Rural Health
Resources by Topic: Medicare
Aging in Rural and Frontier Oregon: Challenges Facing Rural and Frontier Home Health Agencies
Provides an overview of the services and challenges affecting home health agencies offering assistance to the aging population in rural Oregon by county. Includes discussion on healthcare access, home health agency regulation and reimbursement, recruitment and retention of healthcare providers, and physician compliance.
Author(s): Callie Walsh-Bailey, Jamie Horst
Date: 09/2016
Sponsoring organization: Oregon Office of Rural Health
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Provides an overview of the services and challenges affecting home health agencies offering assistance to the aging population in rural Oregon by county. Includes discussion on healthcare access, home health agency regulation and reimbursement, recruitment and retention of healthcare providers, and physician compliance.
Author(s): Callie Walsh-Bailey, Jamie Horst
Date: 09/2016
Sponsoring organization: Oregon Office of Rural Health
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State Innovation Models (SIM) Initiative Evaluation: Model Test Year Two Annual Report
Second annual report detailing the findings of CMS's State Innovation Models (SIM) Initiative, which tests the ability of the governments in six states - Arkansas, Maine, Massachusetts, Minnesota, Vermont, and Oregon - to accelerate health system transformation in the areas of delivery systems, payment models, information technology, workforce development, and more. Presents results from the second of three planned site visits to the states, including interviews, focus groups, and surveys. Connections made throughout to issues specifically affecting rural healthcare.
Date: 08/2016
Sponsoring organizations: Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services, RTI International
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Second annual report detailing the findings of CMS's State Innovation Models (SIM) Initiative, which tests the ability of the governments in six states - Arkansas, Maine, Massachusetts, Minnesota, Vermont, and Oregon - to accelerate health system transformation in the areas of delivery systems, payment models, information technology, workforce development, and more. Presents results from the second of three planned site visits to the states, including interviews, focus groups, and surveys. Connections made throughout to issues specifically affecting rural healthcare.
Date: 08/2016
Sponsoring organizations: Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services, RTI International
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Evaluation of the Round Two Health Care Innovation Awards (HCIA R2): First Annual Report
Summarizes the first year evaluation results of the 39 Health Care Innovation Awards Round Two projects. Includes findings for the individual grantees, which include 14 projects that serve rural areas.
Date: 08/2016
Sponsoring organizations: Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services, Mathematica Policy Research
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Summarizes the first year evaluation results of the 39 Health Care Innovation Awards Round Two projects. Includes findings for the individual grantees, which include 14 projects that serve rural areas.
Date: 08/2016
Sponsoring organizations: Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services, Mathematica Policy Research
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2016 Rural Provider Leadership Summit Report: Strategies for Rural Provider Engagement in Transitioning to Value-based Purchasing and Population Health
Explores issues related to value models for rural providers and provides strategies rural hospitals may use to overcome challenges and enhance staff collaboration. Includes a list of rural provider leadership tools and resources.
Author(s): Karla Weng
Date: 08/2016
Sponsoring organizations: National Rural Health Resource Center, Technical Assistance and Services Center
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Explores issues related to value models for rural providers and provides strategies rural hospitals may use to overcome challenges and enhance staff collaboration. Includes a list of rural provider leadership tools and resources.
Author(s): Karla Weng
Date: 08/2016
Sponsoring organizations: National Rural Health Resource Center, Technical Assistance and Services Center
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Costs of Accountable Care Organization Participation for Primary Care Providers: Early Stage Results
Analyzes data from 2012 and 2013 Medicare cost reports to determine whether joining an Accountable Care Organization (ACO) is associated with an increase in a Rural Health Clinic's (RHC) per visit cost, particularly during the first two years of participation.
Author(s): Richard A. Hofler, Judith Ortiz
Citation: BMC Health Services Research, 16(315)
Date: 07/2016
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Analyzes data from 2012 and 2013 Medicare cost reports to determine whether joining an Accountable Care Organization (ACO) is associated with an increase in a Rural Health Clinic's (RHC) per visit cost, particularly during the first two years of participation.
Author(s): Richard A. Hofler, Judith Ortiz
Citation: BMC Health Services Research, 16(315)
Date: 07/2016
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Medicare Access and CHIP Reauthorization Act of 2015: Ensuring Successful Implementation of Physician Payment Reforms
Recording of a July 13, 2016, U.S. Senate Finance Committee hearing regarding the Medicare Access and CHIP Reauthorization Act of 2015 (MACRA). Andy Slavitt, Acting Administrator for the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services, discusses the input received from stakeholders and the resulting focus on patient-first, physician-driven, collaborative care. He also emphasizes the need to support small, rural practices and those in underserved areas to achieve success.
Additional links: Andrew M. Slavitt, Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services - Testimony
Date: 07/2016
Sponsoring organization: Senate Committee on Finance
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Recording of a July 13, 2016, U.S. Senate Finance Committee hearing regarding the Medicare Access and CHIP Reauthorization Act of 2015 (MACRA). Andy Slavitt, Acting Administrator for the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services, discusses the input received from stakeholders and the resulting focus on patient-first, physician-driven, collaborative care. He also emphasizes the need to support small, rural practices and those in underserved areas to achieve success.
Additional links: Andrew M. Slavitt, Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services - Testimony
Date: 07/2016
Sponsoring organization: Senate Committee on Finance
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Medicare Copayments for Critical Access Hospital Outpatient Services - Update
Estimates the impact of Medicare Part B coinsurance on beneficiaries receiving outpatient services at Critical Access Hospitals (CAHs), and identifies the Medicare fee-for-service (FFS) proportion of key services provided in CAHs.
Author(s): Allison Briggs, Matthew Toth, Sara Freeman
Date: 06/2016
Sponsoring organization: Medicare Payment Advisory Commission
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Estimates the impact of Medicare Part B coinsurance on beneficiaries receiving outpatient services at Critical Access Hospitals (CAHs), and identifies the Medicare fee-for-service (FFS) proportion of key services provided in CAHs.
Author(s): Allison Briggs, Matthew Toth, Sara Freeman
Date: 06/2016
Sponsoring organization: Medicare Payment Advisory Commission
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MedPAC Report to the Congress: Medicare and the Health Care Delivery System, June 2016
Includes chapters on pricing and payment systems, Medicare drug spending, Part B drug and oncology payment policy issues, improving Part D, improving efficiency and preserving access to emergency care in rural areas, telehealth services and Medicare, and issues affecting dual-eligible beneficiaries. Rural providers and rural patient populations are discussed throughout the report.
Date: 06/2016
Sponsoring organization: Medicare Payment Advisory Commission
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Includes chapters on pricing and payment systems, Medicare drug spending, Part B drug and oncology payment policy issues, improving Part D, improving efficiency and preserving access to emergency care in rural areas, telehealth services and Medicare, and issues affecting dual-eligible beneficiaries. Rural providers and rural patient populations are discussed throughout the report.
Date: 06/2016
Sponsoring organization: Medicare Payment Advisory Commission
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Association Between the Value-Based Purchasing Pay for Performance Program and Patient Mortality in US Hospitals: Observational Study
Examines the impact of Medicare's Hospital Value-Based Purchasing (HVBP) program on mortality for pneumonia, heart failure, and acute myocardial infarction by comparing data from acute care hospitals participating in the program to data from over 1,300 Critical Access Hospitals (CAHs) and 44 hospitals in Maryland not in the program.
Author(s): Jose F. Figueroa, Yusuke Tsugawa, Jie Zheng, E. John Orav, Ashish K. Jha
Citation: BMJ, 9(353), i2214
Date: 05/2016
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Examines the impact of Medicare's Hospital Value-Based Purchasing (HVBP) program on mortality for pneumonia, heart failure, and acute myocardial infarction by comparing data from acute care hospitals participating in the program to data from over 1,300 Critical Access Hospitals (CAHs) and 44 hospitals in Maryland not in the program.
Author(s): Jose F. Figueroa, Yusuke Tsugawa, Jie Zheng, E. John Orav, Ashish K. Jha
Citation: BMJ, 9(353), i2214
Date: 05/2016
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Utilization of Telemedicine Among Rural Medicare Beneficiaries
Demonstrates the trends in the use of telemedicine utilization by rural Medicare beneficiaries between 2004 and 2013. Data is derived from Current Procedural Terminology (CPT) codes or telemedicine-specific codes, using Medicare's definition for rural. Includes a table comparing patient characteristics for Medicare beneficiaries with and without a telemedicine visit in 2013.
Author(s): Ateev Mehrotra, Anupam B. Jena, Alisa B. Busch, et al.
Citation: JAMA: Journal of the American Medical Association, 315(18), 2015–2016
Date: 05/2016
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Demonstrates the trends in the use of telemedicine utilization by rural Medicare beneficiaries between 2004 and 2013. Data is derived from Current Procedural Terminology (CPT) codes or telemedicine-specific codes, using Medicare's definition for rural. Includes a table comparing patient characteristics for Medicare beneficiaries with and without a telemedicine visit in 2013.
Author(s): Ateev Mehrotra, Anupam B. Jena, Alisa B. Busch, et al.
Citation: JAMA: Journal of the American Medical Association, 315(18), 2015–2016
Date: 05/2016
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