Rural Health
Resources by Topic: Medicare
MedPAC Report to the Congress: Medicare Payment Policy, 2020
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, improving Medicare payment for post-acute care, Medicare Advantage, Medicare Part D, and the impact of healthcare provider consolidation.
Date: 03/2020
Sponsoring organization: Medicare Payment Advisory Commission
view details
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, improving Medicare payment for post-acute care, Medicare Advantage, Medicare Part D, and the impact of healthcare provider consolidation.
Date: 03/2020
Sponsoring organization: Medicare Payment Advisory Commission
view details
Rural Libraries Help Communities Access Health Information
Features rural libraries in South Carolina, Vermont, and Washington that support population health in their communities by providing monthly programs and teaching patrons and staff how to access reliable health information online.
Author(s): Allee Mead
Citation: Rural Monitor
Date: 03/2020
Sponsoring organization: Rural Health Information Hub
view details
Features rural libraries in South Carolina, Vermont, and Washington that support population health in their communities by providing monthly programs and teaching patrons and staff how to access reliable health information online.
Author(s): Allee Mead
Citation: Rural Monitor
Date: 03/2020
Sponsoring organization: Rural Health Information Hub
view details
Medicare: Information on Medicare-Dependent Hospitals
Provides an overview of the Medicare-dependent hospital (MDH) program, how the MDH designation differs from other rural hospital designations, and how MDH hospitals have changed over time. Discusses the decrease in the number of MDHs over time. Examines a variety of operational and financial metrics across MDHs over time.
Additional links: Full Report
Date: 02/2020
Sponsoring organization: Government Accountability Office
view details
Provides an overview of the Medicare-dependent hospital (MDH) program, how the MDH designation differs from other rural hospital designations, and how MDH hospitals have changed over time. Discusses the decrease in the number of MDHs over time. Examines a variety of operational and financial metrics across MDHs over time.
Additional links: Full Report
Date: 02/2020
Sponsoring organization: Government Accountability Office
view details
Variation in Use of Home Health Care among Fee-for-Service Medicare Beneficiaries by Rural-Urban Status and Geographic Region: Assessing the Potential for Unmet Need
County-level analysis of home health care use by Medicare beneficiaries in 2013. Explores characteristics of beneficiaries and their communities. Features statistics with breakdowns by geographic region and 5 levels of population density.
Author(s): Tracy M. Mroz, Lisa A. Garberson, Jennifer L. Wong, et al.
Date: 02/2020
Sponsoring organization: WWAMI Rural Health Research Center
view details
County-level analysis of home health care use by Medicare beneficiaries in 2013. Explores characteristics of beneficiaries and their communities. Features statistics with breakdowns by geographic region and 5 levels of population density.
Author(s): Tracy M. Mroz, Lisa A. Garberson, Jennifer L. Wong, et al.
Date: 02/2020
Sponsoring organization: WWAMI Rural Health Research Center
view details
Health Care Use and Access among Rural and Urban Nonelderly Adult Medicare Beneficiaries
Highlights healthcare access and utilization by disabled adults under 65 who are enrolled in Medicare. Compares rural and urban participants by demographics and geographic region, among other measures.
Author(s): Erika Ziller, Amanda Burgess, Deborah Thayer
Date: 01/2020
Sponsoring organization: Maine Rural Health Research Center
view details
Highlights healthcare access and utilization by disabled adults under 65 who are enrolled in Medicare. Compares rural and urban participants by demographics and geographic region, among other measures.
Author(s): Erika Ziller, Amanda Burgess, Deborah Thayer
Date: 01/2020
Sponsoring organization: Maine Rural Health Research Center
view details
Second Evaluation Report: Next Generation Accountable Care Organization Model Evaluation
Reports on the impact of the Next Generation Accountable Care Organization model in 2016 and 2017, with information on the full sample of 46 participating NGACOs. Provides information on the models' impact on gross and net Medicare spending. The appendices include data on community characteristics, including rurality.
Additional links: Findings at a Glance, Technical Appendices
Date: 01/2020
Sponsoring organizations: Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services, NORC at the University of Chicago
view details
Reports on the impact of the Next Generation Accountable Care Organization model in 2016 and 2017, with information on the full sample of 46 participating NGACOs. Provides information on the models' impact on gross and net Medicare spending. The appendices include data on community characteristics, including rurality.
Additional links: Findings at a Glance, Technical Appendices
Date: 01/2020
Sponsoring organizations: Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services, NORC at the University of Chicago
view details
Access to Specialty Care for Medicare Beneficiaries in Rural Communities
Findings from a voluntary online survey conducted in 2019 of 111 Rural Health Clinic (RHC) staff, from 27 states, to identify the most difficult specialty healthcare service to access, and why it is the most difficult to access. Conducts an analysis of RHC distance to the nearest hospital or clinic to determine variation in difficulty accessing specialty services.
Author(s): Megan Lahr, Hannah Neprash, Carrie Henning-Smith, Mariana S. Tuttle, Ashley M. Hernandez
Date: 12/2019
Sponsoring organization: University of Minnesota Rural Health Research Center
view details
Findings from a voluntary online survey conducted in 2019 of 111 Rural Health Clinic (RHC) staff, from 27 states, to identify the most difficult specialty healthcare service to access, and why it is the most difficult to access. Conducts an analysis of RHC distance to the nearest hospital or clinic to determine variation in difficulty accessing specialty services.
Author(s): Megan Lahr, Hannah Neprash, Carrie Henning-Smith, Mariana S. Tuttle, Ashley M. Hernandez
Date: 12/2019
Sponsoring organization: University of Minnesota Rural Health Research Center
view details
Evaluation of the Initiative to Reduce Avoidable Hospitalizations among Nursing Facility Residents-Payment Reform
Third 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 by offering incentives for the provision of in-house care to eligible residents, rather than a transfer to a hospital for treatment. Presents details on the effect of the payment model on Medicare expenditures in the participating states: Alabama, Missouri, Indiana, Nevada, New York, and Pennsylvania. Discusses the implication of the payment model in rural facilities.
Date: 12/2019
Sponsoring organization: Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services
view details
Third 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 by offering incentives for the provision of in-house care to eligible residents, rather than a transfer to a hospital for treatment. Presents details on the effect of the payment model on Medicare expenditures in the participating states: Alabama, Missouri, Indiana, Nevada, New York, and Pennsylvania. Discusses the implication of the payment model in rural facilities.
Date: 12/2019
Sponsoring organization: Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services
view details
Rural-Urban Differences in Access to and Attitudes Toward Care for Medicare Beneficiaries
Results of a study using data from the 2016 Medicare Current Beneficiary Survey to analyze differences between rural and urban Medicare beneficiaries in terms of travel time to usual provider, access barriers, and attitudes toward seeking care.
Author(s): Carrie Henning-Smith, Ashley M. Hernandez, Megan Lahr
Date: 12/2019
Sponsoring organization: University of Minnesota Rural Health Research Center
view details
Results of a study using data from the 2016 Medicare Current Beneficiary Survey to analyze differences between rural and urban Medicare beneficiaries in terms of travel time to usual provider, access barriers, and attitudes toward seeking care.
Author(s): Carrie Henning-Smith, Ashley M. Hernandez, Megan Lahr
Date: 12/2019
Sponsoring organization: University of Minnesota Rural Health Research Center
view details
Evaluation of the Million Hearts® Cardiovascular Disease Risk Reduction Model: Second Annual Report
Evaluates the first two years 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; implementation of the model; short- and long-term impacts on beneficiaries; and the potential mechanisms that may explain observed impacts.
Author(s): Greg Peterson, Linda Barterian, Keith Kranker, et al.
Date: 11/2019
Sponsoring organizations: Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services, Mathematica Policy Research
view details
Evaluates the first two years 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; implementation of the model; short- and long-term impacts on beneficiaries; and the potential mechanisms that may explain observed impacts.
Author(s): Greg Peterson, Linda Barterian, Keith Kranker, et al.
Date: 11/2019
Sponsoring organizations: Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services, Mathematica Policy Research
view details