Rural Health
Resources by Topic: Healthcare business and finance
Medicare Cognitive Assessments: Utilization Tripled between 2018 and 2022, but Challenges Remain
Describes the utilization of traditional Medicare's cognitive assessment service from 2018 through 2022. Presents stakeholder views on challenges providers and beneficiaries face in providing and accessing the service, respectively. Discusses steps the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) has taken to increase awareness of the service. Includes information on the number of cognitive assessment services by urban and rural beneficiaries by race and ethnicity.
Additional links: Full Report
Date: 12/2023
Sponsoring organization: Government Accountability Office
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Describes the utilization of traditional Medicare's cognitive assessment service from 2018 through 2022. Presents stakeholder views on challenges providers and beneficiaries face in providing and accessing the service, respectively. Discusses steps the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) has taken to increase awareness of the service. Includes information on the number of cognitive assessment services by urban and rural beneficiaries by race and ethnicity.
Additional links: Full Report
Date: 12/2023
Sponsoring organization: Government Accountability Office
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CMS Final Rules Overview - Impact for RHCs Beginning January 1, 2024
Recording of a December 11, 2023, webinar providing an overview of telehealth payment rates for Rural Health Clinics (RHCs) and other regulatory updates and potential changes for 2024. Covers new billable providers for RHCs, changes to care management services and billing, telehealth regulations, intensive outpatient program (IOP) services, and more. Part of the Rural Health Clinic Technical Assistance Series.
Additional links: Presentation Slides
Date: 12/2023
Sponsoring organization: National Association of Rural Health Clinics
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Recording of a December 11, 2023, webinar providing an overview of telehealth payment rates for Rural Health Clinics (RHCs) and other regulatory updates and potential changes for 2024. Covers new billable providers for RHCs, changes to care management services and billing, telehealth regulations, intensive outpatient program (IOP) services, and more. Part of the Rural Health Clinic Technical Assistance Series.
Additional links: Presentation Slides
Date: 12/2023
Sponsoring organization: National Association of Rural Health Clinics
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Cybersecurity Lockdown
Recording of a December 6, 2023, webinar on cybersecurity threats and attacks. Discusses who is after healthcare data, why providers have a professional responsibility to address these threats proactively, and what providers can do today to limit their impact. Part of the Rural Health Clinic Technical Assistance Series.
Additional links: Presentation Slides
Date: 12/2023
Sponsoring organization: National Association of Rural Health Clinics
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Recording of a December 6, 2023, webinar on cybersecurity threats and attacks. Discusses who is after healthcare data, why providers have a professional responsibility to address these threats proactively, and what providers can do today to limit their impact. Part of the Rural Health Clinic Technical Assistance Series.
Additional links: Presentation Slides
Date: 12/2023
Sponsoring organization: National Association of Rural Health Clinics
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Medicaid and CHIP Enrollees Who Received a Well-Child Visit in 2020
Presents data on the percentage and number of children under age 19 who received a well-child visit that was paid for by Medicaid or CHIP in 2020. Includes data on the share of Medicaid or CHIP enrollees under age 19 who received a well-child visit by age, race and ethnicity, urban or rural residence, program type, and primary language spoken.
Date: 12/2023
Sponsoring organization: Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services
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Presents data on the percentage and number of children under age 19 who received a well-child visit that was paid for by Medicaid or CHIP in 2020. Includes data on the share of Medicaid or CHIP enrollees under age 19 who received a well-child visit by age, race and ethnicity, urban or rural residence, program type, and primary language spoken.
Date: 12/2023
Sponsoring organization: Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services
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Section 1915(c) Waiver Program Participants in 2020
Presents data on the percentage and number of Medicaid enrollees who participated in a Section 1915(c) waiver program in 2020. Includes data on the share of enrollees who participated in a Section 1915(c) waiver program overall and by age, race and ethnicity, urban or rural residence, Medicaid eligibility category, and dual eligibility status.
Date: 12/2023
Sponsoring organization: Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services
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Presents data on the percentage and number of Medicaid enrollees who participated in a Section 1915(c) waiver program in 2020. Includes data on the share of enrollees who participated in a Section 1915(c) waiver program overall and by age, race and ethnicity, urban or rural residence, Medicaid eligibility category, and dual eligibility status.
Date: 12/2023
Sponsoring organization: Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services
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Medicaid and CHIP Enrollees Who Received Mental Health or SUD Services in 2020
Presents data on the percentage and number of Medicaid and CHIP enrollees who received mental health or substance use disorder (SUD) services in 2020. Includes data on the share of enrollees who used these services overall and by age, sex, race and ethnicity, urban or rural status, Medicaid or CHIP eligibility category, and the enrollees' primary language.
Date: 12/2023
Sponsoring organization: Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services
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Presents data on the percentage and number of Medicaid and CHIP enrollees who received mental health or substance use disorder (SUD) services in 2020. Includes data on the share of enrollees who used these services overall and by age, sex, race and ethnicity, urban or rural status, Medicaid or CHIP eligibility category, and the enrollees' primary language.
Date: 12/2023
Sponsoring organization: Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services
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Participation in a Medicare Advanced Primary Care Model and the Delivery of High-Value Services
Examines if participation in the Comprehensive Primary Care Plus Initiative (CPC+) impacted the high-value services delivered by primary care providers. Utilizes multiple national data sets to estimate the association of CPC+ and services such as annual wellness visits (AWVs), advance care planning (ACP), flu shots, tobacco prevention counseling, and depression screening. Provides data on intervention groups and comparison groups by patient demographics as well as provider demographics, specialty, and location, including urban, large rural, small rural, and isolated rural.
Author(s): Fang He, Angela Gasdaska, Lindsay White, Yan Tang, Chris Beadles
Citation: Health Services Research, 58(6), 1266-1291
Date: 12/2023
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Examines if participation in the Comprehensive Primary Care Plus Initiative (CPC+) impacted the high-value services delivered by primary care providers. Utilizes multiple national data sets to estimate the association of CPC+ and services such as annual wellness visits (AWVs), advance care planning (ACP), flu shots, tobacco prevention counseling, and depression screening. Provides data on intervention groups and comparison groups by patient demographics as well as provider demographics, specialty, and location, including urban, large rural, small rural, and isolated rural.
Author(s): Fang He, Angela Gasdaska, Lindsay White, Yan Tang, Chris Beadles
Citation: Health Services Research, 58(6), 1266-1291
Date: 12/2023
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Health Panel Comment Letter - Minimum Staffing Standards for Long-Term Care Facilities and Medicaid Institutional Payment Transparency Reporting Proposed Rule
Comments offered in response to a September 6, 2023, proposed rule regarding minimum nurse staffing standards for long-term care facilities. Discusses considerations for the implementation timeline and including licensed practical nurses in the proposed staffing ratios and standards, the definition of rural utilized in the proposed rule to identify rural facilities, and conditions for hardship exemption eligibility.
Date: 11/2023
Sponsoring organization: Rural Policy Research Institute Rural Health Panel
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Comments offered in response to a September 6, 2023, proposed rule regarding minimum nurse staffing standards for long-term care facilities. Discusses considerations for the implementation timeline and including licensed practical nurses in the proposed staffing ratios and standards, the definition of rural utilized in the proposed rule to identify rural facilities, and conditions for hardship exemption eligibility.
Date: 11/2023
Sponsoring organization: Rural Policy Research Institute Rural Health Panel
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Medicare Advantage in Rural Areas: Implications for Hospital Sustainability
Explores the relationship between Medicare Advantage (MA) penetration levels in rural areas and acute care hospital financial distress and closure between 2008 and 2019. Analyzes data from Healthcare Cost and Utilization Project (HCUP) State Inpatient Databases from 14 states to describe rural acute care hospitals with low and high MA penetration.
Author(s): Rachel Mosher Henke, Kathryn R. Fingar, Lan Liang, H. Joanna Jiang
Citation: American Journal of Managed Care, 29(11), 594–600
Date: 11/2023
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Explores the relationship between Medicare Advantage (MA) penetration levels in rural areas and acute care hospital financial distress and closure between 2008 and 2019. Analyzes data from Healthcare Cost and Utilization Project (HCUP) State Inpatient Databases from 14 states to describe rural acute care hospitals with low and high MA penetration.
Author(s): Rachel Mosher Henke, Kathryn R. Fingar, Lan Liang, H. Joanna Jiang
Citation: American Journal of Managed Care, 29(11), 594–600
Date: 11/2023
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Beyond the Waiting Room: The State of Dental Care Access in West Virginia
Discusses dental care access in West Virginia, highlighting workforce shortages and underserved populations including rural residents. Offers policy recommendations to decrease disparities including interprofessional care, reimbursement structures, and more.
Date: 11/2023
Sponsoring organizations: Harmony Health Foundation, West Virginia Oral Health Coalition
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Discusses dental care access in West Virginia, highlighting workforce shortages and underserved populations including rural residents. Offers policy recommendations to decrease disparities including interprofessional care, reimbursement structures, and more.
Date: 11/2023
Sponsoring organizations: Harmony Health Foundation, West Virginia Oral Health Coalition
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