Skip to main content
Rural Health Information Hub

Rural Health
Resources by Topic: Medicare

Medicare Accountable Care Organizations: Program Eligibility, Beneficiary Assignment, and Quality Measures
Discusses the Medicare Shared Savings Program (MSSP) eligibility, participation requirements, beneficiary assignment processes, and quality measures to assist rural providers considering Accountable Care Organization (ACO) formation.
Author(s): A. Clinton MacKinney, Keith J. Mueller, Xi Zhu, Thomas Vaughn
Date: 04/2014
Type: Document
Sponsoring organization: RUPRI Center for Rural Health Policy Analysis
view details
MedPAC Report to the Congress: Medicare Payment Policy, 2014
Annual review of Medicare payment policies, with recommendations to Congress. Discussions of rural aspects of Medicare payment policies are included throughout the report.
Date: 03/2014
Type: Document
Sponsoring organization: Medicare Payment Advisory Commission
view details
Rural/Urban Differences in Inpatient Related Costs and Use among Medicare Beneficiaries
Compares inpatient costs for Medicare beneficiaries admitted to rural versus urban hospitals. Also examines 30- and 60-day readmission rates by hospital location and beneficiary residence, adjusted for beneficiary rural status, health status, and sociodemographic characteristics.
Author(s): Matthew Toth, Mark Holmes, Victoria A. Freeman, George H. Pink
Date: 03/2014
Type: Document
Sponsoring organization: North Carolina Rural Health Research Program
view details
The Future of the Frontier Extended Stay Clinic
Describes the Centers for Medicaid and Medicare Services (CMS) Frontier Extended Stay Clinic (FESC) demonstration project. Identifies the successes and challenges, and discusses the financial sustainability of the FESC model. Includes policy recommendations and lessons learned.
Author(s): Susan Wilger, Saskia Van Hecke
Date: 02/2014
Type: Document
Sponsoring organization: National Rural Health Association
view details
The Extender Policies: What Are They and How Should They Continue Under a Permanent SGR Repeal Landscape
Provides resources from the U.S. House of Representatives Energy and Commerce Committee hearing on Medicare extender policies to determine whether they should be made permanent. Addresses payment adjustments for low-volume hospitals, rural areas, and more. Includes statements from the Rural Hospital Coalition, American Hospital Association, and National Rural Health Association on the impact of these payment policies on rural hospitals and rural beneficiaries.
Additional links: Statement of the American Hospital Association, Statement of the National Rural Health Association, Statement of the Rural Hospital Coalition, Transcript
Date: 01/2014
Type: Video/Multimedia
Sponsoring organization: House Energy and Commerce Committee, Subcommittee on Health
view details
2012 Rural Medicare Advantage Quality Ratings and Bonus Payments
Analyzes differences in rural Medicare Advantage (MA) quality ratings and payments and suggests reasons why quality ratings vary by geography. Compares the quality rating of MA plans in rural areas to urban areas and discusses differences in the composition of MA market enrollment and plan availability. Addresses the potential impact of quality bonus payments on MA plan quality.
Author(s): Leah Kemper, Abigail R. Barker, Timothy D. McBride, Keith Mueller
Date: 01/2014
Type: Document
Sponsoring organization: RUPRI Center for Rural Health Policy Analysis
view details
Indian Health Care: Impact of the Affordable Care Act (ACA)
Summarizes key changes made in the re-authorization of the Indian Health Care Improvement Act (IHCIA), including the Affordable Care Act (ACA) provisions related to American Indians and Alaska Natives enrolled in and receiving services from Medicare, Medicaid, and the Children's Health Insurance Program (CHIP).
Date: 01/2014
Type: Document
Sponsoring organization: Congressional Research Service
view details
Evaluation of the Medicare Frontier Extended Stay Clinic Demonstration: Report to Congress
Reports on the results of a Medicare Frontier Extended Stay Clinic (FESC) demonstration project that used an enhanced clinic model in frontier areas to address the needs of seriously ill or injured patients who could not be transferred to a hospital or needed monitoring and observation for a limited period of time. Includes an overview of the demonstration and key findings from the project.
Date: 2014
Type: Document
Sponsoring organization: U.S. Department of Health and Human Services
view details
Change in Profitability and Financial Distress of Critical Access Hospitals from Loss of Cost-Based Reimbursement
Examines how proposed changes to Critical Access Hospital (CAH) cost-based reimbursement would affect the financial vulnerability of CAHs. Uses models to forecast the financial impact of 20 and 30 percent reductions in Medicare revenue, and the resulting implications for rural healthcare access.
Author(s): Mark Holmes, George H. Pink
Date: 12/2013
Type: Document
Sponsoring organization: North Carolina Rural Health Research Program
view details
March 2013: Medicare Advantage Update
Policy brief discussing rural Medicare Advantage enrollment data from March 2012-March 2013.
Author(s): Sarah Sayavong, Leah Kemper, Abigail Barker,Timothy McBride
Date: 09/2013
Type: Document
Sponsoring organization: RUPRI Center for Rural Health Policy Analysis
view details