Rural Health
Resources by Topic: Healthcare business and finance
2018 Update on Priority Strategies: North Carolina Rural Health Action Plan
Details the progress North Carolina has made in 6 priority areas outlined in the 2014 Rural Health Action Plan. These include investment in local industries, ensuring that childhood settings promote educational success, encouraging healthy eating and active living, screening for and treating substance abuse and mental health issues, educating people about insurance and safety net options, and creating incentives to support recruitment and retention of providers to underserved areas.
Date: 08/2018
Sponsoring organization: North Carolina Institute of Medicine
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Details the progress North Carolina has made in 6 priority areas outlined in the 2014 Rural Health Action Plan. These include investment in local industries, ensuring that childhood settings promote educational success, encouraging healthy eating and active living, screening for and treating substance abuse and mental health issues, educating people about insurance and safety net options, and creating incentives to support recruitment and retention of providers to underserved areas.
Date: 08/2018
Sponsoring organization: North Carolina Institute of Medicine
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Advanced Primary Care: A Key Contributor to Successful ACOs
Reviews the literature on accountable care organizations (ACOs) regarding characteristics of successful ACOs and outcomes for cost, quality, and utilization, including literature on rural ACOs. Analyzes Medicare and National Committee for Quality Assurance (NCQA) data on ACO cost and quality outcomes to assess the role of advanced primary care models such as patient-centered medical homes on ACO success.
Additional links: Executive Summary, White Paper
Author(s): Yalda Jabbarpour, Megan Coffman, Andy Habib, et al.
Date: 08/2018
Sponsoring organizations: Primary Care Collaborative, Robert Graham Center
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Reviews the literature on accountable care organizations (ACOs) regarding characteristics of successful ACOs and outcomes for cost, quality, and utilization, including literature on rural ACOs. Analyzes Medicare and National Committee for Quality Assurance (NCQA) data on ACO cost and quality outcomes to assess the role of advanced primary care models such as patient-centered medical homes on ACO success.
Additional links: Executive Summary, White Paper
Author(s): Yalda Jabbarpour, Megan Coffman, Andy Habib, et al.
Date: 08/2018
Sponsoring organizations: Primary Care Collaborative, Robert Graham Center
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Rural Health Insurance Market Challenges
Policy brief examining challenges affecting rural health insurance markets with a focus on Medicare Advantage, Medicare Part D, Medicaid Managed Care, and the Health Insurance Marketplace. Provides recommendations related to health insurance availability, network development and adequacy, and consumer and provider engagement.
Date: 08/2018
Sponsoring organization: National Advisory Committee on Rural Health and Human Services
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Policy brief examining challenges affecting rural health insurance markets with a focus on Medicare Advantage, Medicare Part D, Medicaid Managed Care, and the Health Insurance Marketplace. Provides recommendations related to health insurance availability, network development and adequacy, and consumer and provider engagement.
Date: 08/2018
Sponsoring organization: National Advisory Committee on Rural Health and Human Services
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Closing the Gap on Dental HPSAs: Louisiana Oral Health Workforce Assessment
Discusses findings and offers recommendations from an oral health workforce needs assessment in Louisiana. Highlights the state's oral health status of children and adults, access to care, and fluoridation. Reports on surveys and interviews addressing workforce demographics, practice information, perception of oral health access, and Medicaid policies. Appendices include additional data on state Dental Health Professional Shortage Areas (HPSAs).
Date: 08/2018
Sponsoring organization: Louisiana Department of Health
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Discusses findings and offers recommendations from an oral health workforce needs assessment in Louisiana. Highlights the state's oral health status of children and adults, access to care, and fluoridation. Reports on surveys and interviews addressing workforce demographics, practice information, perception of oral health access, and Medicaid policies. Appendices include additional data on state Dental Health Professional Shortage Areas (HPSAs).
Date: 08/2018
Sponsoring organization: Louisiana Department of Health
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Evaluation of the Accountable Care Organization Investment Model: AIM Impacts in the First Performance Year
Evaluation examining the first year performance of the 47 Accountable Care Organizations (ACOs) participating in the ACO Investment Model (AIM), which tests the use of prepaid shared savings to encourage new ACOs to form in rural and underserved areas (Test 1) and to encourage current Medicare Shared Savings Program ACOs to transition to arrangements with greater financial risk (Test 2). Describes provider characteristics, beneficiary characteristics, and impacts of the 41 Test 1 AIM ACOs. Includes data on rurality for both Test 1 and Test 2 AIM ACOs.
Additional links: Appendices, Findings At-A-Glance
Date: 08/2018
Sponsoring organizations: Abt Associates, Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services
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Evaluation examining the first year performance of the 47 Accountable Care Organizations (ACOs) participating in the ACO Investment Model (AIM), which tests the use of prepaid shared savings to encourage new ACOs to form in rural and underserved areas (Test 1) and to encourage current Medicare Shared Savings Program ACOs to transition to arrangements with greater financial risk (Test 2). Describes provider characteristics, beneficiary characteristics, and impacts of the 41 Test 1 AIM ACOs. Includes data on rurality for both Test 1 and Test 2 AIM ACOs.
Additional links: Appendices, Findings At-A-Glance
Date: 08/2018
Sponsoring organizations: Abt Associates, Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services
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MedPAC Comment on CMS's Proposed Rule on the CY 2019 Home Health PPS Update and 2020 Case Mix Refinements
Comment on a July 12, 2018, Federal Register proposed rule revising payments for home health services. Includes a section addressing a proposed rural add-on payment policy.
Date: 08/2018
Sponsoring organization: Medicare Payment Advisory Commission
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Comment on a July 12, 2018, Federal Register proposed rule revising payments for home health services. Includes a section addressing a proposed rural add-on payment policy.
Date: 08/2018
Sponsoring organization: Medicare Payment Advisory Commission
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First Annual Report: Next Generation Accountable Care Organization (NGACO) Model Evaluation
Reports initial descriptive and analytic findings for the 18 Next Generation ACOs (NGACOs) that launched in 2016. Includes information on NGACO organizational characteristics, market characteristics, model implementation, and performance. Offers some data and discussion related to the inclusion of rural areas. Also provides information on institutional providers by type of facility, including Critical Access Hospitals, Rural Health Clinics, and Federally Qualified Health Centers.
Additional links: Findings at a Glance, Volume II: Technical Appendices, January 2018
Date: 08/2018
Sponsoring organizations: Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services, NORC at the University of Chicago
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Reports initial descriptive and analytic findings for the 18 Next Generation ACOs (NGACOs) that launched in 2016. Includes information on NGACO organizational characteristics, market characteristics, model implementation, and performance. Offers some data and discussion related to the inclusion of rural areas. Also provides information on institutional providers by type of facility, including Critical Access Hospitals, Rural Health Clinics, and Federally Qualified Health Centers.
Additional links: Findings at a Glance, Volume II: Technical Appendices, January 2018
Date: 08/2018
Sponsoring organizations: Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services, NORC at the University of Chicago
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Association of State Medicaid Expansion With Rate of Uninsured Hospitalizations for Major Cardiovascular Events, 2009-2014
Results of a study to investigate whether rates of uninsured hospitalizations for cardiovascular events and in-hospital mortality varied by Affordable Care Act Medicaid expansion at the state level. Features statistics including demographics with breakdowns by rural or urban/suburban location.
Author(s): Ehimare Akhabue, Lindsay R. Pool, Clyde W. Yancy, Philip Greenland, Donald Lloyd-Jones
Citation: JAMA Network Open 1(4)
Date: 08/2018
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Results of a study to investigate whether rates of uninsured hospitalizations for cardiovascular events and in-hospital mortality varied by Affordable Care Act Medicaid expansion at the state level. Features statistics including demographics with breakdowns by rural or urban/suburban location.
Author(s): Ehimare Akhabue, Lindsay R. Pool, Clyde W. Yancy, Philip Greenland, Donald Lloyd-Jones
Citation: JAMA Network Open 1(4)
Date: 08/2018
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Medicare Fee-for-Service: Information on the First Year of Nationwide Reduced Payment Rates for Durable Medical Equipment
Examines the effects of reduced payment rates for certain durable medical equipment (DME) in non-bid areas. Reports on changes in the number of suppliers, utilization of rate-adjusted items, and beneficiaries' access to rate-adjusted items. Includes information on changes in rural and non-rural non-bid areas.
Additional links: Full Report
Date: 08/2018
Sponsoring organization: Government Accountability Office
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Examines the effects of reduced payment rates for certain durable medical equipment (DME) in non-bid areas. Reports on changes in the number of suppliers, utilization of rate-adjusted items, and beneficiaries' access to rate-adjusted items. Includes information on changes in rural and non-rural non-bid areas.
Additional links: Full Report
Date: 08/2018
Sponsoring organization: Government Accountability Office
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Rural Hospital Mergers from 2005 through 2016
Examines the number of mergers of rural hospitals across the U.S. from 2005-2016. Looks at the effect of mergers and acquisitions on rural healthcare.
Author(s): Dunc Williams Jr., Sharita R. Thomas, Hilda A. Howard, George H. Pink
Date: 08/2018
Sponsoring organization: North Carolina Rural Health Research Program
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Examines the number of mergers of rural hospitals across the U.S. from 2005-2016. Looks at the effect of mergers and acquisitions on rural healthcare.
Author(s): Dunc Williams Jr., Sharita R. Thomas, Hilda A. Howard, George H. Pink
Date: 08/2018
Sponsoring organization: North Carolina Rural Health Research Program
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