Rural Health
Resources by Topic: Legislation and regulations
Fiscal Year 2026 Medicare Inpatient Psychiatric Facility Prospective Payment System and Quality Reporting Updates Proposed Rule CMS-1831-P Fact Sheet
Fact sheet providing an overview of the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) fiscal year 2026 inpatient psychiatric facility (IPF) prospective payment system (PPS) proposed rule. Covers proposed annual updates to the prospective payment rates, outlier threshold, and wage index. Also describes proposed changes to facility-level adjustment factors for teaching status and rural location.
Date: 04/2025
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 inpatient psychiatric facility (IPF) prospective payment system (PPS) proposed rule. Covers proposed annual updates to the prospective payment rates, outlier threshold, and wage index. Also describes proposed changes to facility-level adjustment factors for teaching status and rural location.
Date: 04/2025
Sponsoring organization: Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services
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Rural Emergency Hospital (REH) Model Frequently Asked Questions
Provides answers to frequently asked questions regarding the Rural Emergency Hospital (REH) designation. Covers general information, Conditions of Participation, and REH payment policies.
Date: 04/2025
Sponsoring organizations: Mathematica, Rural Health Redesign Center
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Provides answers to frequently asked questions regarding the Rural Emergency Hospital (REH) designation. Covers general information, Conditions of Participation, and REH payment policies.
Date: 04/2025
Sponsoring organizations: Mathematica, Rural Health Redesign Center
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Medicare Learning Network: Hospital Price Transparency
Contains information on federal hospital price transparency regulations and compliance, what patients need to know, and a list of helpful websites.
Date: 03/2025
Sponsoring organization: Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services
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Contains information on federal hospital price transparency regulations and compliance, what patients need to know, and a list of helpful websites.
Date: 03/2025
Sponsoring organization: Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services
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Impact of the Medicare Improvements for Patients And Providers Act on Mental Health Service Utilization And Spending among Older Adults
Examines the impact of the Medicare Improvements for Patients and Providers Act (MIPPA) on outpatient mental healthcare utilization. Utilizes 2008-2017 Medicare claims and administrative data to analyze MIPPA in a pre-implementation phase as well as 4 post-implementation phases. Includes data on mental healthcare outpatient visits by age group, race, dual eligibility status, substance use disorder, comorbidities, and urban, large rural, small rural, or isolated rural location.
Author(s): Matt Toth, Brent Gibbons, Abbie Levinson, et al.
Date: 01/2025
Sponsoring organization: HHS Office of the Assistant Secretary for Planning and Evaluation
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Examines the impact of the Medicare Improvements for Patients and Providers Act (MIPPA) on outpatient mental healthcare utilization. Utilizes 2008-2017 Medicare claims and administrative data to analyze MIPPA in a pre-implementation phase as well as 4 post-implementation phases. Includes data on mental healthcare outpatient visits by age group, race, dual eligibility status, substance use disorder, comorbidities, and urban, large rural, small rural, or isolated rural location.
Author(s): Matt Toth, Brent Gibbons, Abbie Levinson, et al.
Date: 01/2025
Sponsoring organization: HHS Office of the Assistant Secretary for Planning and Evaluation
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Postpartum Health Care Use in Medicaid During the COVID-19 Public Health Emergency: Implications for Extending Postpartum Coverage
Examines the impact of Medicaid continuous enrollment during the COVID-19 public health emergency (PHE) on postpartum healthcare utilization. Utilizes 2018-2023 claims data from the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) Transformed Medicaid Statistical Information System (T-MSIS) to analyze a pre-PHE versus PHE cohort of women. Includes healthcare utilization data with breakdowns according to age, race/ethnicity, eligibility group (Medicaid or other form), rural versus urban location, maternity care desert status, severe maternal morbidity and/or chronic health condition, postpartum month, and state.
Author(s): Amelia Whitman, Anupama Warrier, Sarah Gordon, et al.
Date: 01/2025
Sponsoring organization: HHS Office of the Assistant Secretary for Planning and Evaluation
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Examines the impact of Medicaid continuous enrollment during the COVID-19 public health emergency (PHE) on postpartum healthcare utilization. Utilizes 2018-2023 claims data from the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) Transformed Medicaid Statistical Information System (T-MSIS) to analyze a pre-PHE versus PHE cohort of women. Includes healthcare utilization data with breakdowns according to age, race/ethnicity, eligibility group (Medicaid or other form), rural versus urban location, maternity care desert status, severe maternal morbidity and/or chronic health condition, postpartum month, and state.
Author(s): Amelia Whitman, Anupama Warrier, Sarah Gordon, et al.
Date: 01/2025
Sponsoring organization: HHS Office of the Assistant Secretary for Planning and Evaluation
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Projecting the Impact of the $2,000 Part D Out-Of-Pocket Cap for Medicare Part D Enrollees with High Prescription Drug Spending
Examines the impact of the Medicare Part D $2,000 cap on out-of-pocket prescription drugs. Provides projected savings according to low-income subsidy (LIS) status, state, and demographic characteristics, including urban, rural-micropolitan, rural-other, or unclassified geographic location.
Date: 01/2025
Sponsoring organization: HHS Office of the Assistant Secretary for Planning and Evaluation
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Examines the impact of the Medicare Part D $2,000 cap on out-of-pocket prescription drugs. Provides projected savings according to low-income subsidy (LIS) status, state, and demographic characteristics, including urban, rural-micropolitan, rural-other, or unclassified geographic location.
Date: 01/2025
Sponsoring organization: HHS Office of the Assistant Secretary for Planning and Evaluation
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The Latest HIPAA Requirements - A Check-In on Your RHC's Compliance
Recording of a January 14, 2025, webinar on HIPAA compliance for Rural Health Clinics (RHCs). Covers HIPAA related legislation, HIPAA-related complaints and investigations by the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) Office for Civil Rights (OCR), and new regulations and proposed rules related to patient privacy. Part of the Rural Health Clinic Technical Assistance Series.
Additional links: Presentation Slides
Date: 01/2025
Sponsoring organization: National Association of Rural Health Clinics
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Recording of a January 14, 2025, webinar on HIPAA compliance for Rural Health Clinics (RHCs). Covers HIPAA related legislation, HIPAA-related complaints and investigations by the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) Office for Civil Rights (OCR), and new regulations and proposed rules related to patient privacy. Part of the Rural Health Clinic Technical Assistance Series.
Additional links: Presentation Slides
Date: 01/2025
Sponsoring organization: National Association of Rural Health Clinics
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Housing Issues in the 118th Congress
Provides an overview of housing-related policy issues considered by the 118th Congress, including rural and Native American housing programs.
Date: 01/2025
Sponsoring organization: Congressional Research Service
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Provides an overview of housing-related policy issues considered by the 118th Congress, including rural and Native American housing programs.
Date: 01/2025
Sponsoring organization: Congressional Research Service
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Telehealth FAQ Calendar Year 2025
Provides information on Medicare telehealth regulations and payment policy for calendar year 2025. Includes information on audio-only services, behavioral health services, direct supervision, and more.
Date: 2025
Sponsoring organization: Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services
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Provides information on Medicare telehealth regulations and payment policy for calendar year 2025. Includes information on audio-only services, behavioral health services, direct supervision, and more.
Date: 2025
Sponsoring organization: Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services
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Understanding MAT Access in the Context of Unused MAT Capacity in the United States: When Increasing Rural MAT Capacity is Not Enough
Examines the factors related to buprenorphine prescriptions to treat opioid use disorder (OUD) and the impacts of the federal DATA waiver to increase provider capacity. Utilizes multiple data sources to describe medication-assisted treatment (MAT) capacity, access, barriers, availability of MAT, and service area need in rural areas.
Author(s): Carolyn Carpenedo Mun, Rachel Zambrano, Eileen Tallman, et al.
Citation: Substance Abuse Treatment, Prevention, and Policy, 19, 47
Date: 12/2024
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Examines the factors related to buprenorphine prescriptions to treat opioid use disorder (OUD) and the impacts of the federal DATA waiver to increase provider capacity. Utilizes multiple data sources to describe medication-assisted treatment (MAT) capacity, access, barriers, availability of MAT, and service area need in rural areas.
Author(s): Carolyn Carpenedo Mun, Rachel Zambrano, Eileen Tallman, et al.
Citation: Substance Abuse Treatment, Prevention, and Policy, 19, 47
Date: 12/2024
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