Date: 11/2015
Type: Document
Sponsoring organizations: Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services, RTI International
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Medicare Value-based Payment Reform: Priorities for Transforming Rural Health Systems
Analyzes the provisions within the Affordable Care Act (ACA) regarding Medicare payment and delivery system reforms that affect rural health providers and rural health services. Proposes recommendations that support the inclusion of rural appropriate payment systems.
Additional links: Policy Brief
Author(s): Keith Mueller, Charles Alfero, Andy Coburn, et al.
Date: 11/2015
Type: Document
Sponsoring organization: Rural Policy Research Institute Rural Health Panel
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Rural Adults Delay, Forego, and Strategize to Afford Their Pre-ACA Health Care
Provides an in-depth discussion regarding rural and urban adults under the age of 65 and their perceptions of the affordability of health insurance coverage and health services prior to the passage of the Affordable Care Act (ACA).
Author(s): Erika C. Ziller, Jennifer D. Lenardson, Andrew F. Coburn
Date: 11/2015
Type: Document
Sponsoring organization: Maine Rural Health Research Center
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Rural Enrollment in Health Insurance Marketplaces
Analyzes Health Insurance Marketplace enrollment data for 2015 by geographic categories, population density, premium, and firm participation. Compares enrollment between rural and urban areas and includes a map showing enrollment rates by geographic area.
Author(s): Abigail R. Barker, Timothy D. McBride, Leah M. Kemper, Keith J. Mueller
Date: 07/2015
Type: Document
Sponsoring organization: RUPRI Center for Rural Health Policy Analysis
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Public Law 114-10: Medicare Access and CHIP Reauthorization Act of 2015
Full text of the Medicare Access and CHIP Reauthorization Act of 2015, commonly referred to as MACRA. MACRA seeks to transition healthcare from fee-for-service to value-based care by repealing the Sustainable Growth Rate (SGR) formula and replacing it with the Quality Payment Program (QPP). The QPP streamlines data collection efforts and rewards providers based on value instead of volume through the Merit-Based Incentive Payment System (MIPS) and Advanced Alternative Payment Models (Advanced APMs).
Date: 04/2015
Type: Document
Sponsoring organization: U.S. Congress
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Community Health Centers: A 2013 Profile and Prospects as ACA Implementation Proceeds
Discusses the current and future role of rural and urban community health centers as an integral component in the provision of primary healthcare to accommodate the expansion of patients with health insurance coverage under the Affordable Care Act.
Author(s): Peter Shin, Jessica Sharac, Zoe Barber, Sara J. Rosenbaum, Julia Paradise
Date: 03/2015
Type: Document
Sponsoring organization: George Washington University Milken Institute School of Public Health Department of Health Policy and Management
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Evaluation of Hospital-Setting HCIA Awards: First Annual Report, Final
Evaluations of 10 Health Care Innovation Awards Round One projects undertaken in a hospital inpatient or emergency department. Covers projects that involved Critical Access Hospitals and other rural hospitals. Includes projects focused on improved care for sepsis and projects using remote electronic intensive care unit (eICU) services.
Date: 03/2015
Type: Document
Sponsoring organizations: Abt Associates, Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services
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Rural Provider Perceptions of the ACA: Case Studies in Four States
Summarizes findings from a survey of 28 rural providers and leaders of provider associations in four states, two that chose to expand Medicaid and two that did not. Explores providers' experiences and opinions of the impact of the Affordable Care Act (ACA).
Author(s): Brystana Kaufman, Pam Silberman, Mark Holmes
Date: 02/2015
Type: Document
Sponsoring organization: North Carolina Rural Health Research Program
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CPC Practice Spotlights
A collection of short features on primary care practices that participated in the CMS Comprehensive Primary Care (CPC) initiative, a multi-payer initiative that offered population-based care management fees and shared savings opportunities to participating practices. Includes examples of practices serving rural areas.
Date: 01/2015
Type: Document
Sponsoring organization: Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services
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