Rural Health
Resources by Topic: Healthcare quality
Adult Ratings of Neighborhood Medical Care Availability in Nonmetropolitan and Metropolitan Areas, United States 2021
Statistical brief examining perceptions of medical care availability and quality in nonmetropolitan and metropolitan areas, utilizing 2021 AHRQ Medical Expenditure Panel Survey Household Component (MEPS-HC) data. Includes data breakdowns by level of rurality and age group, insurance status, physical health status, and more.
Author(s): Sandra L. Decker, Xue Wu
Date: 07/2025
Sponsoring organization: Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality
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Statistical brief examining perceptions of medical care availability and quality in nonmetropolitan and metropolitan areas, utilizing 2021 AHRQ Medical Expenditure Panel Survey Household Component (MEPS-HC) data. Includes data breakdowns by level of rurality and age group, insurance status, physical health status, and more.
Author(s): Sandra L. Decker, Xue Wu
Date: 07/2025
Sponsoring organization: Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality
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AHEAD CMS-Designed Medicare FFS HGB Calculator Tool for Acute Care Hospitals Demonstration
Provides an overview and demonstration of the CMS-Designed Medicare Fee-for-Service Hospital Global Budget (HGB) Calculator Tool, which aims to support fee-for-service acute care hospitals in understanding the HGB financial methodology for the AHEAD Model. Discusses how an AHEAD Medicare Fee-for-Service Hospital Global Budget is constructed.
Additional links: AHEAD Model CMS-Designed Medicare FFS Acute Care Hospital Global Budget Calculator Tool, AHEAD Model: CMS-Designed Medicare Hospital Global Budget Acute Care Hospital Calculator Tool At-A-Glance
Date: 07/2025
Sponsoring organization: Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services
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Provides an overview and demonstration of the CMS-Designed Medicare Fee-for-Service Hospital Global Budget (HGB) Calculator Tool, which aims to support fee-for-service acute care hospitals in understanding the HGB financial methodology for the AHEAD Model. Discusses how an AHEAD Medicare Fee-for-Service Hospital Global Budget is constructed.
Additional links: AHEAD Model CMS-Designed Medicare FFS Acute Care Hospital Global Budget Calculator Tool, AHEAD Model: CMS-Designed Medicare Hospital Global Budget Acute Care Hospital Calculator Tool At-A-Glance
Date: 07/2025
Sponsoring organization: Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services
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AHEAD CMS-Designed Medicare FFS Hospital Global Budget Calculator Tool for Critical Access Hospital
Provides an overview and demonstration of the CMS-Designed Medicare Fee-for-Service Hospital Global Budget (HGB) Calculator Tool for Critical Access Hospitals, which aims to support eligible CAHs in understanding the key elements of the AHEAD Medicare Fee-for-Service (FFS) HGB methodology. Discusses key differences in the hospital global budget construction and methodology for critical access hospitals and fee-for-service hospitals.
Additional links: AHEAD Model CMS-Designed Medicare FFS Critical Access Hospital Global Budget Calculator Tool, AHEAD Model: CMS-Designed Medicare Hospital Global Budget Critical Access Hospital Calculator Tool At-A-Glance
Date: 07/2025
Sponsoring organization: Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services
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Provides an overview and demonstration of the CMS-Designed Medicare Fee-for-Service Hospital Global Budget (HGB) Calculator Tool for Critical Access Hospitals, which aims to support eligible CAHs in understanding the key elements of the AHEAD Medicare Fee-for-Service (FFS) HGB methodology. Discusses key differences in the hospital global budget construction and methodology for critical access hospitals and fee-for-service hospitals.
Additional links: AHEAD Model CMS-Designed Medicare FFS Critical Access Hospital Global Budget Calculator Tool, AHEAD Model: CMS-Designed Medicare Hospital Global Budget Critical Access Hospital Calculator Tool At-A-Glance
Date: 07/2025
Sponsoring organization: Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services
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FY 2026 Hospital Inpatient Prospective Payment System (IPPS) and Long-Term Care Hospital Prospective Payment System (LTCH PPS) Final Rule — CMS-1833-F
Fact sheet providing an overview of the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) fiscal year 2026 hospital inpatient prospective payment system (IPPS) and long-term care hospital prospective payment system (LTCH PPS) final rule. Includes information about the Medicare Promoting Interoperability Program and the discontinuation of the low-wage index hospital policy for FY 2026 and subsequent years.
Date: 07/2025
Sponsoring organization: Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services
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Fact sheet providing an overview of the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) fiscal year 2026 hospital inpatient prospective payment system (IPPS) and long-term care hospital prospective payment system (LTCH PPS) final rule. Includes information about the Medicare Promoting Interoperability Program and the discontinuation of the low-wage index hospital policy for FY 2026 and subsequent years.
Date: 07/2025
Sponsoring organization: Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services
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Merit-Based Incentive Payment System (MIPS): 2025 MIPS Group Participation Guide - Traditional MIPS and MVPs
Provides an overview of traditional Merit-based Incentive Payment System (MIPS) and MIPS Value Pathways (MVP) group participation options for the 2025 performance year. Discusses eligibility; special status designations; the quality, cost, and promoting interoperability performance categories; scoring and payment adjustments; and more. Includes information on group reporting requirements and considerations for small practices and clinicians in a rural or Health Professional Shortage Area.
Date: 07/2025
Sponsoring organization: Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services
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Provides an overview of traditional Merit-based Incentive Payment System (MIPS) and MIPS Value Pathways (MVP) group participation options for the 2025 performance year. Discusses eligibility; special status designations; the quality, cost, and promoting interoperability performance categories; scoring and payment adjustments; and more. Includes information on group reporting requirements and considerations for small practices and clinicians in a rural or Health Professional Shortage Area.
Date: 07/2025
Sponsoring organization: Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services
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Access and Quality of Mental Health Services in Rural and Urban America
Research brief documenting recent trends in mental healthcare access and quality in urban and rural communities. Features state-level maps showing locations of mental health facilities, a county-level map with shadings showing driving distances to any mental health facility or access to telehealth, and statistics on ZIP code area demographics, with breakdowns by urban, large rural, and small rural area.
Author(s): Peiyin Hung, Sophia N.D. Negaro, Rachel M. Hantman, et al.
Date: 07/2025
Sponsoring organization: University of South Carolina Rural Health Research Center
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Research brief documenting recent trends in mental healthcare access and quality in urban and rural communities. Features state-level maps showing locations of mental health facilities, a county-level map with shadings showing driving distances to any mental health facility or access to telehealth, and statistics on ZIP code area demographics, with breakdowns by urban, large rural, and small rural area.
Author(s): Peiyin Hung, Sophia N.D. Negaro, Rachel M. Hantman, et al.
Date: 07/2025
Sponsoring organization: University of South Carolina Rural Health Research Center
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MBQIP Navigator: Your Guide to Quality Reporting Success
Offers Flex Coordinators, Critical Access Hospital staff, and others who are working with the Medicare Beneficiary Quality Improvement Project (MBQIP) information to better understand the measure reporting process. Discusses how to register for the reporting site, which measures are to be reported, and how to submit data for each measure.
Date: 06/2025
Sponsoring organization: Rural Quality Improvement Technical Assistance (RQITA) Resource Center
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Offers Flex Coordinators, Critical Access Hospital staff, and others who are working with the Medicare Beneficiary Quality Improvement Project (MBQIP) information to better understand the measure reporting process. Discusses how to register for the reporting site, which measures are to be reported, and how to submit data for each measure.
Date: 06/2025
Sponsoring organization: Rural Quality Improvement Technical Assistance (RQITA) Resource Center
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2023 Quality Payment Program Experience Report
Reports on the clinician experience for those participating in the Quality Payment Program in 2023. Presents data on Merit-based Incentive Payment System (MIPS) eligibility and participation rates for clinicians in small practices and rural areas, mean and median final scores for 2023 and 2025 payment adjustments, and payment adjustment trends from 2021 through 2023.
Date: 06/2025
Sponsoring organization: Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services
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Reports on the clinician experience for those participating in the Quality Payment Program in 2023. Presents data on Merit-based Incentive Payment System (MIPS) eligibility and participation rates for clinicians in small practices and rural areas, mean and median final scores for 2023 and 2025 payment adjustments, and payment adjustment trends from 2021 through 2023.
Date: 06/2025
Sponsoring organization: Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services
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MBQIP Quality Measures National Annual Report - 2023
Summarizes quality measure reporting rates and performance among Critical Access Hospitals (CAHs) in 2023. Presents data on the four Medicare Beneficiary Quality Improvement Project (MBQIP) domains: patient safety/inpatient, outpatient, patient engagement, and care transitions.
Author(s): Megan Lahr, Alyssa Furukawa, Madeleine Pick, Robert Barclay
Date: 06/2025
Sponsoring organization: Flex Monitoring Team
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Summarizes quality measure reporting rates and performance among Critical Access Hospitals (CAHs) in 2023. Presents data on the four Medicare Beneficiary Quality Improvement Project (MBQIP) domains: patient safety/inpatient, outpatient, patient engagement, and care transitions.
Author(s): Megan Lahr, Alyssa Furukawa, Madeleine Pick, Robert Barclay
Date: 06/2025
Sponsoring organization: Flex Monitoring Team
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RHPTP HELP Webinar: Medicare's NEW Advanced Primary Care Management Program
Webinar recording discusses the Advanced Primary Care Management (APCM) Program, an initiative to improve the delivery, coordination, and outcomes in primary care services. Explores the process of transitioning from fee-for-service to value-based care models and discusses how Medicare's program fits the APCM model.
Additional links: Webinar Slides
Author(s): Lindsay Corcoran, Amy Graham
Date: 06/2025
Sponsoring organization: National Rural Health Resource Center
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Webinar recording discusses the Advanced Primary Care Management (APCM) Program, an initiative to improve the delivery, coordination, and outcomes in primary care services. Explores the process of transitioning from fee-for-service to value-based care models and discusses how Medicare's program fits the APCM model.
Additional links: Webinar Slides
Author(s): Lindsay Corcoran, Amy Graham
Date: 06/2025
Sponsoring organization: National Rural Health Resource Center
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