Rural Health
Resources by Topic: Medicare
Telehealth and Licensure Policies Improving Healthcare Access for Rural Communities
Discusses expanding licensure across state lines so providers can provide telehealth services to a wider service area. Includes information on Medicaid and Medicare telehealth policies as well as state-level legislation focused on cross-state licensing.
Author(s): Ashley Cram
Date: 01/2023
Sponsoring organization: Association of State and Territorial Health Officials
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Discusses expanding licensure across state lines so providers can provide telehealth services to a wider service area. Includes information on Medicaid and Medicare telehealth policies as well as state-level legislation focused on cross-state licensing.
Author(s): Ashley Cram
Date: 01/2023
Sponsoring organization: Association of State and Territorial Health Officials
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Medicare Advantage Enrollment Update 2022
Reports on the percentage of rural Medicare beneficiaries enrolled in Medicare Advantage (MA) plans by metropolitan and nonmetropolitan location and plan type, from 2012-2022.
Author(s): Edmer Lazaro, Fred Ullrich, Keith Mueller
Date: 01/2023
Sponsoring organization: RUPRI Center for Rural Health Policy Analysis
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Reports on the percentage of rural Medicare beneficiaries enrolled in Medicare Advantage (MA) plans by metropolitan and nonmetropolitan location and plan type, from 2012-2022.
Author(s): Edmer Lazaro, Fred Ullrich, Keith Mueller
Date: 01/2023
Sponsoring organization: RUPRI Center for Rural Health Policy Analysis
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Orientation to Rural Emergency Hospital Conversion and Technical Assistance
Recording of a January 18, 2023, webinar discussing the Rural Emergency Hospital (REH) program. Provides an overview of the REH designation, policy and regulatory requirements, and REH Technical Assistance Center (TAC) services. Transcript available by clicking the dots above the video description, then selecting Show transcript.
Date: 01/2023
Sponsoring organizations: Mathematica, Rural Health Redesign Center
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Recording of a January 18, 2023, webinar discussing the Rural Emergency Hospital (REH) program. Provides an overview of the REH designation, policy and regulatory requirements, and REH Technical Assistance Center (TAC) services. Transcript available by clicking the dots above the video description, then selecting Show transcript.
Date: 01/2023
Sponsoring organizations: Mathematica, Rural Health Redesign Center
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Virginia Rural Hospital Report: The Challenge Before Us
Highlights the public health and economic contributions made by the 28 Virginia rural hospitals and the challenges they face. Features statistics on admissions, births, beds, and fulltime employees, and county-level maps showing locations of rural hospitals and Health Professional Shortage Areas.
Date: 01/2023
Sponsoring organization: Virginia Hospital & Healthcare Association
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Highlights the public health and economic contributions made by the 28 Virginia rural hospitals and the challenges they face. Features statistics on admissions, births, beds, and fulltime employees, and county-level maps showing locations of rural hospitals and Health Professional Shortage Areas.
Date: 01/2023
Sponsoring organization: Virginia Hospital & Healthcare Association
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The Health Equity & Access for Rural Dually Eligible Individuals (HEARD) Toolkit: Raising Rural Voices from New Mexico, North Dakota, and Tennessee to Create Action
Provides an overview on the access barriers and health disparities of Medicaid and Medicare dually eligible individuals residing in rural areas. Presents research and stakeholder feedback from New Mexico, North Dakota, and Tennessee to provide information to policymakers. Discusses topics such as community planning related to equity and infrastructure, workforce capacity and community health workers (CHWs), and social determinants of health.
Author(s): Ellen Breslin, Samantha Di Paola, Susan McGeehan, Rebecca Kellenberg, Andrea Maresca
Date: 01/2023
Sponsoring organization: Health Management Associates
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Provides an overview on the access barriers and health disparities of Medicaid and Medicare dually eligible individuals residing in rural areas. Presents research and stakeholder feedback from New Mexico, North Dakota, and Tennessee to provide information to policymakers. Discusses topics such as community planning related to equity and infrastructure, workforce capacity and community health workers (CHWs), and social determinants of health.
Author(s): Ellen Breslin, Samantha Di Paola, Susan McGeehan, Rebecca Kellenberg, Andrea Maresca
Date: 01/2023
Sponsoring organization: Health Management Associates
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Examining Rural Telehealth During the Public Health Emergency
Examines the use of telehealth visits for rural and urban fee-for-service Medicare enrollees between January 2018 and June 2021. Compares telehealth utilization before the COVID-19 pandemic (2018-2019) with telehealth utilization from January 2020 to June 2021. Describes the demographic, geographical, and technological characteristics of telehealth services that were associated with increased telehealth use. Explores the extent to which the increased implementation and utilization of telehealth during the PHE impacted the cost of patient care and provider utilization.
Date: 01/2023
Sponsoring organizations: Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services, CMS Alliance to Modernize Healthcare
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Examines the use of telehealth visits for rural and urban fee-for-service Medicare enrollees between January 2018 and June 2021. Compares telehealth utilization before the COVID-19 pandemic (2018-2019) with telehealth utilization from January 2020 to June 2021. Describes the demographic, geographical, and technological characteristics of telehealth services that were associated with increased telehealth use. Explores the extent to which the increased implementation and utilization of telehealth during the PHE impacted the cost of patient care and provider utilization.
Date: 01/2023
Sponsoring organizations: Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services, CMS Alliance to Modernize Healthcare
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Addressing the Rising Mental Health Needs of an Aging Population: Proceedings of a Workshop
Summary of a May 2023 workshop discussing mental health care for older adults, including challenges and strategies for meeting mental health needs. Discusses disparities, social determinants of health, access, workforce, interventions and support, rural challenges, and more.
Additional links: Read Online
Author(s): Board on Health Care Services
Date: 2023
Sponsoring organization: Health and Medicine Division (HMD), National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine
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Summary of a May 2023 workshop discussing mental health care for older adults, including challenges and strategies for meeting mental health needs. Discusses disparities, social determinants of health, access, workforce, interventions and support, rural challenges, and more.
Additional links: Read Online
Author(s): Board on Health Care Services
Date: 2023
Sponsoring organization: Health and Medicine Division (HMD), National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine
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Medicare Telehealth Trends Dashboard, 2019-2021
Interactive dashboard provides data on Medicare beneficiaries' telehealth visits from 2019 through 2021. Allows users to explore data by beneficiary characteristics, including age, disability status, urban/rural residence; behavioral health versus non-behavioral health visits; telehealth modality; and the percent of total visits that were via telehealth visits in 2020 by state.
Date: 2023
Sponsoring organization: HHS Office of the Assistant Secretary for Planning and Evaluation
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Interactive dashboard provides data on Medicare beneficiaries' telehealth visits from 2019 through 2021. Allows users to explore data by beneficiary characteristics, including age, disability status, urban/rural residence; behavioral health versus non-behavioral health visits; telehealth modality; and the percent of total visits that were via telehealth visits in 2020 by state.
Date: 2023
Sponsoring organization: HHS Office of the Assistant Secretary for Planning and Evaluation
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Evaluation of the Rural Community Hospital Demonstration: Interim Report Two (Covering 2016-2018)
Provides an overview of the Rural Community Hospital Demonstration (RCHD). Describes the characteristics of RCHD participants as of fiscal year 2018, the Medicare payments received under the program, and the impact of the RCHD on hospital financial measures. Examines whether hospitals that continued to participate in the RCHD under the 21st Century Cures Act (CCA) extension experienced additional changes to their financial condition, as well as the impact of the program on hospitals that joined the demonstration for the first time under the CCA extension.
Additional links: Findings at a Glance
Date: 12/2022
Sponsoring organizations: American Institutes for Research, Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services
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Provides an overview of the Rural Community Hospital Demonstration (RCHD). Describes the characteristics of RCHD participants as of fiscal year 2018, the Medicare payments received under the program, and the impact of the RCHD on hospital financial measures. Examines whether hospitals that continued to participate in the RCHD under the 21st Century Cures Act (CCA) extension experienced additional changes to their financial condition, as well as the impact of the program on hospitals that joined the demonstration for the first time under the CCA extension.
Additional links: Findings at a Glance
Date: 12/2022
Sponsoring organizations: American Institutes for Research, Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services
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Public Law 117–328: Consolidated Appropriations Act, 2023
Text of the Consolidated Appropriations Act, 2023, Public Law 117-328 (December 29, 2022). Section 4113 extends certain COVID-19 telehealth flexibilities, including the ability of Rural Health Clinics and Federally Qualified Health Centers to serve as distant site providers, through December 31, 2024. Section 4137 authorizes the extension of a 1% add-on payment for home health services provided in high-utilization rural counties through 2023.
Date: 12/2022
Sponsoring organization: U.S. Congress
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Text of the Consolidated Appropriations Act, 2023, Public Law 117-328 (December 29, 2022). Section 4113 extends certain COVID-19 telehealth flexibilities, including the ability of Rural Health Clinics and Federally Qualified Health Centers to serve as distant site providers, through December 31, 2024. Section 4137 authorizes the extension of a 1% add-on payment for home health services provided in high-utilization rural counties through 2023.
Date: 12/2022
Sponsoring organization: U.S. Congress
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