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Rural Health Information Hub

Rural Health
Resources by Topic: Medicare

Stand-Alone Prescription Drug Plans Dominated the Rural Market in 2011
Examines the prevalence of Medicare Part D prescription drug coverage in rural and urban areas, and explains enrollment patterns based on rural/urban region. Also discusses the difference between stand-alone prescription drug plans (PDPs) and Medicare Advantage prescription drug (MA-PD) plans, and how changes in the Affordable Care Act (ACA) may affect rural and urban Medicare Part D beneficiaries differently.
Author(s): Leah Kemper, Abigail Barker, Fred Ullrich, et al.
Date: 09/2012
Type: Document
Sponsoring organization: RUPRI Center for Rural Health Policy Analysis
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Electronic Health Records: Number and Characteristics of Providers Awarded Medicare Incentive Payments for 2011
Reports on Medicare electronic health record incentive payments for 2011 to hospitals and healthcare providers. Compares incentive payments by geographic location including rural/urban breakdowns, hospital type including Critical Access Hospitals, and healthcare provider specialty.
Additional links: Full Report
Date: 07/2012
Type: Document
Sponsoring organization: Government Accountability Office
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Rural Implications of the Center for Medicare and Medicaid Innovation
One of a series of policy briefs that focus on the rural implications of key provisions from the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act. Includes policy recommendations that will be sent to the Secretary of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services.
Date: 06/2012
Type: Document
Sponsoring organization: National Advisory Committee on Rural Health and Human Services
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Serving Rural Medicare Beneficiaries
Chapter five of MedPAC's Report to Congress: Medicare and the Health Care Delivery System. Covers rural Medicare beneficiaries, access to health services, rural vs urban coverage of care, health care quality in rural areas, and rural payment adjustments.
Date: 06/2012
Type: Document
Sponsoring organization: Medicare Payment Advisory Commission
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Anticipating the Rural Impact of Medicare Value-Based Purchasing
Describes the design and implementation of Medicare value-based purchasing (VBP) programs. Addresses the potential impact of these programs on rural healthcare providers. Includes discussion on the five provider types: Prospective Payment system (PPS) hospitals, Critical Access Hospitals (CAHs), Skilled Nursing Facilities (SNFs), home health agencies, and physician office practices.
Author(s): A. Clinton MacKinney, Keith J. Mueller, Nicholas P. Lillios, et al.
Date: 04/2012
Type: Document
Sponsoring organization: Rural Policy Research Institute Rural Health Panel
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MedPAC Report to the Congress: Medicare Payment Policy, 2012
Reviews Medicare payment policies and covers policy recommendations to Congress. Discusses rural aspects of Medicare payment policies.
Date: 03/2012
Type: Document
Sponsoring organization: Medicare Payment Advisory Commission
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Communities Served by Rural Medicare Dependent Hospitals
Explores the potential consequences of termination of the Medicare Dependent Hospital (MDH) program by comparing MDHs to rural prospective payment system hospitals (R-PPS) in terms of utilization and the characteristics of the communities they serve.
Author(s): Kristin L. Reiter, George M. Holmes, Saleema A. Karim, George H. Pink
Date: 03/2012
Type: Document
Sponsoring organization: North Carolina Rural Health Research Program
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National Advisory Committee on Rural Health & Human Services Meeting Minutes, Washington DC, February 15-17, 2012
Minutes from the NACRHHS, which provides recommendations on rural health and human services issues to the Secretary of the Department of Health and Human Services. Meeting included the following topics: Center for Medicare and Medicaid Innovation, children and families, Head Start, health professional shortage areas, rural healthcare infrastructure, and the White House Rural Council.
Date: 2012
Type: Document
Sponsoring organization: National Advisory Committee on Rural Health and Human Services
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Geographic Adjustment in Medicare Payment Phase I: Improving Accuracy, Second Edition
Report brief that expands on recommendations made in an earlier report for improving how the Medicare program calculates geographic practice cost indexes that result in payments to hospitals, physicians, and other clinical practitioners based on their geographic locations.
Additional links: Read Online
Date: 2012
Type: Document
Sponsoring organization: Institute of Medicine
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Physician Value-Based Payment Modifier Program
Discusses provisions from the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act including the Physician Payment Modifier (VBM) program, which provides differential payment to physicians or physician groups based on the quality of care provided compared to the cost of providing care.
Date: 12/2011
Type: Document
Sponsoring organization: National Advisory Committee on Rural Health and Human Services
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