Rural Health
Resources by Topic: Healthcare business and finance
Merit-Based Incentive Payment System (MIPS): Traditional MIPS Scoring Guide for the 2025 Performance Year
Provides details on how scores are calculated for the Merit-Based Incentive Payment System (MIPS), one of two tracks under the Medicare Quality Payment Program. Explains the four performance categories that affect Medicare Physician Fee Schedule payments: quality, cost, improvement activities, and promoting interoperability. Includes information for small practices.
Date: 06/2025
Sponsoring organization: Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services
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Provides details on how scores are calculated for the Merit-Based Incentive Payment System (MIPS), one of two tracks under the Medicare Quality Payment Program. Explains the four performance categories that affect Medicare Physician Fee Schedule payments: quality, cost, improvement activities, and promoting interoperability. Includes information for small practices.
Date: 06/2025
Sponsoring organization: Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services
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The Appalachian Region: A Data Overview from the 2019-2023 American Community Survey Chartbook
State- and county-level information on population, age, household characteristics, housing occupancy, education, labor force, employment, transportation, income, health insurance coverage, disability, and veteran status, for the 13 Appalachian states. Features statistics with breakdowns by 5 levels of population density. Includes data explorer options for Appalachian categories such as population and age, education, income and poverty, computer and broadband access, rural Appalachia versus rural America, and employment and commuting.
Additional links: Full Report
Author(s): Sara Srygley, Nurfadila Khairunnisa, Diana Elliott
Date: 06/2025
Sponsoring organizations: Appalachian Regional Commission, Population Reference Bureau
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State- and county-level information on population, age, household characteristics, housing occupancy, education, labor force, employment, transportation, income, health insurance coverage, disability, and veteran status, for the 13 Appalachian states. Features statistics with breakdowns by 5 levels of population density. Includes data explorer options for Appalachian categories such as population and age, education, income and poverty, computer and broadband access, rural Appalachia versus rural America, and employment and commuting.
Additional links: Full Report
Author(s): Sara Srygley, Nurfadila Khairunnisa, Diana Elliott
Date: 06/2025
Sponsoring organizations: Appalachian Regional Commission, Population Reference Bureau
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2023 Quality Payment Program Experience Report
Reports on the clinician experience for those participating in the Quality Payment Program in 2023. Presents data on Merit-based Incentive Payment System (MIPS) eligibility and participation rates for clinicians in small practices and rural areas, mean and median final scores for 2023 and 2025 payment adjustments, and payment adjustment trends from 2021 through 2023.
Date: 06/2025
Sponsoring organization: Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services
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Reports on the clinician experience for those participating in the Quality Payment Program in 2023. Presents data on Merit-based Incentive Payment System (MIPS) eligibility and participation rates for clinicians in small practices and rural areas, mean and median final scores for 2023 and 2025 payment adjustments, and payment adjustment trends from 2021 through 2023.
Date: 06/2025
Sponsoring organization: Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services
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The Impact of High Hospital Fixed-Cost Ratios on Rural Populations
Explores how rurality relates to hospital cost structures as categorized by Urban Influence Codes (UICs). Describes the characteristics of hospitals at different fixed-to-total-cost ratio levels, the demographics associated with hospitals at different ratio levels, and the share of nonmetropolitan hospitals that have Critical Access Hospital (CAH) or Low-Volume Hospital (LVH) designations. Discusses how findings could be used to refine hospital payment policies.
Author(s): Abigail Barker, Eliot Jost, Timothy McBride, Keith Mueller
Date: 06/2025
Sponsoring organization: RUPRI Center for Rural Health Policy Analysis
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Explores how rurality relates to hospital cost structures as categorized by Urban Influence Codes (UICs). Describes the characteristics of hospitals at different fixed-to-total-cost ratio levels, the demographics associated with hospitals at different ratio levels, and the share of nonmetropolitan hospitals that have Critical Access Hospital (CAH) or Low-Volume Hospital (LVH) designations. Discusses how findings could be used to refine hospital payment policies.
Author(s): Abigail Barker, Eliot Jost, Timothy McBride, Keith Mueller
Date: 06/2025
Sponsoring organization: RUPRI Center for Rural Health Policy Analysis
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MBQIP Quality Measures National Annual Report - 2023
Summarizes quality measure reporting rates and performance among Critical Access Hospitals (CAHs) in 2023. Presents data on the four Medicare Beneficiary Quality Improvement Project (MBQIP) domains: patient safety/inpatient, outpatient, patient engagement, and care transitions.
Author(s): Megan Lahr, Alyssa Furukawa, Madeleine Pick, Robert Barclay
Date: 06/2025
Sponsoring organization: Flex Monitoring Team
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Summarizes quality measure reporting rates and performance among Critical Access Hospitals (CAHs) in 2023. Presents data on the four Medicare Beneficiary Quality Improvement Project (MBQIP) domains: patient safety/inpatient, outpatient, patient engagement, and care transitions.
Author(s): Megan Lahr, Alyssa Furukawa, Madeleine Pick, Robert Barclay
Date: 06/2025
Sponsoring organization: Flex Monitoring Team
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RHPTP HELP Webinar: Medicare's NEW Advanced Primary Care Management Program
Webinar recording discusses the Advanced Primary Care Management (APCM) Program, an initiative to improve the delivery, coordination, and outcomes in primary care services. Explores the process of transitioning from fee-for-service to value-based care models and discusses how Medicare's program fits the APCM model.
Additional links: Webinar Slides
Author(s): Lindsay Corcoran, Amy Graham
Date: 06/2025
Sponsoring organization: National Rural Health Resource Center
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Webinar recording discusses the Advanced Primary Care Management (APCM) Program, an initiative to improve the delivery, coordination, and outcomes in primary care services. Explores the process of transitioning from fee-for-service to value-based care models and discusses how Medicare's program fits the APCM model.
Additional links: Webinar Slides
Author(s): Lindsay Corcoran, Amy Graham
Date: 06/2025
Sponsoring organization: National Rural Health Resource Center
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2025 Annual Report of the Boards of Trustees of the Federal Hospital Insurance and Federal Supplementary Medical Insurance Trust Funds
Report detailing the current state of the Medicare Hospital Insurance (HI) and Supplemental Medical Insurance (SMI) Trust Funds. Discusses Medicare expenditures as a percentage of Gross Domestic Product (GDP) and makes short and long-range sustainability projections based on variable economic, demographic, and healthcare trends. Also explains the actuarial methods used to calculate the estimates. Includes information on Medicare payment policy updates since the 2024 report.
Additional links: Tables and Figures
Date: 06/2025
Sponsoring organization: Board of Trustees, Federal Hospital Insurance and Federal Supplementary Medical Insurance Trust Funds
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Report detailing the current state of the Medicare Hospital Insurance (HI) and Supplemental Medical Insurance (SMI) Trust Funds. Discusses Medicare expenditures as a percentage of Gross Domestic Product (GDP) and makes short and long-range sustainability projections based on variable economic, demographic, and healthcare trends. Also explains the actuarial methods used to calculate the estimates. Includes information on Medicare payment policy updates since the 2024 report.
Additional links: Tables and Figures
Date: 06/2025
Sponsoring organization: Board of Trustees, Federal Hospital Insurance and Federal Supplementary Medical Insurance Trust Funds
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National Health Center Financial and Operational Performance Analysis: 2020–2023
Examines financial and operational characteristics of Federally Qualified Health Centers (FQHCs) from 2020-2023. Explores FQHC growth and expansion, patient and payer mix, revenue and growth mix, staffing and productivity, operational trends, financial performance, and more. Compares data on rural FQHCs to urban and national FQHC data. Requires name, email address, and organization information to download.
Date: 06/2025
Sponsoring organization: Capital Link
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Examines financial and operational characteristics of Federally Qualified Health Centers (FQHCs) from 2020-2023. Explores FQHC growth and expansion, patient and payer mix, revenue and growth mix, staffing and productivity, operational trends, financial performance, and more. Compares data on rural FQHCs to urban and national FQHC data. Requires name, email address, and organization information to download.
Date: 06/2025
Sponsoring organization: Capital Link
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CAHMPAS Technical Bulletin: Revised Benchmarks and Data Exclusion Rules
Describes a review of 12 Critical Access Hospital Measurement and Performance Assessment System (CAHMPAS) benchmarks to reflect current operating conditions. Details which benchmarks were revised, unchanged, discontinued, or added. Also discusses revisions to the data exclusion rules to improve data quality.
Author(s): Aditya R. Pillutla, Kristie W. Thompson, George Pink, Kristin L. Reiter
Date: 06/2025
Sponsoring organization: Flex Monitoring Team
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Describes a review of 12 Critical Access Hospital Measurement and Performance Assessment System (CAHMPAS) benchmarks to reflect current operating conditions. Details which benchmarks were revised, unchanged, discontinued, or added. Also discusses revisions to the data exclusion rules to improve data quality.
Author(s): Aditya R. Pillutla, Kristie W. Thompson, George Pink, Kristin L. Reiter
Date: 06/2025
Sponsoring organization: Flex Monitoring Team
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State-level Interstate Medical Licensure Policies for Telehealth From 2018-2022: Assessing Changes Before and After the Onset of the Covid-19 Public Health Emergency
Describes the changes in state telehealth-related policies pertaining to physician medical licensure for the provision of out-of-state telehealth services that occurred between 2018 and 2022. Discusses the Interstate Medical License Compact (IMLC) and states' participation over time.
Author(s): Priyanka Vakkalanka, Tracy Young, Knute D. Carter, et al.
Date: 06/2025
Sponsoring organization: Rural Telehealth Research Center
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Describes the changes in state telehealth-related policies pertaining to physician medical licensure for the provision of out-of-state telehealth services that occurred between 2018 and 2022. Discusses the Interstate Medical License Compact (IMLC) and states' participation over time.
Author(s): Priyanka Vakkalanka, Tracy Young, Knute D. Carter, et al.
Date: 06/2025
Sponsoring organization: Rural Telehealth Research Center
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