Rural Health
Resources by Topic: Long-term care
December 2025 MedPAC Meeting Transcript
Transcript from the Medicare Payment Advisory Commission's (MedPAC) December 2025 meeting. Covers payment adequacy and updates for physician and other health professional services, hospital inpatient and outpatient services, Rural Emergency Hospitals (REHs), post-acute care, skilled nursing facility services, inpatient rehabilitation facility services, home health services, hospice services, and outpatient dialysis services. Includes discussions on improving Medicare payment approaches and mandated reports on the impact of recent changes to the home health prospective payment system and an assessment of the Medicare ground ambulance data collection system.
Additional links: Assessing Payment Adequacy and Updating Payments: Hospital Inpatient and Outpatient Services; Mandated Report on Rural Emergency Hospitals; And Update on Site-neutral Payments - Presentation Slides, Mandated Report: Assessment of the Medicare Ground Ambulance Data Collection System - Presentation Slides
Date: 12/2025
Sponsoring organization: Medicare Payment Advisory Commission
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Transcript from the Medicare Payment Advisory Commission's (MedPAC) December 2025 meeting. Covers payment adequacy and updates for physician and other health professional services, hospital inpatient and outpatient services, Rural Emergency Hospitals (REHs), post-acute care, skilled nursing facility services, inpatient rehabilitation facility services, home health services, hospice services, and outpatient dialysis services. Includes discussions on improving Medicare payment approaches and mandated reports on the impact of recent changes to the home health prospective payment system and an assessment of the Medicare ground ambulance data collection system.
Additional links: Assessing Payment Adequacy and Updating Payments: Hospital Inpatient and Outpatient Services; Mandated Report on Rural Emergency Hospitals; And Update on Site-neutral Payments - Presentation Slides, Mandated Report: Assessment of the Medicare Ground Ambulance Data Collection System - Presentation Slides
Date: 12/2025
Sponsoring organization: Medicare Payment Advisory Commission
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Closing the Care Gap: Strengthening Long-Term Services and Supports in Rural California
Describes gaps in long-term services and providers for rural older adults in California and offers policy recommendations to address those gaps. Discusses the direct care workforce, aging-related barriers to support, family caregiving support, and workforce education.
Author(s): Pauline DeLange Martinez, Elizabeth Bogumil, Helen Miltiades, et al.
Date: 11/2025
Sponsoring organizations: The SCAN Foundation, UC Davis Health
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Describes gaps in long-term services and providers for rural older adults in California and offers policy recommendations to address those gaps. Discusses the direct care workforce, aging-related barriers to support, family caregiving support, and workforce education.
Author(s): Pauline DeLange Martinez, Elizabeth Bogumil, Helen Miltiades, et al.
Date: 11/2025
Sponsoring organizations: The SCAN Foundation, UC Davis Health
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MedPAC Payment Basics
Series of briefs providing an of Medicare payment systems. Covers payments systems including Accountable Care Organizations (ACO), Critical Access Hospitals (CAH), Federally Qualified Health Centers and Rural Health Clinics, hospital acute inpatient services, and more.
Date: 11/2025
Sponsoring organization: Medicare Payment Advisory Commission
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Series of briefs providing an of Medicare payment systems. Covers payments systems including Accountable Care Organizations (ACO), Critical Access Hospitals (CAH), Federally Qualified Health Centers and Rural Health Clinics, hospital acute inpatient services, and more.
Date: 11/2025
Sponsoring organization: Medicare Payment Advisory Commission
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Directory of Mississippi Health Facilities
Directory of Mississippi health facilities with address, phone number, and accreditation status if applicable, current as of November 5, 2025. Includes a list of rural health facilities on pages 87-98.
Date: 11/2025
Sponsoring organization: Mississippi State Department of Health
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Directory of Mississippi health facilities with address, phone number, and accreditation status if applicable, current as of November 5, 2025. Includes a list of rural health facilities on pages 87-98.
Date: 11/2025
Sponsoring organization: Mississippi State Department of Health
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Medicare Payment Basics: Long-term Care Hospitals Payment System
Overview of Medicare payments for long-term care hospitals (LTCH) and services. Discusses the LTCH prospective payment system (PPS) and payment rate settings for LTCH and site-neutral cases.
Date: 11/2025
Sponsoring organization: Medicare Payment Advisory Commission
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Overview of Medicare payments for long-term care hospitals (LTCH) and services. Discusses the LTCH prospective payment system (PPS) and payment rate settings for LTCH and site-neutral cases.
Date: 11/2025
Sponsoring organization: Medicare Payment Advisory Commission
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Rural-Urban Comparisons of Nursing Staff Turnover among Skilled Nursing Facilities
Results of a study assessing facility-level turnover rates for nursing personnel across levels of rurality and by region, using data from 14,986 facilities. Features statistics on turnover rates in 2022, with breakdowns by total nursing staff and registered nurses only, and by rural or urban areas. Also includes a county-level map showing average nursing staff turnover rates.
Author(s): Michael D. Wirth, Nick Yell, Peiyin Hung, Elizabeth Crouch
Date: 09/2025
Sponsoring organization: University of South Carolina Rural Health Research Center
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Results of a study assessing facility-level turnover rates for nursing personnel across levels of rurality and by region, using data from 14,986 facilities. Features statistics on turnover rates in 2022, with breakdowns by total nursing staff and registered nurses only, and by rural or urban areas. Also includes a county-level map showing average nursing staff turnover rates.
Author(s): Michael D. Wirth, Nick Yell, Peiyin Hung, Elizabeth Crouch
Date: 09/2025
Sponsoring organization: University of South Carolina Rural Health Research Center
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Nursing Homes Failed to Report 43 Percent of Falls With Major Injury and Hospitalization among Their Medicare-Enrolled Residents
Explores the extent to which falls with major injury that resulted in hospitalization among Medicare-enrolled nursing home residents were accurately reported by nursing homes in Minimum Data Set (MDS) assessments between July 2022 and June 2023. Compares the nursing home and patient characteristics associated with higher rates of unreported falls, including nursing home size, ownership structure, rurality, and overall star rating.
Additional links: Report Highlights
Date: 09/2025
Sponsoring organization: Office of Inspector General (HHS)
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Explores the extent to which falls with major injury that resulted in hospitalization among Medicare-enrolled nursing home residents were accurately reported by nursing homes in Minimum Data Set (MDS) assessments between July 2022 and June 2023. Compares the nursing home and patient characteristics associated with higher rates of unreported falls, including nursing home size, ownership structure, rurality, and overall star rating.
Additional links: Report Highlights
Date: 09/2025
Sponsoring organization: Office of Inspector General (HHS)
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The National Dementia Workforce Study: The Plan for Organization Sample Frames and Data Collection
Details a plan for sampling and recruitment procedures of the dementia workforce, focusing on previously unsampled populations working in assisted living communities or home health agencies. Discusses sampling and recruitment strategies with considerations for Census region and rural areas.
Author(s): James Wagner, Laura M. Wagner, Sheryl Zimmerman, et al.
Citation: Journal of the American Geriatrics Society
Date: 09/2025
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Details a plan for sampling and recruitment procedures of the dementia workforce, focusing on previously unsampled populations working in assisted living communities or home health agencies. Discusses sampling and recruitment strategies with considerations for Census region and rural areas.
Author(s): James Wagner, Laura M. Wagner, Sheryl Zimmerman, et al.
Citation: Journal of the American Geriatrics Society
Date: 09/2025
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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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Financial Performance of Rural and Urban Nursing Homes: A Comparative Analysis
Presents a study comparing the financial performance between rural and urban nursing homes. Discusses the different structural barriers and facilitators that affect the operating margins in rural and urban facilities.
Author(s): Gregory N. Orewa, Rohit Pradhan, Akbar Ghiasi, et al.
Citation: Journal of Rural Health, 41(3), e70053
Date: 07/2025
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Presents a study comparing the financial performance between rural and urban nursing homes. Discusses the different structural barriers and facilitators that affect the operating margins in rural and urban facilities.
Author(s): Gregory N. Orewa, Rohit Pradhan, Akbar Ghiasi, et al.
Citation: Journal of Rural Health, 41(3), e70053
Date: 07/2025
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