Rural Health
Resources by Topic: Outpatient care
MedPAC Report to the Congress: Medicare Payment Policy, 2022
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: 03/2022
Type: Document
Sponsoring organization: Medicare Payment Advisory Commission
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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: 03/2022
Type: Document
Sponsoring organization: Medicare Payment Advisory Commission
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January 2022 MedPAC Meeting Transcript
Transcript from the Medicare Payment Advisory Commission's (MedPAC) January 2022 meeting. Covers payment adequacy and updates for hospital inpatient and outpatient services, physician and other health professional services, outpatient dialysis services and improving the ESRD payment system, skilled nursing facility services, home health agency services, long-term care hospital services, inpatient rehabilitation facility services, hospice services, and ambulatory surgical center services. Includes rural references throughout.
Date: 01/2022
Type: Document
Sponsoring organization: Medicare Payment Advisory Commission
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Transcript from the Medicare Payment Advisory Commission's (MedPAC) January 2022 meeting. Covers payment adequacy and updates for hospital inpatient and outpatient services, physician and other health professional services, outpatient dialysis services and improving the ESRD payment system, skilled nursing facility services, home health agency services, long-term care hospital services, inpatient rehabilitation facility services, hospice services, and ambulatory surgical center services. Includes rural references throughout.
Date: 01/2022
Type: Document
Sponsoring organization: Medicare Payment Advisory Commission
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The Rural Health Safety Net Under Pressure: Understanding the Potential Impact of COVID-19
Examines the stability of the rural health safety net at the outset of the COVID-19 pandemic. Outlines key factors that will influence the impact of COVID-19 on rural healthcare, including access to intensive care unit beds, outpatient service revenues, and rural provider days cash on hand. Highlights provisions of the CARES Act aimed at mitigating the impact of the pandemic on rural hospitals.
Date: 2022
Type: Document
Sponsoring organization: Chartis Center for Rural Health
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Examines the stability of the rural health safety net at the outset of the COVID-19 pandemic. Outlines key factors that will influence the impact of COVID-19 on rural healthcare, including access to intensive care unit beds, outpatient service revenues, and rural provider days cash on hand. Highlights provisions of the CARES Act aimed at mitigating the impact of the pandemic on rural hospitals.
Date: 2022
Type: Document
Sponsoring organization: Chartis Center for Rural Health
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Medicare and Beneficiaries Pay More for Preadmission Services at Affiliated Hospitals Than at Wholly Owned Settings
Provides an overview of the Medicare diagnosis-related group (DRG) window policy. Examines how much Medicare and Medicare beneficiaries paid affiliated settings, including Critical Access Hospitals, for admission-related outpatient services in 2019 that would have otherwise been covered by the DRG policy at wholly-owned hospitals. Offers recommendations to the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) for updating the DRG policy.
Date: 12/2021
Type: Document
Sponsoring organization: Office of Inspector General (HHS)
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Provides an overview of the Medicare diagnosis-related group (DRG) window policy. Examines how much Medicare and Medicare beneficiaries paid affiliated settings, including Critical Access Hospitals, for admission-related outpatient services in 2019 that would have otherwise been covered by the DRG policy at wholly-owned hospitals. Offers recommendations to the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) for updating the DRG policy.
Date: 12/2021
Type: Document
Sponsoring organization: Office of Inspector General (HHS)
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Evidence Map: Implementation Factors Influencing the Transition from Emergency to Outpatient Care Settings
Summarizes available research on interventions to improve transitions from emergency department to outpatient care settings across health systems and identifies key findings. Discusses common intervention barriers, including rural residence and transportation, and facilitators.
Additional links: Supplemental Materials
Author(s): Karli Kondo, Johanna Anderson, Sarah Young, Rachel Ward
Date: 12/2021
Type: Document
Sponsoring organization: VA Health Services Research & Development Service
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Summarizes available research on interventions to improve transitions from emergency department to outpatient care settings across health systems and identifies key findings. Discusses common intervention barriers, including rural residence and transportation, and facilitators.
Additional links: Supplemental Materials
Author(s): Karli Kondo, Johanna Anderson, Sarah Young, Rachel Ward
Date: 12/2021
Type: Document
Sponsoring organization: VA Health Services Research & Development Service
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Overview of Major Ambulatory Surgeries Performed in Hospital-Owned Facilities, 2019
Presents data on major ambulatory surgeries performed in hospital-owned facilities using the 2019 Nationwide Ambulatory Surgery Sample (NASS). Includes statistics on ambulatory surgeries by patient and hospital characteristics, including age, community income, patient and hospital location, and primary expected payer.
Date: 12/2021
Type: Document
Sponsoring organization: Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality
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Presents data on major ambulatory surgeries performed in hospital-owned facilities using the 2019 Nationwide Ambulatory Surgery Sample (NASS). Includes statistics on ambulatory surgeries by patient and hospital characteristics, including age, community income, patient and hospital location, and primary expected payer.
Date: 12/2021
Type: Document
Sponsoring organization: Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality
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December 2021 MedPAC Meeting Transcript
Transcript from the Medicare Payment Advisory Commission's (MedPAC) December 2021 meeting. Covers payment adequacy and updates for hospital inpatient and outpatient services and the mandated report on changes to the low-volume hospital payment adjustment, physician and other health professional services, ambulatory surgical center services, outpatient dialysis services, and hospice services. Highlights the effect of COVID-19 relief funding on rural hospital margins, rural hospital bypass, and rural hospice payment utilization, among other rural references.
Date: 12/2021
Type: Document
Sponsoring organization: Medicare Payment Advisory Commission
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Transcript from the Medicare Payment Advisory Commission's (MedPAC) December 2021 meeting. Covers payment adequacy and updates for hospital inpatient and outpatient services and the mandated report on changes to the low-volume hospital payment adjustment, physician and other health professional services, ambulatory surgical center services, outpatient dialysis services, and hospice services. Highlights the effect of COVID-19 relief funding on rural hospital margins, rural hospital bypass, and rural hospice payment utilization, among other rural references.
Date: 12/2021
Type: Document
Sponsoring organization: Medicare Payment Advisory Commission
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Examining Rural Hospital Bypass for Outpatient Services
Explores the drivers of rural hospital bypass for outpatient services and the relationship between hospital outpatient services and inpatient utilization. Examines demographic and market characteristics associated with bypass for outpatient services before and after inpatient admissions. Also analyzes how utilization for common outpatient services differs between Critical Access Hospitals (CAHs) and rural prospective payment system (PPS) hospitals.
Date: 11/2021
Type: Document
Sponsoring organization: Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services
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Explores the drivers of rural hospital bypass for outpatient services and the relationship between hospital outpatient services and inpatient utilization. Examines demographic and market characteristics associated with bypass for outpatient services before and after inpatient admissions. Also analyzes how utilization for common outpatient services differs between Critical Access Hospitals (CAHs) and rural prospective payment system (PPS) hospitals.
Date: 11/2021
Type: Document
Sponsoring organization: Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services
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Access to Outpatient Services in Rural Communities Changes after Hospital Closure
Examines trends of Federally Qualified Health Center (FQHC) and Rural Health Quality (RHC) availability in rural areas before and after hospital closures. Explores the associations between poverty rates and access to FQHCs and RHCs following hospital closure.
Author(s): Katherine E. M. Miller, Kyle L. Miller, Kathleen Knocke, et al.
Citation: Health Services Research, 56(5), 788-801
Date: 10/2021
Type: Document
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Examines trends of Federally Qualified Health Center (FQHC) and Rural Health Quality (RHC) availability in rural areas before and after hospital closures. Explores the associations between poverty rates and access to FQHCs and RHCs following hospital closure.
Author(s): Katherine E. M. Miller, Kyle L. Miller, Kathleen Knocke, et al.
Citation: Health Services Research, 56(5), 788-801
Date: 10/2021
Type: Document
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Trends in Outpatient Telemedicine Utilization Among Rural Medicare Beneficiaries, 2010 to 2019
Examines the growth of telehealth utilization among rural Medicare beneficiaries between 2010-2019. Compares telehealth use across beneficiaries with a severe mental illness diagnosis, other mental health diagnoses, and with no mental health diagnoses. Describes trends for mental health versus non-mental health visits and across clinician specialties. Presents data on rural Medicare beneficiary characteristics with and without a telemedicine visit in 2019, including age, race and ethnicity, sex, U.S. Census division, and more.
Author(s): Michael L. Barnett, Haiden A. Huskamp, Alisa B. Bush, et al.
Citation: JAMA Health Forum, 2(10), e213282
Date: 10/2021
Type: Document
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Examines the growth of telehealth utilization among rural Medicare beneficiaries between 2010-2019. Compares telehealth use across beneficiaries with a severe mental illness diagnosis, other mental health diagnoses, and with no mental health diagnoses. Describes trends for mental health versus non-mental health visits and across clinician specialties. Presents data on rural Medicare beneficiary characteristics with and without a telemedicine visit in 2019, including age, race and ethnicity, sex, U.S. Census division, and more.
Author(s): Michael L. Barnett, Haiden A. Huskamp, Alisa B. Bush, et al.
Citation: JAMA Health Forum, 2(10), e213282
Date: 10/2021
Type: Document
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