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Resources by Topic: Healthcare quality

Breast Cancer Screening among Medicare Advantage Enrollees with Dementia
Compares rates of mammogram screening among screening-eligible women with Alzheimer's disease and related dementias (ADRD) using 2012-2019 Medicare Current Beneficiary Survey data. Compares screening rates of Medicare Advantage and fee-for-service Medicare enrollees, with data breakdowns by race and ethnicity, rural versus urban status, and more. Identifies potential risks related to over-screening.
Author(s): Eli Raver, Wendy Y. Xu, Jean Jung, Sunmin Lee
Citation: BMC Health Services Research, 24, 283
Date: 03/2024
Type: Document
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Catalog of Value-Based Initiatives for Rural Providers
Summarizes rural-relevant, value-based programs currently or recently implemented by the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS), including the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) and the CMS Innovation Center. Designed to help rural healthcare leaders identify HHS value-based programs that are suitable for rural participation. Contains descriptions of each demonstration and provides direct links to the corresponding agency web page.
Date: 03/2024
Type: Document
Sponsoring organization: Rural Health Value
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Merit-Based Incentive Payment System (MIPS): 2024 Improvement Activities Performance Category Quick Start Guide
Provides an overview of Merit-based Incentive Payment System (MIPS) requirements, data collection, and data submission for the improvement activities performance category for the 2024 performance year. Includes information about special status scoring for small practices and clinicians located in a rural or Health Professional Shortage Area.
Date: 03/2024
Type: Document
Sponsoring organization: Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services
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Merit-Based Incentive Payment System (MIPS): 2023 Opt-in and Voluntary Reporting Election Process Guide
Discusses the eligibility of clinicians, groups, and Alternative Payment Model (APM) participants that exceed some low-volume threshold criteria to opt-in to the Merit-Based Incentive Payment System (MIPS) and the APM Performance Pathway (APP) for the 2023 performance period. Compares opting in and voluntarily reporting MIPS data and provides an overview of the election process.
Date: 03/2024
Type: Document
Sponsoring organization: Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services
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Telemedicine vs Telephone Consultations and Medication Prescribing Errors Among Referring Physicians: A Cluster Randomized Crossover Trial
Compared 696 acutely ill children in 15 community and rural California emergency departments receiving telephone or video consultations to determine differences in physician-related medication errors. Discusses the impact of telehealth on healthcare quality and remote acute care.
Author(s): James P. Marcin, Monica K. Lieng, Jamie Mouzoon, et al.
Citation: JAMA Network Open, 7(2)
Date: 02/2024
Type: Document
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Hearing on Examining Chronic Drug Shortages in the United States
Congressional hearing in the U.S. House of Representatives Ways & Means Committee discussing pharmaceutical drug shortages. Discusses cancer care, healthcare quality, the 340B program, supply and demand, reimbursement, and other policy measures. Witnesses include Dr. Stephen Schleicher discussing rural concerns. Captions available in video player.
Additional links: Dr. Stephen Schleicher Testimony
Date: 02/2024
Type: Video/Multimedia
Sponsoring organization: House Ways and Means Committee
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Pre-Rulemaking Measure Review Measures Under Consideration: 2023 Recommendations Report
Reviews the 42 pre-rulemaking quality measures the Battelle's Partnership for Quality Measurement (PQM) considered during the 2023-2024 Pre-Rulemaking Measure Review (PRMR) cycle. Discusses measures for clinician, hospital, and post-acute care/long-term care programs. Includes rural references and considerations throughout.
Date: 02/2024
Type: Document
Sponsoring organization: Partnership for Quality Measurement
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Infection Control Policies and Practices in Residential Care Communities by Selected Organizational and Geographic Characteristics: United States, 2020
Presents nationally representative data on the percentage of residential care communities with emergency operations plans that are specific to or include pandemic response, approaches to implement these plans, and infection control policies and practices. Compares infection control policies and practices by metropolitan status, community bed size, ownership status, chain affiliation, and whether the community has a designated space for dementia care.
Author(s): Amanuel Melekin, Manisha Sengupta
Date: 02/2024
Type: Document
Sponsoring organization: National Center for Health Statistics
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Lessons Learned from Efforts to Support Vulnerable Critical Access and Other Rural Hospitals
Provides an overview of state and federal programs, demonstrations, and models designed to support Critical Access Hospitals (CAHs) and other rural hospitals. Describes challenges facing CAHs and rural hospitals, including chronic workforce shortages, high operating and staffing costs, inadequate reimbursement, operational and regulatory issues, and the diverse demographics of rural communities. Discusses lessons learned, the new for a new rural hospital model, and next steps.
Author(s): John Gale, Celia Jewell, Karen Pearson
Date: 02/2024
Type: Document
Sponsoring organization: Flex Monitoring Team
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State Medicaid & CHIP Telehealth Toolkit
Toolkit to support state policymakers in expanding the use of telehealth to deliver Medicaid and Children's Health Insurance Program (CHIP) services. Provides information on telehealth flexibilities under Medicaid and CHIP; billing best practices; strategies for telehealth in value-based care; best practices from states during the COVID-19 public health emergency; strategies to promote the delivery of accessible and culturally competent care via telehealth; evaluation strategies to understand how telehealth affects quality, outcomes, and cost, and more. Offers state policy and operational considerations; information about common telehealth modalities; frequently asked questions for states to consider as they explore whether to expand the use of telehealth; Medicaid managed care and fee-for-service state checklists; and other planning tools. Includes information about using telehealth to deliver services to medically underserved and rural communities, American Indian and Alaska Native individuals, individuals with disabilities, older adults, and other specific populations.
Date: 02/2024
Type: Document
Sponsoring organization: Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services
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