Rural Health
Resources by Topic: Healthcare business and finance
Comparing the Care and Distance Traveled by Rural and Urban Medicaid Beneficiaries With Opioid Use Disorder
Results of a study describing the treatment for rural and urban Medicaid beneficiaries with opioid use disorder in 2019. Features demographics and statistics on number of visits and travel time and distance, with breakdowns by 5 levels of population density.
Author(s): C. Holly A. Andrilla, Sara C. Woolcock, Lisa A. Garberson, Janessa M. Graves
Date: 03/2026
Sponsoring organization: WWAMI Rural Health Research Center
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Results of a study describing the treatment for rural and urban Medicaid beneficiaries with opioid use disorder in 2019. Features demographics and statistics on number of visits and travel time and distance, with breakdowns by 5 levels of population density.
Author(s): C. Holly A. Andrilla, Sara C. Woolcock, Lisa A. Garberson, Janessa M. Graves
Date: 03/2026
Sponsoring organization: WWAMI Rural Health Research Center
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Report to Congress on Medicaid and CHIP, March 2026
Reports on four aspects of Medicaid of interest to Congress: 1) the home- and community-based services (HCBS) workforce, 2) behavioral health in Medicaid and the State Children's Health Insurance Program (CHIP), 3) Medicaid for justice-involved youth, and 4) Medicaid for children in foster care.
Date: 03/2026
Sponsoring organization: Medicaid and CHIP Payment and Access Commission
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Reports on four aspects of Medicaid of interest to Congress: 1) the home- and community-based services (HCBS) workforce, 2) behavioral health in Medicaid and the State Children's Health Insurance Program (CHIP), 3) Medicaid for justice-involved youth, and 4) Medicaid for children in foster care.
Date: 03/2026
Sponsoring organization: Medicaid and CHIP Payment and Access Commission
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MedPAC Report to the Congress: Medicare Payment Policy: Home Health Care Services: Chapter 8
Discusses payment adequacy for home health care services. Features statistics on Medicare margins for home health agencies between 2019-2024 with breakdowns by urban and rural areas, rates of successful discharge and potentially preventable readmissions in urban and rural areas, and the number of home health periods provided to rural beneficiaries.
Date: 03/2026
Sponsoring organization: Medicare Payment Advisory Commission
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Discusses payment adequacy for home health care services. Features statistics on Medicare margins for home health agencies between 2019-2024 with breakdowns by urban and rural areas, rates of successful discharge and potentially preventable readmissions in urban and rural areas, and the number of home health periods provided to rural beneficiaries.
Date: 03/2026
Sponsoring organization: Medicare Payment Advisory Commission
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MedPAC Report to the Congress: Medicare Payment Policy: Hospice Services: Chapter 10
Discusses payment adequacy for hospice and palliative support services. Includes data on average costs by day and aggregate margins by urban and rural status, as well as demographics on Medicare decedents who used hospice during 2010 and between 2019-2024. Compares the actual hospice utilization rates in micropolitan, rural adjacent, rural nonadjacent, and frontier areas to urban hospice utilization rates.
Date: 03/2026
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Discusses payment adequacy for hospice and palliative support services. Includes data on average costs by day and aggregate margins by urban and rural status, as well as demographics on Medicare decedents who used hospice during 2010 and between 2019-2024. Compares the actual hospice utilization rates in micropolitan, rural adjacent, rural nonadjacent, and frontier areas to urban hospice utilization rates.
Date: 03/2026
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MedPAC Report to the Congress: Medicare Payment Policy: Skilled Nursing Facility Services: Chapter 7
Discusses payment adequacy for skilled nursing facility (SNF) services. Features statistics on SNF care provided by rural hospitals and Critical Access Hospitals (CAHs) via swing beds and Medicare margins for urban, rural, and frontier freestanding SNFs in 2024.
Date: 03/2026
Sponsoring organization: Medicare Payment Advisory Commission
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Discusses payment adequacy for skilled nursing facility (SNF) services. Features statistics on SNF care provided by rural hospitals and Critical Access Hospitals (CAHs) via swing beds and Medicare margins for urban, rural, and frontier freestanding SNFs in 2024.
Date: 03/2026
Sponsoring organization: Medicare Payment Advisory Commission
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MedPAC Report to the Congress: Medicare Payment Policy, 2026
Annual review of Medicare payment policies, with recommendations to Congress. Includes discussion on Medicare payment policies directly affecting rural providers and beneficiaries. Addresses payment adequacy for Medicare fee-for-service payment systems, Medicare Advantage (MA), and Medicare Part D. Includes mandated reports on the impact of regulatory changes to the home health prospective payment system and dual-eligible special needs plans.
Date: 03/2026
Sponsoring organization: Medicare Payment Advisory Commission
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Annual review of Medicare payment policies, with recommendations to Congress. Includes discussion on Medicare payment policies directly affecting rural providers and beneficiaries. Addresses payment adequacy for Medicare fee-for-service payment systems, Medicare Advantage (MA), and Medicare Part D. Includes mandated reports on the impact of regulatory changes to the home health prospective payment system and dual-eligible special needs plans.
Date: 03/2026
Sponsoring organization: Medicare Payment Advisory Commission
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Rural Health Transformation Program: State Focus on Behavioral Health
Describes behavioral healthcare initiatives addressed in state Rural Health Transformation Program applications. Covers behavioral health integration in primary care, the behavioral health crisis continuum, the behavioral health workforce, payment approaches, and technology investments.
Author(s): Laura Galbreath
Date: 03/2026
Sponsoring organization: National Academy for State Health Policy
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Describes behavioral healthcare initiatives addressed in state Rural Health Transformation Program applications. Covers behavioral health integration in primary care, the behavioral health crisis continuum, the behavioral health workforce, payment approaches, and technology investments.
Author(s): Laura Galbreath
Date: 03/2026
Sponsoring organization: National Academy for State Health Policy
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RHC Compliance 101
Recording of a March 5, 2026, webinar providing an overview of federal Rural Health Clinic (RHC) regulations and requirements.
Additional links: Presentation Slides
Date: 03/2026
Sponsoring organization: National Association of Rural Health Clinics
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Recording of a March 5, 2026, webinar providing an overview of federal Rural Health Clinic (RHC) regulations and requirements.
Additional links: Presentation Slides
Date: 03/2026
Sponsoring organization: National Association of Rural Health Clinics
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RHC Cost Reporting 101
Recording of a March 3, 2026, webinar providing an overview of Rural Health Clinic (RHC) cost reporting. Covers key cost report concepts, the cost report approval process, billable visits, allowable and non-allowable costs, best practices, and more. Part of the Rural Health Clinic Technical Assistance Series.
Additional links: Presentation Slides
Date: 03/2026
Sponsoring organization: National Association of Rural Health Clinics
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Recording of a March 3, 2026, webinar providing an overview of Rural Health Clinic (RHC) cost reporting. Covers key cost report concepts, the cost report approval process, billable visits, allowable and non-allowable costs, best practices, and more. Part of the Rural Health Clinic Technical Assistance Series.
Additional links: Presentation Slides
Date: 03/2026
Sponsoring organization: National Association of Rural Health Clinics
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Digital Health Assessment of the Michigan Department of Health and Human Services
Examines the progress of digitally-enabled public health services and operations capacity across 38 local public health departments (LPHDs) and nine tribal health department teams in Michigan. Covers four key domains of digital health ecosystems: interoperability, governance and workforce capacity, predictive analytics, and person-enabled health. Offers recommendations for advancing digital health ecosystems across the state. Includes rural data and considerations throughout.
Author(s): Anne Snowdon, Alexandra Wright, Abdul Hussein, Tim Story
Date: 03/2026
Sponsoring organizations: Healthcare Information and Management Systems Society, Michigan Department of Health and Human Services
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Examines the progress of digitally-enabled public health services and operations capacity across 38 local public health departments (LPHDs) and nine tribal health department teams in Michigan. Covers four key domains of digital health ecosystems: interoperability, governance and workforce capacity, predictive analytics, and person-enabled health. Offers recommendations for advancing digital health ecosystems across the state. Includes rural data and considerations throughout.
Author(s): Anne Snowdon, Alexandra Wright, Abdul Hussein, Tim Story
Date: 03/2026
Sponsoring organizations: Healthcare Information and Management Systems Society, Michigan Department of Health and Human Services
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