This website is being reviewed for updates. Some information is offline. We apologize for any inconvenience.
Skip to main content
Rural Health Information Hub

Rural Health
Resources by Topic: Policy

CMS Bundled Payments for Care Improvement Initiative Models 2-4: Year 5 Evaluation & Monitoring Annual Report
Shares findings from an evaluation of Models 2, 3, and 4 of the Bundled Payments for Care Improvement (BPCI) initiative, linking provider payments for an episode of care with the goal of decreasing cost of care while improving quality. Includes information specific to rural BPCI-participating hospitals.
Author(s): The Lewin Group, Abt Associates, GDIT, Telligen
Date: 10/2018
Sponsoring organization: Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services
view details
Factors Affecting the Development of Medicaid Hospital Payment Policies: Findings from Structured Interviews in Five States
Study examining Medicaid hospital payment policies with a focus on factors affecting payment mix and structure, the impact of state policies and financing methods, how states target hospital services or types such as rural hospitals, barriers to and drivers of change to payment methods, and more. Focuses on 5 states that made or are making significant hospital policy changes: Arizona, Louisiana, Michigan, Mississippi, and Virginia. Appendix B includes state profiles.
Author(s): Thomas Marks, Kathy Gifford, Steven Perlin, Melisa Byrd, Timothy Beger
Date: 10/2018
Sponsoring organization: Medicaid and CHIP Payment and Access Commission
view details
EITC Continues to Reach Families in Poor Places
Briefly discusses the role of the Earned Income Tax Credit (EITC) in helping low-income workers. Includes maps showing county-level information on EITC filers, with Map 1 identifying high child poverty counties and Map 2 identifying nonmetropolitan counties.
Additional links: Map 2: Nonmetropolitan Counties
Author(s): Andrew Schaefer, Beth Mattingly, Kennedy Nickerson , Jessica Carson
Date: 10/2018
Sponsoring organization: Carsey School of Public Policy
view details
Federal Legislation to Address the Opioid Crisis: Medicaid Provisions in the SUPPORT Act
Brief details the Medicaid provisions in the Substance Use Disorder Prevention that Promotes Opioid Recovery and Treatment for Patients and Communities (SUPPORT) Act. Discusses provisions aimed at treating substance use disorder(SUD) in rural areas.
Author(s): MaryBeth Musumeci, Jennifer Tolbert
Date: 10/2018
Sponsoring organization: KFF
view details
Medicaid Home- and Community-Based Services: Selected States' Program Structures and Challenges Providing Services
Examines the challenges states face in providing home- or community-based care instead of nursing home care under their state Medicaid programs, focusing on Arizona, Florida, Mississippi, Montana, and Oregon. Addresses program funding, workforce issues, eligibility and enrollment, populations targeted for the programs, use of managed care, and more. Includes rural considerations throughout.
Additional links: Full Report
Date: 10/2018
Sponsoring organization: Government Accountability Office
view details
Opioid Prescribing Rates by Congressional Districts, United States, 2016
Details a study on opioid prescribing rates by U.S. congressional districts. Compares congressional district rates with state-level rates and highlights rates among in rural areas, specific regions, and by other variables.
Author(s): Lyndsey A. Rolheiser, Jack Cordes, S.V. Subramanian
Citation: American Journal of Public Health, 108(9), 1214–1219
Date: 09/2018
view details
Substance Use Disorder Treatment Policy Recommendations for the State of Indiana: Final Report - September 2018
Assessment of Indiana's treatment system for substance use disorders (SUDs), based on interviews with stakeholder groups, consultation with national experts, focus groups, and a review of public data sets. Includes 6 recommendations in the categories of treatment system transformation, SUD workforce, and underserved populations. Discusses barriers to treatment in rural areas.
Date: 09/2018
Sponsoring organization: Pew
view details
Veterans Choice Program: Further Improvements Needed to Help Ensure Timely Payments to Community Providers
Examines how long payments took for healthcare providers enrolled in the Veterans Choice Program and actions the Veterans Administration has taken to address these issues. The Veterans Choice Program was created to help increase veterans access to healthcare, particularly in rural areas.
Additional links: Full Report
Date: 09/2018
Sponsoring organization: Government Accountability Office
view details
Tribal Broadband: Few Partnerships Exist and the Rural Utilities Service Needs to Identify and Address Any Funding Barriers Tribes Face
Examines tribal broadband access, federal funding to tribal entities for improving broadband access, and barriers to obtaining such federal funding. Identifies tribal partnership agreements that have increased broadband access and discusses the outcomes. Addresses challenges specific to rural areas and the healthcare benefits of broadband access.
Additional links: Full Report
Date: 09/2018
Sponsoring organization: Government Accountability Office
view details
Rural Hospital Closures: Number and Characteristics of Affected Hospitals and Contributing Factors
Examines rural hospital closures from 2013-2017, including their financial health, hospital characteristics, and the impact on healthcare access. Compares data to 2008-2012 closures and discusses the implications for federal healthcare policies. Addresses the role of Medicare rural hospital designations, new healthcare delivery and payment models, and other rural Health and Human Services (HHS) programs. Identifies the number of rural hospitals that closed for each state.
Additional links: Full Report
Date: 09/2018
Sponsoring organization: Government Accountability Office
view details