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Rural Health Information Hub

Rural Health
Resources by Topic: Medicare

Medicare Learning Network: Hospital Outpatient Prospective Payment System
Provides general information about the Medicare Hospital Outpatient Prospective Payment System (PPS). Includes information about payment rates, Ambulatory Payment Classification groups, price transparency, and more.
Sponsoring organization: Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services
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North Carolina State Designated Rural Health Centers Operations Guidance
Manual providing consolidated resources for North Carolina's State Designated Rural Health Center (SDRHC) Program. Standardizes North Carolina SDRHC services, describes strategies to designate new rural health centers, and provides additional resources that support effective operations and transition into and out of SDRHC status.
Sponsoring organization: North Carolina Office of Rural Health
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Medicare Learning Network: Medicare Payment Systems
Provides general information about Medicare payment systems, including the DMEPOS Fee Schedule, Inpatient Psychiatric Facility Prospective Payment System (IPF PPS), Inpatient Rehabilitation Facility Prospective Payment System (IRF PPS), and more. Includes links to additional resources for each provider type.
Sponsoring organization: Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services
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Pennsylvania Rural Health Model
Provides information on a joint CMS and the Pennsylvania Department of Health model designed to improve the financial viability of rural Pennsylvania hospitals and reduce the growth of hospital expenditures across payers, including Medicare. Includes information on participating hospitals and details about the performance period and model targets. Concluded December 31, 2024.
Sponsoring organization: Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services
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Emergency Triage, Treat, and Transport (ET3) Model
Provides information on a CMS model that permitted ambulance care teams to use alternate models of emergency healthcare, such as telehealth treatment and transport to alternative destinations, to improve quality and lower costs of care. Rural Medicare-enrolled suppliers or hospital-based ambulance providers without current medical dispatch and/or telehealth were eligible to participate. Concluded December 31, 2023.
Sponsoring organization: Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services
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Telehealth and Palliative Care
Offers resources on delivering palliative care through telehealth services. Covers how to select the technology platform, prepare patients and families, conduct a telehealth visit, and document and bill for services. Includes a Telehealth Start-Up Guide that outlines key components of telehealth service delivery in a home-based palliative care program
Sponsoring organization: Center to Advance Palliative Care
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CMS Open Door Forum Podcast and Transcripts
Provides audio recordings and transcripts of Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) Open Door Forum calls since January 2020, including the Rural Health Open Door Forums.
Sponsoring organization: Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services
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Medicare Promoting Interoperability Program: CY 2025 Hardship Exception Policy Fact Sheet
Provides information on the hardship exemptions for eligible hospitals and Critical Access Hospitals (CAHs) under the Medicare Promoting Interoperability Program. Includes information on how to apply for it in order to avoid negative payment adjustments.
Sponsoring organization: Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services
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Rural Hospital Closures Since 2010
Provides an interactive map showing hospital closures since 2010. Lists closures by year and Medicare payment type (Critical Access Hospital, Sole Community Hospital, Rural Referral Center, etc.), the number that have closed for each state, and the number that closed each year. Map shows locations of hospital closures and shades states based on whether or not they have adopted Medicaid expansion. Includes an interactive map showing Rural Emergency Hospital locations, coded by previous Medicare payment designation.
Sponsoring organization: Stroudwater Associates
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Emergency Department Transfer Communication
Provides an overview of the Emergency Department Transfer Communication (EDTC) quality measure for Critical Access Hospitals (CAHs) in the Medicare Beneficiary Quality Improvement Project (MBQIP). Offers a data specifications manual and training video, as well as Excel-based data collection tools, manual, and training video. Includes a technical expert panel summary and final summary report.
Sponsoring organization: Stratis Health
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