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Rural Health
Resources by Topic: Medicare

Medicare Advantage Enrollment Update 2018
Reports on the percentage of rural Medicare beneficiaries enrolled in Medicare Advantage (MA) and other prepaid enrollment plans by metropolitan and nonmetropolitan location, and variability by state.
Author(s): Onyinye Oyeka, Fred Ullrich, Keith Mueller
Date: 04/2019
Type: Document
Sponsoring organization: RUPRI Center for Rural Health Policy Analysis
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Transitions in Care and Service Use among Medicare Beneficiaries in Inpatient Psychiatric Facilities
Examines characteristics of Medicare beneficiaries who use inpatient psychiatric facilities (IPF) to help reduce preventable admissions and readmissions and create quality of care measures. Addresses the types of care patients receive before, during, and after their stay at an IPF. Includes a chart identifying the number of freestanding and psychiatric unit IPFs in rural and mental health shortage areas.
Date: 04/2019
Type: Document
Sponsoring organization: HHS Office of the Assistant Secretary for Planning and Evaluation
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Integrating Care through Dual Eligible Special Needs Plans (D-SNPs): Opportunities and Challenges
Examines state and federal policy options for increasing alignment and integration of people eligible for Medicare and Medicaid through Dual Eligible Special Needs Plans (D-SNPs). Reviews the literature on the topic, provides case studies from 5 states, reports on a meeting with officials from states working on D-SNPs, and addresses challenges for offering D-SNPs in rural areas.
Author(s): Nancy Archibald, Michelle Soper, Leah Smith, Alexandra Kruse, Joshua Wiener
Date: 04/2019
Type: Document
Sponsoring organization: HHS Office of the Assistant Secretary for Planning and Evaluation
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Patterns of Care and Home Health Utilization for Community-Admitted Medicare Patients
Focuses on differences between community-admitted and post-acute care Medicare home health patients over time in order to identify reasons for the increase in community-admitted patients. Addresses differences in rural/urban residency in Tables B.1. and E.1., as well as whether the county of residence is a primary care shortage area.
Author(s): Andrea Wysocki, Valerie Cheh
Date: 04/2019
Type: Document
Sponsoring organization: HHS Office of the Assistant Secretary for Planning and Evaluation
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Is Duration of Hospital Participation in Meaningful Use Associated with Value in Medicare?
Analyzes hospital participation in Medicare's meaningful use (MU) of electronic health records (EHRs) to determine the extent of their use of value-based initiatives in order to evaluate whether the duration of participation was linked with lower Medicare inpatient spending and lower readmission rates. Data was extracted from CMS sources including the Hospital Compare Website. Hospital-level data for analysis included inpatient spending, accreditation status, hospital location (urban/rural), ownership status, and hospital size.
Author(s): Yanick N. Brice, Karen E. Joynt Maddox
Citation: Journal of the American Medical Informatics Association (JAMIA) Open, 2(2), 238-245
Date: 03/2019
Type: Document
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Assessing Disparities in Pneumococcal Vaccine Service Delivery in the Rural Fee-for-Service Medicare Population
Slides from a March 2019 National Vaccine Program Office (NVAC) meeting discussing pneumococcal vaccine service disparities in rural Medicare fee-for-service populations based on data from 2012 to 2015. Includes data describing rural and urban vaccination services by provider type. Examines community pharmacies as a potential vaccine service provider.
Author(s): Jeffery Talbert, Patricia R. Freeman
Date: 03/2019
Type: Presentation Slides
Sponsoring organization: Rural and Underserved Health Research Center
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Addressing Low Case-Volume in Healthcare Performance Measurement of Rural Providers: Recommendations from the MAP Rural Health Technical Expert Panel
Final report recommending how to measure healthcare performance in low case-volume situations, such as rural providers. Reviews existing and proposed low-volume healthcare quality measures, how measures are calculated, data use, and data analysis techniques. Focuses on Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) quality programs reporting requirements.
Date: 03/2019
Type: Document
Sponsoring organization: National Quality Forum MAP Rural Health Advisory Workgroup
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Facility-Based Ambulatory Care Provided to Rural Medicare Beneficiaries in 2014
Chartbook describing claims, costs, and common diagnoses in facility-based ambulatory care provided to rural Medicare patients. Features statistics in various categories with breakdowns by Federally Qualified Health Centers in rural and urban areas, Rural Health Clinics, Critical Access Hospitals, and Prospective Payment Systems in rural and urban areas.
Author(s): Alex R. Schulte, Denise A. Kirk, Kristie W. Thompson, George H. Pink
Date: 03/2019
Type: Document
Sponsoring organization: North Carolina Rural Health Research Program
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Evaluation of the Initiative to Reduce Avoidable Hospitalizations among Nursing Facility Residents - Payment Reform
Second annual report evaluating a Centers for Medicare and Medicaid (CMS) Innovation payment model intended to reduce avoidable hospitalizations for long-term care nursing facility residents. Appendices include findings from participating programs in Alabama, Missouri, Indiana, Nevada, Colorado, New York, and Pennsylvania. Addresses challenges for rural participants throughout.
Additional links: Findings at a Glance
Date: 03/2019
Type: Document
Sponsoring organizations: Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services, RTI International
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Comparing Rural and Urban Medicare Advantage Beneficiary Characteristics
Describes differences in rural and urban populations enrolled in the Medicare Advantage (MA) program. Features statistics from the 2012-13 Medicare Current Beneficiary Survey, including measures of access by MA Beneficiaries, with breakdowns by rural and urban residence.
Author(s): Abigail Barker, Lindsey Nienstedt, Leah Kemper, Timothy McBride, Keith Mueller
Date: 03/2019
Type: Document
Sponsoring organization: RUPRI Center for Rural Health Policy Analysis
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