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Rural Health
Resources by Topic: Healthcare business and finance

HCIA Complex/High-Risk Patient Targeting: Second Annual Report
Second annual evaluations of 23 Health Care Innovation Awards Round One projects focused on patients with medically complex conditions at high risk for hospitalization, re-hospitalization, emergency department visits, or nursing home stays. Several projects serve rural areas, offering caregiver education and support, telehealth services, and various care coordination approaches. Discusses common experiences of grantees serving rural areas, as well as profiles of each project.
Date: 03/2016
Type: Document
Sponsoring organizations: Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services, NORC at the University of Chicago
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Evaluating the HCIA - Behavioral Health/Substance Abuse Awards: Second Annual Report
Second annual evaluations of 10 Health Care Innovation Awards Round One projects focused on mental health and substance abuse services. Offers overviews of all projects, including HealthLinkNow, which uses telehealth to provide behavioral care services in rural areas, and the Prevention and Recovery in Early Psychosis Program, which was expanded to serve to rural counties in California.
Date: 03/2016
Type: Document
Sponsoring organizations: Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services, Mathematica Policy Research
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Medicare Costs and Utilization Among Beneficiaries in Rural Areas
Reports on a study evaluating the association of Medicare beneficiary spending patterns with the differences in cost for services across rural hospital service areas (HSAs). Describes strategies and policies to address the geographic variability of higher costs of care in rural HSAs.
Author(s): Carrie Henning-Smith, Doug Wholey, Michelle Casey, Ira Moscovice
Date: 03/2016
Type: Document
Sponsoring organization: University of Minnesota Rural Health Research Center
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MedPAC Report to the Congress: Medicare Payment Policy, 2016
Annual review of Medicare payment policies, with recommendations to Congress. Discussions of rural aspects of Medicare payment policies are included throughout the report. Focuses on payment adequacy, Medicare Advantage, and Medicare Part D.
Date: 03/2016
Type: Document
Sponsoring organization: Medicare Payment Advisory Commission
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2012-14 Profitability of Urban and Rural Hospitals by Medicare Payment Classification
Compares the total margin and operating margin of rural and urban hospitals using 2012-2014 profitability data. Analysis divides rural hospitals by the size of the prospective payment system and by the Medicare payment classification – Critical Access Hospitals (CAHs), Medicare dependent hospitals, sole community hospitals, and rural referral centers.
Author(s): Sharita R. Thomas, G. Mark Holmes, George H. Pink
Date: 03/2016
Type: Document
Sponsoring organization: North Carolina Rural Health Research Program
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Geographic Variation in the Profitability of Urban and Rural Hospitals
Analyzes and compares the 2014 profitability margins of rural and urban hospitals by census region, census division, and by state. Provides information on rural hospitals broken down by Critical Access Hospitals (CAHs) and other rural hospitals; the other rural hospitals group includes Medicare dependent hospitals, sole community hospitals, and rural prospective payment system hospitals.
Author(s): Sharita R. Thomas, George H. Pink, G. Mark Holmes
Date: 03/2016
Type: Document
Sponsoring organization: North Carolina Rural Health Research Program
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Rural ACO Leaders Speak: What Have Been the Biggest Challenges and the Biggest Advantages to Creating Your ACO?
Five rural Accountable Care Organization (ACO) leaders discuss the biggest challenges and advantages they've experienced in building an ACO.
Author(s): Zachary Toliver
Citation: Rural Monitor
Date: 03/2016
Type: Document
Sponsoring organization: Rural Health Information Hub
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Access to Rural Home Health Services: Views from the Field
Describes current issues affecting access to rural home health services, with an emphasis on Medicare-reimbursed programs. Based on published research, gray literature, and telephone interviews with 40 key informants from 19 states between May 2014 and March 2015. Discusses challenges and barriers to access as well as possible solutions.
Author(s): Susan M. Skillman, Davis G. Patterson, Cynthia Coulthard, Tracy M. Mroz
Date: 02/2016
Type: Document
Sponsoring organization: WWAMI Rural Health Research Center
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Report to Congress on Medicaid Disproportionate Share Hospital Payments
First annual report on Medicaid Disproportionate Share Hospital (DSH) payments, which provide support to safety-net hospitals to help offset uncompensated care costs for Medicaid and uninsured patients. Discusses Medicaid policy, current and future DSH allotments, and data needs. Table B-3 projects FY2018 DSH payments under different scenarios, with data for urban and rural hospitals and for Critical Access Hospitals.
Date: 02/2016
Type: Document
Sponsoring organization: Medicaid and CHIP Payment and Access Commission
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CMS Manual System: Revisions to Medicare State Operations Manual, Chapter 9 - Critical Access Hospital (CAH) Recertification Checklist: Rural and Distance or Necessary Provider Verification
Provides a list of the necessary components to be confirmed when Critical Access Hospitals (CAHs) are surveyed for recertification to determine if they meet the rural location and distance or necessary provider requirements to maintain their CAH status. Identifies the procedures used by the CMS Regional Office and state survey agencies to determine if CAHs meet the necessary requirements.
Date: 02/2016
Type: Document
Sponsoring organization: Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services
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