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Rural Health Information Hub

Rural Health
Resources by Topic: Healthcare business and finance

Medicare Inappropriately Paid Acute-Care Hospitals for Outpatient Services They Provided to Beneficiaries Who Were Inpatients of Other Facilities
Results of an audit to determine whether Medicare made payments appropriately to acute-care hospitals for outpatient services provided to other facilities' inpatients, from January 2013 through August 2016. Includes recommendations from the Office of Inspector General, and CMS's responses.
Additional links: Report in Brief
Author(s): Daniel R. Levinson
Date: 09/2017
Sponsoring organization: U.S. Department of Health and Human Services
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Evaluation of the Minnesota Accountable Health Model
Describes the final results of Minnesota's State Innovation Model (SIM) initiative evaluation sponsored by the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid (CMS). Includes information on SIM investments in rural counties, considerations to strengthen and support infrastructure to advance integrated health partnerships in rural areas, and engagement strategies to include rural clinics and providers in Health Care Homes care coordination cost study.
Author(s): Donna Spencer, Christina Worrall, Emily Zylla, et al.
Date: 09/2017
Sponsoring organization: State Health Access Data Assistance Center
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What is the Quality Payment Program?
Provides an overview of the Quality Payment Program (QPP) and its two associated payment tracks: the Merit-Based Incentive Payment System (MIPS) and Advanced Alternative Payment Models (Advanced APMs). Describes how the QPP may affect rural practices and includes links to additional resources.
Date: 09/2017
Sponsoring organization: National Organization of State Offices of Rural Health
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Medicare Performance-Based Payment Adjustment Programs
Describes three Medicare Performance-Based Payment Adjustment programs for hospitals: the Hospital Acquired Condition Reduction Program (HACRP), the Hospital Readmission Reduction Program (HRRP), and the Hospital Value-Based Purchasing Program (HVBPP). Explains how these programs may affect rural hospitals.
Date: 09/2017
Sponsoring organization: National Organization of State Offices of Rural Health
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MedPAC Report to the Congress: Regional Variation in Medicare Part A, Part B, and Part D Spending and Service Use
Compares Medicare spending and service use based on geographic location, including across metropolitan and nonmetropolitan areas. Seeks to identify factors that influence regional variation and determine if higher service use and/or spending results in higher quality care and outcomes. Utilizes updated data to build on findings that were published in the January 2011 Report to the Congress: Regional Variation in Medicare Service Use. Data is adjusted to account for differences in payment rates to certain providers, such as Critical Access Hospitals.
Date: 09/2017
Sponsoring organization: Medicare Payment Advisory Commission
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State Innovation Models (SIM) Initiative Evaluation: Model Test Year Three Annual Report
Third annual report detailing the findings of CMS's State Innovation Models (SIM) Initiative, which tests the ability of the governments in six states - Arkansas, Maine, Massachusetts, Minnesota, Oregon, and Vermont - to accelerate health system transformation in the areas of delivery systems, payment models, information technology, workforce development, and more. Focuses on sharing cross-state progress and findings, state-specific findings and lessons learned, and lessons for policymakers. Additional emphasis is placed on monitoring healthcare experience, utilization, and expenditures in participating SIM states.
Date: 09/2017
Sponsoring organizations: Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services, RTI International
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Financing Project ECHO: Options for State Medicaid Programs
Outlines how 4 states are using Medicaid funds to support Project ECHO and enhance services in California, Colorado, New Mexico, and Oregon. Shares design considerations for specific delivery system environments and ways to ensure long-term program sustainability. Project ECHO seeks to expand access to specialty healthcare services in rural and underserved areas.
Author(s): Greg Howe, Allison Hamblin, Lauren Moran
Date: 09/2017
Sponsoring organization: Center for Health Care Strategies
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Medicaid Financing Models for Project ECHO
Explains the different Medicaid financing mechanisms available for supporting current and potential Project ECHO strategies. Options are listed in table format and organized into three categories: managed care, care management programs, and value-based payment strategies and integrated care programs.
Date: 09/2017
Sponsoring organization: Center for Health Care Strategies
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Health Insurance Coverage in the United States: 2016
Provides statistics on health insurance coverage in 2016 and also focuses on changes between 2015 and 2016, as well as changes between 2013 and 2016. Tables 5 and A-4 list statistics for metropolitan and non-metropolitan areas. Based on data from the Current Population Survey Annual Social and Economic Supplement and the American Community Survey.
Author(s): Jessica C. Barnett, Edward R. Berchick
Date: 09/2017
Sponsoring organization: U.S. Census Bureau
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Rural-Urban Variations in Medicare Live Discharge Patterns from Hospice, 2012-2013
Details a study on the instances of live discharges from the Medicare hospice program from 2012-2013. Compares rural and urban discharge rates, as well as for-profit and nonprofit business models.
Author(s): Rachel Dolin, Denise Kirk, Mark Holmes
Date: 09/2017
Sponsoring organization: North Carolina Rural Health Research Program
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