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Rural Health
Resources by Topic: Medicare

Intensity of Service Provision for Medicare Beneficiaries Utilizing Home Health Services: A Closer Look at Cerebrovascular Disease, Diabetes, and Joint Replacement
Reports on the impact of home health services provided to the rural elderly receiving Medicare based on the number of visits, the use of rehabilitation specialists, and the median payment per claim. Includes a rural/urban comparison throughout the report.
Additional links: Fact Sheet
Author(s): Medha Iyer, Janice C. Probst, Kevin Bennett, Grishma Bhavsar
Date: 11/2014
Type: Document
Sponsoring organization: Rural and Minority Health Research Center (formerly the South Carolina Rural Health Research Center)
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Characteristics, Utilization Patterns, and Expenditures of Rural Dual Eligible Medicare Beneficiaries
Study analyzes the rural-urban differences regarding dual eligible beneficiaries and their race, region of residence, patterns of utilizing health services and Medicare expenditures.
Author(s): Kevin J. Bennett, Ashley S. Robertson, Janice C. Probst
Date: 11/2014
Type: Document
Sponsoring organization: Rural and Minority Health Research Center (formerly the South Carolina Rural Health Research Center)
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Evaluation of the Shared Decision Making (SDM) & Medication Management (MM) Health Care Innovation Awardees: Annual Report 1
Evaluations of 9 Health Care Innovation Awards Round One projects focused on implementing shared decision making or medication management programs. Includes 2 projects focused on rural areas. One offers medication management services to patients with multiple chronic conditions and the other provides hospital pharmacist to community pharmacist care coordination.
Date: 10/2014
Type: Document
Sponsoring organizations: Acumen, Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services
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Evaluation of the Health Care Innovation Awards: Community Resource Planning, Prevention, and Monitoring: Annual Report
Evaluations of 24 Health Care Innovation Awards Round One projects focused on enhancing care coordination and healthcare access through the use of health information technology, care coordination/patient navigation, and health promotion and prevention services. Includes information on 5 rural-focused projects, as well as projects that serve both rural and urban areas.
Author(s): RTI International
Date: 10/2014
Type: Document
Sponsoring organization: Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services
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Does Rurality Affect Observation Care Services Use in CAHs for Medicare Beneficiaries?
Describes the use of observation services across levels of rurality by Medicare beneficiaries in Critical Access Hospitals (CAHs), the demographics and health status of patients receiving these services, and the characteristics of their observation stays.
Author(s): Yvonne Jonk, Heidi O'Connor, Walter Gregg
Date: 10/2014
Type: Document
Sponsoring organization: University of Minnesota Rural Health Research Center
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Observation Care Services for Medicare Beneficiaries in Rural Hospitals: Policy Issues and Stakeholder Perspectives
Seeks to provide a greater understanding of rural-specific issues surrounding hospital outpatient observation status and the related implications for rural hospitals, skilled nursing facilities (SNFs), and Medicare beneficiaries. Results are based on a multi-state, qualitative analysis of input from three respondent groups: state hospital associations, long-term care ombudsman offices, and Quality Improvement Organizations (QIOs). Analysis focuses on the use of observation status by Medicare beneficiaries from 2010-2013.
Author(s): Walter Gregg, Samantha Mills, Yvonne Jonk
Date: 10/2014
Type: Document
Sponsoring organization: University of Minnesota Rural Health Research Center
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Medicare Beneficiaries Paid Nearly Half of the Costs for Outpatient Services at Critical Access Hospitals Report
Compares the system Medicare used to calculate outpatient coinsurance amounts for patients who receive services at Critical Access Hospitals (CAHs) with the system used for acute-care hospital patients. Recommends that the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services seek legislative authority to modify the coinsurance calculation.
Date: 10/2014
Type: Document
Sponsoring organization: Office of Inspector General (HHS)
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Differences in Case-Mix Between Rural and Urban Recipients of Home Health Care
Provides a description of the health status and service needs of rural and urban Medicare home health patients based on a professional assessment of their condition at the start of care.
Additional links: Fact Sheet
Author(s): Janice C. Probst, Grishma P. Bhavsar
Date: 10/2014
Type: Document
Sponsoring organization: Rural and Minority Health Research Center (formerly the South Carolina Rural Health Research Center)
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Hospital Quality: Tough Issue!
Discusses whether quality measures and patients' wishes may be at odds, and how that affects the perception of whether rural hospitals provide quality care.
Author(s): Wayne Myers
Citation: Rural Monitor
Date: 08/2014
Type: Document
Sponsoring organization: Rural Health Information Hub
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State Innovation Models (SIM) Initiative Evaluation: Model Design and Model Pre-Test Evaluation Report
Reports on the experiences of 19 states that received federal support to work on state health care innovation plans focused on developing innovative healthcare delivery and payment models. Discusses rural concerns in these states, as well as strategies to address rural healthcare needs. Some topics addressed include patient-centered medical homes, accountable care organizations, workforce, broadband access, electronic health record adoption, and telehealth.
Date: 07/2014
Type: Document
Sponsoring organizations: Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services, RTI International
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