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Rural Health
Resources by Topic: Medicare

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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Examining the Cost Effectiveness of Teaching Health Centers
Examines areas where the Teaching Health Center Graduate Medical Education (THCGME) program can produce savings, focusing on physician spending for patient encounters during and after residency training and patient Medicaid and Medicare insurance coverage. Identifies the location of THCGME programs and highlights program outcomes, including the percent of graduates who work in rural and underserved areas and practice primary care.
Author(s): Candice Chen, Leighton Ku, Marsha Regenstein, Fitzhugh Mullan
Date: 03/2019
Type: Document
Sponsoring organizations: Geiger Gibson Program in Community Health, George Washington University Milken Institute School of Public Health Department of Health Policy and Management, RCHN Community Health Foundation
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MedPAC Report to the Congress: Medicare Payment Policy: Hospital Inpatient and Outpatient Services: Chapter 3
Examines the adequacy of Medicare payments to hospitals in 2017 and offers recommendations for changes. Includes a discussion of rural hospital closures and provides rural/urban breakdowns for hospital occupancy rates, Medicare inpatient discharges, and Medicare margins.
Date: 03/2019
Type: Document
Sponsoring organization: Medicare Payment Advisory Commission
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MedPAC Report to the Congress: Medicare Payment Policy, 2019
Annual review of Medicare payment policies, with recommendations to Congress. Includes discussion on Medicare payment policies directly affecting rural providers and beneficiaries. Addresses opioids, Medicare Part D, Medicare Advantage, Medicare's quality incentive program for hospitals, and payment adequacy for healthcare facilities and services.
Date: 03/2019
Type: Document
Sponsoring organization: Medicare Payment Advisory Commission
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Drilling Down on Dental Coverage and Costs for Medicare Beneficiaries
Examines the oral health of Medicare beneficiaries. Addresses the costs of not obtaining dental care, use of dental services, current sources of dental coverage, and out-of-pocket spending. Includes rural/urban breakdowns.
Date: 03/2019
Type: Document
Sponsoring organization: KFF
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Implementation and Early Results of the Flex Program's Innovative Models Program Area: Final Evaluation Report
Reports on the implementation of the Flex Program and the integration of the Innovative Health Care Models (Innovative Projects) program area in 7 states focused on telehealth, care coordination, and quality improvement. Highlights lessons learned, program discussion, and the evaluation methods for each of the projects. Builds on a 2018 briefing paper, An Interim Evaluation Report of the Innovative Projects Portfolio of the Medicare Flex Grant Program.
Author(s): John A. Gale, Sara Kahn-Troster, Andrew Coburn
Date: 03/2019
Type: Document
Sponsoring organization: Flex Monitoring Team
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2019 Telehealth Reimbursement
Provides an overview of Medicare reimbursement for telehealth services and discusses factors, policies, and legislation affecting reimbursement including: geographic and originating site restrictions; provider restrictions; service restrictions; payment for remote communication technology; chronic care management and remote monitoring; Medicare Advantage; Accountable Care Organizations, bundled care, and telehealth. Covers Medicaid and private payer telehealth reimbursement policies.
Date: 02/2019
Type: Document
Sponsoring organization: Center for Connected Health Policy: The National Telehealth Policy Resource Center
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Evaluation of the Million HeartsĀ® Cardiovascular Disease Risk Reduction Model: First Annual Report
Evaluates the first year of the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) Million Hearts Cardiovascular Disease Risk Reduction Model to determine whether, and how, it reduces first-time strokes, heart attacks, and Medicare spending. Covers participant characteristics, including rural or urban status and organization type; approaches used to implement the model; preventative care efforts; experiences with CMS support tools for the project; and reasons for joining and leaving the model.
Author(s): Leslie Conwell, Linda Barterian, Adam Rose, et al.
Date: 02/2019
Type: Document
Sponsoring organizations: Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services, Mathematica Policy Research
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