Rural Health
Resources by Topic: Healthcare quality
A Rural Accountable Care Organization's Journey
Profiles South East Rural Physicians Alliance Accountable Care Organization (SERPA‐ACO), a physician‐led ACO consisting of 16 Nebraska clinics - 13 of which are rural. Describes various value-based payment models SERPA-ACO clinics participated in and activities the clinics use to succeed in these models. Includes recommendations for primary care clinics considering joining an ACO.
Date: 06/2023
Sponsoring organization: Rural Health Value
view details
Profiles South East Rural Physicians Alliance Accountable Care Organization (SERPA‐ACO), a physician‐led ACO consisting of 16 Nebraska clinics - 13 of which are rural. Describes various value-based payment models SERPA-ACO clinics participated in and activities the clinics use to succeed in these models. Includes recommendations for primary care clinics considering joining an ACO.
Date: 06/2023
Sponsoring organization: Rural Health Value
view details
Obstetric Volume and Severe Maternal Morbidity Among Low-Risk and Higher-Risk Patients Giving Birth at Rural and Urban US Hospitals
Compares births in rural and urban counties in California, Michigan, Pennsylvania, and South Carolina to identify associations between obstetric volume and morbidity in low and high risk patients. Discusses suggestions for improving morbidity rates.
Author(s): Katy Backes Kozhimannil, Stephanie Leonard, Sara C. Handley, et al.
Citation: JAMA Network Open, 4(6)
Date: 06/2023
view details
Compares births in rural and urban counties in California, Michigan, Pennsylvania, and South Carolina to identify associations between obstetric volume and morbidity in low and high risk patients. Discusses suggestions for improving morbidity rates.
Author(s): Katy Backes Kozhimannil, Stephanie Leonard, Sara C. Handley, et al.
Citation: JAMA Network Open, 4(6)
Date: 06/2023
view details
Using Population-Based Outcome Measures to Assess the Impact of Telehealth Expansion on Medicare Beneficiaries' Access to Care and Quality of Care
Explores the feasibility of using population-based measures to estimate the association between telehealth use, quality of care, and access to care when both telehealth and in-person visits are available to fee-for-service (FFS) Medicare beneficiaries. Compares data from the second half of 2019 to the second half of 2021 by the level of telehealth utilization in Hospital Service Areas (HSAs). Includes rural references throughout.
Author(s): Morteza Saharkhiz, Tanvi Rao, Sara Parker Lue, et al.
Date: 06/2023
Sponsoring organizations: American Institutes for Research, Medicare Payment Advisory Commission
view details
Explores the feasibility of using population-based measures to estimate the association between telehealth use, quality of care, and access to care when both telehealth and in-person visits are available to fee-for-service (FFS) Medicare beneficiaries. Compares data from the second half of 2019 to the second half of 2021 by the level of telehealth utilization in Hospital Service Areas (HSAs). Includes rural references throughout.
Author(s): Morteza Saharkhiz, Tanvi Rao, Sara Parker Lue, et al.
Date: 06/2023
Sponsoring organizations: American Institutes for Research, Medicare Payment Advisory Commission
view details
Health Panel Comment Letter - Hospital Inpatient Prospective Payment System for Acute Care Hospitals Proposed Rule
Comments offered in response to a May 1, 2023, proposed rule revising the Medicare Hospital Inpatient Prospective Payment System (IPPS) and Long-Term Care Hospital PPS for fiscal year 2024. Discusses methodologies used to calculate the Medicare Disproportionate Share Hospital (DSH) and uncompensated care payments; two potential geriatric care quality measures; and the identification of, and challenges facing, safety net hospitals.
Date: 06/2023
Sponsoring organization: Rural Policy Research Institute Rural Health Panel
view details
Comments offered in response to a May 1, 2023, proposed rule revising the Medicare Hospital Inpatient Prospective Payment System (IPPS) and Long-Term Care Hospital PPS for fiscal year 2024. Discusses methodologies used to calculate the Medicare Disproportionate Share Hospital (DSH) and uncompensated care payments; two potential geriatric care quality measures; and the identification of, and challenges facing, safety net hospitals.
Date: 06/2023
Sponsoring organization: Rural Policy Research Institute Rural Health Panel
view details
The Benefits and Challenges of Converting to a Rural Emergency Hospital
Podcast episode with Anson General Hospital's Chief Executive Office and Chief Nursing Officer regarding the hospital's transition to a Rural Emergency Hospital. Discusses changes to services offered, financial and operational impacts of the conversion, and what the local patient population thinks about the transition.
Date: 06/2023
Sponsoring organization: American Hospital Association
view details
Podcast episode with Anson General Hospital's Chief Executive Office and Chief Nursing Officer regarding the hospital's transition to a Rural Emergency Hospital. Discusses changes to services offered, financial and operational impacts of the conversion, and what the local patient population thinks about the transition.
Date: 06/2023
Sponsoring organization: American Hospital Association
view details
QPP 2021: Participation Results At-a-Glance
Provides an overview of the results of the Quality Payment Program (QPP) for the 2021 performance year. Highlights mean and median final scores in the Merit-based Incentive Payment System (MIPS) for small and rural practices and compares results to those in 2020.
Date: 06/2023
Sponsoring organization: Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services
view details
Provides an overview of the results of the Quality Payment Program (QPP) for the 2021 performance year. Highlights mean and median final scores in the Merit-based Incentive Payment System (MIPS) for small and rural practices and compares results to those in 2020.
Date: 06/2023
Sponsoring organization: Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services
view details
Consolidation and Corporate Ownership in Health Care: Trends and Impacts on Access, Quality, and Costs
Recording of a June 8, 2023, U.S. Senate Committee on Finance hearing on healthcare consolidation and its impacts on healthcare access and finances. Testimony from the American Academy of Family Physicians discusses the impact of consolidation on rural primary care providers.
Additional links: R. Shawn Martin, American Academy of Family Physicians - Testimony
Date: 06/2023
Sponsoring organization: Senate Committee on Finance
view details
Recording of a June 8, 2023, U.S. Senate Committee on Finance hearing on healthcare consolidation and its impacts on healthcare access and finances. Testimony from the American Academy of Family Physicians discusses the impact of consolidation on rural primary care providers.
Additional links: R. Shawn Martin, American Academy of Family Physicians - Testimony
Date: 06/2023
Sponsoring organization: Senate Committee on Finance
view details
MedPAC Comment on CMS's Proposed Rule on the Hospital Inpatient PPS for FY 2024
Comments on a May 1, 2023, Federal Register proposed rule revising the hospital inpatient and long-term care hospital (LTCH) prospective payment systems (PPS). Offers comments on future hospital safety-net policies, including a potential safety-net adjustment for Medicare inpatient hospital payments; recent case law on rural reclassification and estimated implications; and supplemental uncompensated care payments to Puerto Rico.
Date: 06/2023
Sponsoring organization: Medicare Payment Advisory Commission
view details
Comments on a May 1, 2023, Federal Register proposed rule revising the hospital inpatient and long-term care hospital (LTCH) prospective payment systems (PPS). Offers comments on future hospital safety-net policies, including a potential safety-net adjustment for Medicare inpatient hospital payments; recent case law on rural reclassification and estimated implications; and supplemental uncompensated care payments to Puerto Rico.
Date: 06/2023
Sponsoring organization: Medicare Payment Advisory Commission
view details
Medicare Accountable Care Organizations: Presence in Rural America
Presentation slides from a June 6, 2023, webinar for the Rural Northern Border Healthcare Support Technical Assistance Center. Provides an overview of the Medicare Shared Savings Program, including the composition of program participants in 2023, the spread of Accountable Care Organizations (ACOs) in rural counties, and the federal and state policy landscape. Details changes to the Shared Savings Program for 2024.
Author(s): Keith J. Mueller
Date: 06/2023
Sponsoring organization: Rural Policy Research Institute
view details
Presentation slides from a June 6, 2023, webinar for the Rural Northern Border Healthcare Support Technical Assistance Center. Provides an overview of the Medicare Shared Savings Program, including the composition of program participants in 2023, the spread of Accountable Care Organizations (ACOs) in rural counties, and the federal and state policy landscape. Details changes to the Shared Savings Program for 2024.
Author(s): Keith J. Mueller
Date: 06/2023
Sponsoring organization: Rural Policy Research Institute
view details
Rural Disparities in the Quality of Clinical Care Are Notable and Larger for Males
Explores the differences in healthcare quality among male and female Medicare Advantage beneficiaries in rural and urban areas. Breaks down data by sex, treatment received, treatment outcomes, and rural versus urban location, among other measures.
Author(s): Sarah MacCarthy, Marc N. Elliott, Steven C. Martino, et al.
Citation: Journal of Rural Health, 39(3), 636-642
Date: 06/2023
view details
Explores the differences in healthcare quality among male and female Medicare Advantage beneficiaries in rural and urban areas. Breaks down data by sex, treatment received, treatment outcomes, and rural versus urban location, among other measures.
Author(s): Sarah MacCarthy, Marc N. Elliott, Steven C. Martino, et al.
Citation: Journal of Rural Health, 39(3), 636-642
Date: 06/2023
view details