Rural Health
Resources by Topic: Hospice and palliative care
MedPAC Data Book: Health Care Spending and the Medicare Program, 2025
Provides an overview of Medicare spending and highlights data on Medicare beneficiary demographics, dual-eligible beneficiaries, quality of care provided through the Medicare program, and other payer liability. Examines settings of care, including rural-specific provider sites, as they relate to spending, access to care, and profit margins. Compares rural and urban beneficiaries and providers throughout. Chart 6-2 addresses rural hospital closures and Rural Emergency Hospital conversions.
Date: 07/2025
Sponsoring organization: Medicare Payment Advisory Commission
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Provides an overview of Medicare spending and highlights data on Medicare beneficiary demographics, dual-eligible beneficiaries, quality of care provided through the Medicare program, and other payer liability. Examines settings of care, including rural-specific provider sites, as they relate to spending, access to care, and profit margins. Compares rural and urban beneficiaries and providers throughout. Chart 6-2 addresses rural hospital closures and Rural Emergency Hospital conversions.
Date: 07/2025
Sponsoring organization: Medicare Payment Advisory Commission
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Establishing First Age-Friendly Health System Tele-Palliative Care Clinic – Facilitators, Challenges, Lessons Learned to Improve Care for Rural, Older Veterans
Presents a study exploring an age-friendly tele-palliative care clinic for older veterans. Highlights challenges and successes of using telehealth to provide palliative care to older rural veterans in Colorado.
Author(s): Stephanie Hartz, Alexander Garbin, Kathryn Allen Nearing, et al.
Citation: INQUIRY: The Journal of Health Care Organization, Provision, and Financing, 62
Date: 07/2025
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Presents a study exploring an age-friendly tele-palliative care clinic for older veterans. Highlights challenges and successes of using telehealth to provide palliative care to older rural veterans in Colorado.
Author(s): Stephanie Hartz, Alexander Garbin, Kathryn Allen Nearing, et al.
Citation: INQUIRY: The Journal of Health Care Organization, Provision, and Financing, 62
Date: 07/2025
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Palliative Video Consultation and Symptom Distress Among Rural Inpatients: A Randomized Clinical Trial
Results of a study to assess whether culturally-based palliative care video consultation improves symptom distress compared with usual inpatient care without palliative care. Uses data collected from July 2020 to December 2023 from 3 rural hospitals in Alabama, Mississippi, and South Carolina.
Author(s): Marie A. Bakitas, Shena Gazaway, Felicia Underwood, et al.
Citation: JAMA Network Open, 8(7), e2519426
Date: 07/2025
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Results of a study to assess whether culturally-based palliative care video consultation improves symptom distress compared with usual inpatient care without palliative care. Uses data collected from July 2020 to December 2023 from 3 rural hospitals in Alabama, Mississippi, and South Carolina.
Author(s): Marie A. Bakitas, Shena Gazaway, Felicia Underwood, et al.
Citation: JAMA Network Open, 8(7), e2519426
Date: 07/2025
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Guidance for the Expiration of the COVID-19 Public Health Emergency (PHE)
Outlines the emergency waivers related to the minimum health and safety requirements for long-term care and acute continuing care providers that expired at the end of the COVID-19 public health emergency (PHE). Describes the timelines for certain regulatory requirements issued during the PHE through interim final rules.
Date: 07/2025
Sponsoring organization: Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services
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Outlines the emergency waivers related to the minimum health and safety requirements for long-term care and acute continuing care providers that expired at the end of the COVID-19 public health emergency (PHE). Describes the timelines for certain regulatory requirements issued during the PHE through interim final rules.
Date: 07/2025
Sponsoring organization: Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services
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Study Protocol of Sustaining Home Palliative Care for Patients with Heart Failure (Hf) and Their Family Caregivers in Rural Appalachia: A Mixed Methods Randomized Clinical Trial
Study protocol to examine an integrated nurse-led intervention bundle for patients with heart failure and their family caregivers regarding home supportive end-of-live palliative care in rural West Virginia. Discusses the assessment of the intervention's sustainability with rural stakeholders, visiting volunteers, and the West Virginia Faith Community Nurse Network.
Author(s): Ubolrat Piamjariyakul, Stephanie Young, Angel Smothers, et al.
Citation: BMC Palliative Care, 24(1)
Date: 03/2025
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Study protocol to examine an integrated nurse-led intervention bundle for patients with heart failure and their family caregivers regarding home supportive end-of-live palliative care in rural West Virginia. Discusses the assessment of the intervention's sustainability with rural stakeholders, visiting volunteers, and the West Virginia Faith Community Nurse Network.
Author(s): Ubolrat Piamjariyakul, Stephanie Young, Angel Smothers, et al.
Citation: BMC Palliative Care, 24(1)
Date: 03/2025
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MedPAC Report to the Congress: Medicare Payment Policy: Hospice Services: Chapter 9
Discusses payment adequacy for hospice and palliative support services. Includes data on average costs by day and aggregate margins by urban and rural status, as well as demographics on Medicare decedents who used hospice during 2010 and between 2019-2023. Compares the actual hospice utilization rates in micropolitan, rural adjacent, rural nonadjacent, and frontier areas to urban hospice utilization rates.
Date: 03/2025
Sponsoring organization: Medicare Payment Advisory Commission
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Discusses payment adequacy for hospice and palliative support services. Includes data on average costs by day and aggregate margins by urban and rural status, as well as demographics on Medicare decedents who used hospice during 2010 and between 2019-2023. Compares the actual hospice utilization rates in micropolitan, rural adjacent, rural nonadjacent, and frontier areas to urban hospice utilization rates.
Date: 03/2025
Sponsoring organization: Medicare Payment Advisory Commission
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MedPAC Report to the Congress: Medicare Payment Policy, 2025
Annual review of Medicare payment policies, with recommendations to Congress. Includes discussion on Medicare payment policies directly affecting rural providers and beneficiaries. Addresses payment adequacy for Medicare fee-for-service payment systems, Medicare Advantage (MA), and Medicare Part D.
Date: 03/2025
Sponsoring organization: Medicare Payment Advisory Commission
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Annual review of Medicare payment policies, with recommendations to Congress. Includes discussion on Medicare payment policies directly affecting rural providers and beneficiaries. Addresses payment adequacy for Medicare fee-for-service payment systems, Medicare Advantage (MA), and Medicare Part D.
Date: 03/2025
Sponsoring organization: Medicare Payment Advisory Commission
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Telehealth for the Study of Palliative Care Communication: Opportunities, Methodological Challenges, and Recommendations
Examines telehealth in connection to palliative care communication. Utilizes 3 ongoing studies involving patients with serious illnesses who have received palliative care through telehealth to reflect on opportunities and challenges in utilizing telehealth for palliative care. Provides examples from rural Vermont.
Author(s): Elise C. Tarbi, Susanna L. Schuler, Natalie Ambrose, et al.
Citation: BMC Palliative Care, 24, 55
Date: 03/2025
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Examines telehealth in connection to palliative care communication. Utilizes 3 ongoing studies involving patients with serious illnesses who have received palliative care through telehealth to reflect on opportunities and challenges in utilizing telehealth for palliative care. Provides examples from rural Vermont.
Author(s): Elise C. Tarbi, Susanna L. Schuler, Natalie Ambrose, et al.
Citation: BMC Palliative Care, 24, 55
Date: 03/2025
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Exploring Access to Critical Health Services for Older Adults in Rural America from 1990 to 2020
Analyzes Area Health Resource Files to evaluate access to healthcare facilities and services between 1990 and 2020 using Rural-Urban Continuum Codes (RUCC). Discusses healthcare access disparities between urban and rural areas and the growth of the older adult population in rural communities.
Author(s): Elizabeth A. Bambury, Alexis A. Merdjanoff, Joshua T. Fergen, J. Tom Mueller
Citation: The Journal of Rural Health, 41(1), e70004
Date: 02/2025
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Analyzes Area Health Resource Files to evaluate access to healthcare facilities and services between 1990 and 2020 using Rural-Urban Continuum Codes (RUCC). Discusses healthcare access disparities between urban and rural areas and the growth of the older adult population in rural communities.
Author(s): Elizabeth A. Bambury, Alexis A. Merdjanoff, Joshua T. Fergen, J. Tom Mueller
Citation: The Journal of Rural Health, 41(1), e70004
Date: 02/2025
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2024-2025 Pre-Rulemaking Measure Review (PRMR): Recommendations Report
Reviews the 41 pre-rulemaking quality measures the Battelle's Partnership for Quality Measurement (PQM) considered during the 2024-2025 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: 02/2025
Sponsoring organization: Partnership for Quality Measurement
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Reviews the 41 pre-rulemaking quality measures the Battelle's Partnership for Quality Measurement (PQM) considered during the 2024-2025 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: 02/2025
Sponsoring organization: Partnership for Quality Measurement
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