Rural Health
Resources by Topic: Long-term care
MedPAC Report to the Congress: Medicare Payment Policy, 2023
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 healthcare facilities and services; Medicare Advantage (MA), including a mandated report comparing per enrollee spending in the MA program with that of traditional fee-for-service (FFS) Medicare; and Medicare Part D.
Date: 03/2023
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 healthcare facilities and services; Medicare Advantage (MA), including a mandated report comparing per enrollee spending in the MA program with that of traditional fee-for-service (FFS) Medicare; and Medicare Part D.
Date: 03/2023
Sponsoring organization: Medicare Payment Advisory Commission
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Report to Congress on Medicaid and CHIP, March 2023
Reports on four aspects of Medicaid: 1) collecting and reporting Medicaid race and ethnicity data, 2) increasing the transparency and improving the collection of nursing facility payment data, 3) strengthening evidence under Medicaid drug coverage, and 4) reviewing hospital payment policy for the nation's safety-net hospitals. Chapter 4 examines the relationship between disproportionate share hospital (DSH) allotments to states and the number of uninsured individuals, the amounts and sources of hospitals' uncompensated care costs, and the number of hospitals with high levels of uncompensated care that also provide essential community services. Table 4-1 details DSH spending for urban and rural hospitals and for Critical Access Hospitals.
Date: 03/2023
Sponsoring organization: Medicaid and CHIP Payment and Access Commission
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Reports on four aspects of Medicaid: 1) collecting and reporting Medicaid race and ethnicity data, 2) increasing the transparency and improving the collection of nursing facility payment data, 3) strengthening evidence under Medicaid drug coverage, and 4) reviewing hospital payment policy for the nation's safety-net hospitals. Chapter 4 examines the relationship between disproportionate share hospital (DSH) allotments to states and the number of uninsured individuals, the amounts and sources of hospitals' uncompensated care costs, and the number of hospitals with high levels of uncompensated care that also provide essential community services. Table 4-1 details DSH spending for urban and rural hospitals and for Critical Access Hospitals.
Date: 03/2023
Sponsoring organization: Medicaid and CHIP Payment and Access Commission
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Trends in Supply of Nursing Home Beds, 2011-2019
Examines the change in the supply of nursing home beds between 2011 and 2019 while adjusting for the change in the number of older adults in the population. Presents data on the characteristics of counties where the supply of nursing home beds has changed, including rurality and census region. Describes the characteristics of the nursing home beds in counties where the supply has changed, including the percent change in 4- and 5-star beds, for-profit beds, and chain-affiliated beds.
Author(s): Katherine E.M. Miller, Paula Chatterjee, Rachel M. Werner
Citation: JAMA Network Open, 6(3), e230640
Date: 01/2023
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Examines the change in the supply of nursing home beds between 2011 and 2019 while adjusting for the change in the number of older adults in the population. Presents data on the characteristics of counties where the supply of nursing home beds has changed, including rurality and census region. Describes the characteristics of the nursing home beds in counties where the supply has changed, including the percent change in 4- and 5-star beds, for-profit beds, and chain-affiliated beds.
Author(s): Katherine E.M. Miller, Paula Chatterjee, Rachel M. Werner
Citation: JAMA Network Open, 6(3), e230640
Date: 01/2023
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COVID-19 Mortality Rates across Noncore, Micropolitan, and Metropolitan Counties by Community Characteristics, December 2020-January 2021
Explores differences in COVID-19 mortality rates across rural-urban designations and stratifications by geography, county-level sociodemographic factors, and county-level healthcare factors. Features statistics on mortality rates by rurality and U.S. census region, racial/ethnic composition, and ICU and nursing home bed density, as well as state-level maps showing mortality rates per 100,000 with breakdowns by metropolitan, micropolitan, and noncore areas.
Author(s): Whitney E. Zahnd, Khyathi Gadag, Fred Ullrich, Keith J. Mueller
Date: 01/2023
Sponsoring organization: RUPRI Center for Rural Health Policy Analysis
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Explores differences in COVID-19 mortality rates across rural-urban designations and stratifications by geography, county-level sociodemographic factors, and county-level healthcare factors. Features statistics on mortality rates by rurality and U.S. census region, racial/ethnic composition, and ICU and nursing home bed density, as well as state-level maps showing mortality rates per 100,000 with breakdowns by metropolitan, micropolitan, and noncore areas.
Author(s): Whitney E. Zahnd, Khyathi Gadag, Fred Ullrich, Keith J. Mueller
Date: 01/2023
Sponsoring organization: RUPRI Center for Rural Health Policy Analysis
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Strengthening the Direct Service Workforce in Rural Areas
Summarizes the challenges of the direct service workforce in rural areas including strategies that rural stakeholders can use to provide high-quality, long-term care services and supports. Discusses the challenges of recruiting and retaining direct-care workers in rural areas.
Date: 01/2023
Sponsoring organization: Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services
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Summarizes the challenges of the direct service workforce in rural areas including strategies that rural stakeholders can use to provide high-quality, long-term care services and supports. Discusses the challenges of recruiting and retaining direct-care workers in rural areas.
Date: 01/2023
Sponsoring organization: Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services
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December 2022 MedPAC Meeting Transcript
Transcript from the Medicare Payment Advisory Commission's (MedPAC) December 2022 meeting. Covers payment adequacy and updates for hospital inpatient and outpatient services and supporting Medicare safety-net hospitals, ambulatory surgical center services, outpatient dialysis services, physician and other health professional services, hospice services, skilled nursing facilities, home health services, and inpatient rehabilitation facility services. Includes rural references throughout.
Date: 12/2022
Sponsoring organization: Medicare Payment Advisory Commission
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Transcript from the Medicare Payment Advisory Commission's (MedPAC) December 2022 meeting. Covers payment adequacy and updates for hospital inpatient and outpatient services and supporting Medicare safety-net hospitals, ambulatory surgical center services, outpatient dialysis services, physician and other health professional services, hospice services, skilled nursing facilities, home health services, and inpatient rehabilitation facility services. Includes rural references throughout.
Date: 12/2022
Sponsoring organization: Medicare Payment Advisory Commission
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COVID-19 in Nursing Homes: Outbreak Duration Averaged 4 Weeks and Was Strongly Associated with Community Spread
Examines how COVID-19 outbreaks affected nursing homes. Explores factors that were associated with the duration of COVID-19 outbreaks, including community-level transmission, staffing levels, nursing home size, and type of nursing home ownership. Includes rural references throughout.
Additional links: Full Report
Date: 12/2022
Sponsoring organization: Government Accountability Office
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Examines how COVID-19 outbreaks affected nursing homes. Explores factors that were associated with the duration of COVID-19 outbreaks, including community-level transmission, staffing levels, nursing home size, and type of nursing home ownership. Includes rural references throughout.
Additional links: Full Report
Date: 12/2022
Sponsoring organization: Government Accountability Office
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Ownership of Skilled Nursing Facilities: An Analysis of Newly-Released Federal Data
Analyzes the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) dataset on the ownership of all U.S. skilled nursing facilities (SNFs) enrolled in Medicare. Examines 15,151 nursing homes by for-profit, nonprofit, or government controlled; organizational structure; affiliated entity by SNF size, Medicare and Medicaid certified versus Medicare-only certified, and rural versus urban location. Includes data on the 10 largest SNF chains and their distribution of SNFs across the U.S.
Author(s): W. Pete Welch, Iara Oliveira, Martin Blanco, Benjamin D. Sommers
Date: 12/2022
Sponsoring organization: HHS Office of the Assistant Secretary for Planning and Evaluation
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Analyzes the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) dataset on the ownership of all U.S. skilled nursing facilities (SNFs) enrolled in Medicare. Examines 15,151 nursing homes by for-profit, nonprofit, or government controlled; organizational structure; affiliated entity by SNF size, Medicare and Medicaid certified versus Medicare-only certified, and rural versus urban location. Includes data on the 10 largest SNF chains and their distribution of SNFs across the U.S.
Author(s): W. Pete Welch, Iara Oliveira, Martin Blanco, Benjamin D. Sommers
Date: 12/2022
Sponsoring organization: HHS Office of the Assistant Secretary for Planning and Evaluation
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Variation in Residential Care Community Resident Characteristics, by Size of Community: United States, 2020
Examines residential care communities in 2020 by community size, which is calculated by the number of residential care beds in their community: 4-25 beds, 26-50 beds, or over 50 beds. Includes data further broken down by resident age, race/ethnicity, Medicaid beneficiary status, prevalence of chronic conditions, and assistance needs for walking, bathing, eating, and other life skills.
Author(s): Christine Caffrey, Amanuel Melekin, Zhaohui Lu, Manisha Sengupta
Date: 12/2022
Sponsoring organization: National Center for Health Statistics
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Examines residential care communities in 2020 by community size, which is calculated by the number of residential care beds in their community: 4-25 beds, 26-50 beds, or over 50 beds. Includes data further broken down by resident age, race/ethnicity, Medicaid beneficiary status, prevalence of chronic conditions, and assistance needs for walking, bathing, eating, and other life skills.
Author(s): Christine Caffrey, Amanuel Melekin, Zhaohui Lu, Manisha Sengupta
Date: 12/2022
Sponsoring organization: National Center for Health Statistics
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Health, Work, and Care in Rural America
Report examining rural access to paid leave from work, the economic impacts of limited access to paid leave, and distances to hospital-based and skilled nursing care. Offers a broad view of rural economic and health dynamics, travel burdens to access hospital-based care, and presents policy recommendations to address paid leave as a social determinant of health.
Author(s): Vicki Shabo, Hannah Friedman
Date: 11/2022
Sponsoring organization: New America
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Report examining rural access to paid leave from work, the economic impacts of limited access to paid leave, and distances to hospital-based and skilled nursing care. Offers a broad view of rural economic and health dynamics, travel burdens to access hospital-based care, and presents policy recommendations to address paid leave as a social determinant of health.
Author(s): Vicki Shabo, Hannah Friedman
Date: 11/2022
Sponsoring organization: New America
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