Rural Health
Resources by Topic: Healthcare business and finance
Characteristics and Trends of Critical Access Hospitals That Own or Operate Ambulance Services
Explores trends in the number of Critical Access Hospital (CAH)-based ambulance services between 2017 and 2022. Analyzes Medicare Cost Report data to compare the characteristics of of CAHs that own and operate ambulance services to CAHs that do not. Presents findings from interviews with eight CAH-based ambulance services regarding the challenges of operating these services, including workforce recruitment and retention issues, the role of partnerships and community involvement, and lessons learned.
Author(s): John Gale, Karen Pearson, Rebecca Stearns, Zachariah Croll
Date: 05/2025
Sponsoring organization: Flex Monitoring Team
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Explores trends in the number of Critical Access Hospital (CAH)-based ambulance services between 2017 and 2022. Analyzes Medicare Cost Report data to compare the characteristics of of CAHs that own and operate ambulance services to CAHs that do not. Presents findings from interviews with eight CAH-based ambulance services regarding the challenges of operating these services, including workforce recruitment and retention issues, the role of partnerships and community involvement, and lessons learned.
Author(s): John Gale, Karen Pearson, Rebecca Stearns, Zachariah Croll
Date: 05/2025
Sponsoring organization: Flex Monitoring Team
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The State of Medicare Supplement Coverage: Trends in Enrollment and Demographics
Provides an overview of Medicare Supplement, or Medigap, coverage and coverage options. Examines the demographics of Medicare enrollees with Medicare Supplement policies in 2023 and enrollment trends. Includes demographic data on rural Medicare Supplement policyholders.
Date: 05/2025
Sponsoring organization: AHIP
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Provides an overview of Medicare Supplement, or Medigap, coverage and coverage options. Examines the demographics of Medicare enrollees with Medicare Supplement policies in 2023 and enrollment trends. Includes demographic data on rural Medicare Supplement policyholders.
Date: 05/2025
Sponsoring organization: AHIP
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Medicaid Plays A Key Role for Maternal and Infant Health in Rural Communities
Explores the role of Medicaid in covering women of childbearing age - 19 through 44 years old - living in small towns and rural areas. Presents data from the 2023 U.S. Census Bureau's American Community Survey (ACS) Public Use Microdata Sample (PUMS) on the percentage of women of childbearing age in small towns and rural areas have Medicaid coverage by state and compares the share of Medicaid coverage to similar women in metropolitan counties. Describes the percentage of women of childbearing age with Medicaid coverage as a share of non-elderly adults with Medicaid across Medicaid expansion states and non-expansion states. Highlights the 20 small towns and rural areas with the highest share of women of childbearing age covered by Medicaid.
Date: 05/2025
Sponsoring organization: Georgetown University Health Policy Institute
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Explores the role of Medicaid in covering women of childbearing age - 19 through 44 years old - living in small towns and rural areas. Presents data from the 2023 U.S. Census Bureau's American Community Survey (ACS) Public Use Microdata Sample (PUMS) on the percentage of women of childbearing age in small towns and rural areas have Medicaid coverage by state and compares the share of Medicaid coverage to similar women in metropolitan counties. Describes the percentage of women of childbearing age with Medicaid coverage as a share of non-elderly adults with Medicaid across Medicaid expansion states and non-expansion states. Highlights the 20 small towns and rural areas with the highest share of women of childbearing age covered by Medicaid.
Date: 05/2025
Sponsoring organization: Georgetown University Health Policy Institute
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CMS Innovation Center Strategic Direction
Describes the vision and strategic objectives for the Center for Medicare and Medicaid Innovation (CMS Innovation Center). Strategic objectives include promoting evidence-based prevention, empowering people to achieve their health goals, and driving choice and competition.
Additional links: Frequently Asked Questions, White Paper: The CMS Innovation Center's Strategy to Make America Healthy Again
Date: 05/2025
Sponsoring organization: Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services
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Describes the vision and strategic objectives for the Center for Medicare and Medicaid Innovation (CMS Innovation Center). Strategic objectives include promoting evidence-based prevention, empowering people to achieve their health goals, and driving choice and competition.
Additional links: Frequently Asked Questions, White Paper: The CMS Innovation Center's Strategy to Make America Healthy Again
Date: 05/2025
Sponsoring organization: Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services
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Community Health Centers Are Increasingly Important to Medicare Beneficiaries
Presents data on health center Medicare patient characteristics, service utilization, and revenue between 2019-2023. Compares sociodemographic and health characteristics of health center patients with those of the general Medicare population. Discusses the impact of managed care plans on health center finances.
Author(s): Elizabeth Dutta, Marsha Regenstein, Feygele Jacobs
Date: 05/2025
Sponsoring organization: Geiger Gibson Program in Community Health
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Presents data on health center Medicare patient characteristics, service utilization, and revenue between 2019-2023. Compares sociodemographic and health characteristics of health center patients with those of the general Medicare population. Discusses the impact of managed care plans on health center finances.
Author(s): Elizabeth Dutta, Marsha Regenstein, Feygele Jacobs
Date: 05/2025
Sponsoring organization: Geiger Gibson Program in Community Health
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Rural Healthcare Provider Transition Project (RHPTP) Webinar: Quality Improvement (QI) Alignment Across the Hospital and Clinics is Key to Value-Based Payment (VBP) Success
A recorded webinar that discusses strategies to align quality improvement (QI) projects with value-based payment (VBP) across organizational settings. Discusses clinical quality measures and sustainability of QI. Transcript available below description.
Additional links: Slides
Author(s): Lisa Olson, Candy Hanson
Date: 05/2025
Sponsoring organizations: National Rural Health Resource Center, Stratis Health
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A recorded webinar that discusses strategies to align quality improvement (QI) projects with value-based payment (VBP) across organizational settings. Discusses clinical quality measures and sustainability of QI. Transcript available below description.
Additional links: Slides
Author(s): Lisa Olson, Candy Hanson
Date: 05/2025
Sponsoring organizations: National Rural Health Resource Center, Stratis Health
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Evaluation of the Primary Care First Model: Third Annual Report
Provides an overview of the Primary Care First (PCF) model, which aims to enhance primary care and move primary care practitioners toward value-based payment. Describes the PCF model implementation experiences for Cohort 1 and Cohort 2 practices through 2023. Explores the characteristics of practices and payers that continued to participate in the PCF model compared to those who left. Examines the role that the PCF Model's incentives and supports played in the strategies and practices adopted to improve care delivery and how the trajectory of these strategies and activities practices have transformed over time. Estimates the impact of the PCF Model on Medicare fee-for-service (FFS) expenditures and service use, including acute hospitalizations. Estimates the impacts of the model on a set of seven leading indicators to provide an early assessment of whether care delivery changes are resulting in meaningful early outcome changes.
Additional links: Executive Summary, Findings at a Glance
Date: 05/2025
Sponsoring organizations: Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services, Mathematica
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Provides an overview of the Primary Care First (PCF) model, which aims to enhance primary care and move primary care practitioners toward value-based payment. Describes the PCF model implementation experiences for Cohort 1 and Cohort 2 practices through 2023. Explores the characteristics of practices and payers that continued to participate in the PCF model compared to those who left. Examines the role that the PCF Model's incentives and supports played in the strategies and practices adopted to improve care delivery and how the trajectory of these strategies and activities practices have transformed over time. Estimates the impact of the PCF Model on Medicare fee-for-service (FFS) expenditures and service use, including acute hospitalizations. Estimates the impacts of the model on a set of seven leading indicators to provide an early assessment of whether care delivery changes are resulting in meaningful early outcome changes.
Additional links: Executive Summary, Findings at a Glance
Date: 05/2025
Sponsoring organizations: Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services, Mathematica
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Arkansas's Shifting Rural-Urban Divide: Healthcare Access Issues
Provides data on shortages of primary care physicians and dentists in rural and urban areas in Arkansas, and discusses high vulnerability to closure among rural hospitals in the state.
Date: 05/2025
Sponsoring organization: Arkansas Center for Health Improvement
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Provides data on shortages of primary care physicians and dentists in rural and urban areas in Arkansas, and discusses high vulnerability to closure among rural hospitals in the state.
Date: 05/2025
Sponsoring organization: Arkansas Center for Health Improvement
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Delaying Screening Until Covered? Changes in Lung Cancer Screening at the Age of Nearly-Universal Medicare Insurance
Examines the impact of first-time screening of lung cancer at age 65, the age of nearly universal Medicare insurance coverage. Utilizes 2015-2020 American College of Radiology's Lung Cancer Screening Registry data to analyze differences in screening rates between ages 60-64 and 65-69. Includes additional data breakdowns such as patient demographics, smoking behaviors, eligibility for screening, and rural versus non-rural patient location.
Author(s): Marcelo C. Perraillon, Adam Warren, Lenka Goldman, Jamie L. Studts, Rebecca M. Myerson
Citation: Health Services Research
Date: 05/2025
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Examines the impact of first-time screening of lung cancer at age 65, the age of nearly universal Medicare insurance coverage. Utilizes 2015-2020 American College of Radiology's Lung Cancer Screening Registry data to analyze differences in screening rates between ages 60-64 and 65-69. Includes additional data breakdowns such as patient demographics, smoking behaviors, eligibility for screening, and rural versus non-rural patient location.
Author(s): Marcelo C. Perraillon, Adam Warren, Lenka Goldman, Jamie L. Studts, Rebecca M. Myerson
Citation: Health Services Research
Date: 05/2025
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Merit-based Incentive Payment System (MIPS): 2025 MIPS Promoting Interoperability Performance Category Hardship Exception Application Guide
Provides guidance on how clinicians can apply for a MIPS hardship exception. Highlights guidance for having your MIPS Promoting Interoperability performance category reweighted to 0% in cases of insufficient internet connectivity, decertified electronic health record technology, or other circumstances out of the clinicians' control.
Date: 05/2025
Sponsoring organization: Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services
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Provides guidance on how clinicians can apply for a MIPS hardship exception. Highlights guidance for having your MIPS Promoting Interoperability performance category reweighted to 0% in cases of insufficient internet connectivity, decertified electronic health record technology, or other circumstances out of the clinicians' control.
Date: 05/2025
Sponsoring organization: Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services
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