Rural Health
Resources by Topic: Post-acute care
October 2026 MedPAC Meeting Transcript
Transcript from the Medicare Payment Advisory Commission's (MedPAC) October 2026 meeting. Covers an analysis of physician participation in Medicare Advantage provider networks, issues affecting the payment accuracy of the physician fee schedule and the clinical laboratory fee schedule, clinician quality initiatives in fee-for-service Medicare, Medicare's late-enrollment penalties, and MedPAC's work plan regarding the skilled nursing facility and home health prospective payment systems.
Date: 10/2026
Sponsoring organization: Medicare Payment Advisory Commission
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Transcript from the Medicare Payment Advisory Commission's (MedPAC) October 2026 meeting. Covers an analysis of physician participation in Medicare Advantage provider networks, issues affecting the payment accuracy of the physician fee schedule and the clinical laboratory fee schedule, clinician quality initiatives in fee-for-service Medicare, Medicare's late-enrollment penalties, and MedPAC's work plan regarding the skilled nursing facility and home health prospective payment systems.
Date: 10/2026
Sponsoring organization: Medicare Payment Advisory Commission
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Medicare Payment Basics: Inpatient Rehabilitation Facilities Payment System
Overview of Medicare's payment system for inpatient rehabilitation services in freestanding facilities or within acute care hospitals. Demonstrates how payment rates are adjusted to account for certain facility characteristics, including facilities in rural areas.
Date: 10/2026
Sponsoring organization: Medicare Payment Advisory Commission
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Overview of Medicare's payment system for inpatient rehabilitation services in freestanding facilities or within acute care hospitals. Demonstrates how payment rates are adjusted to account for certain facility characteristics, including facilities in rural areas.
Date: 10/2026
Sponsoring organization: Medicare Payment Advisory Commission
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Medicare Payment Basics: Skilled Nursing Facility Services Payment System
Overview of Medicare payments for skilled nursing and rehabilitation services. Describes what constitutes a skilled nursing facility and how small, rural hospitals and Critical Access Hospitals (CAHs) may be used to provide these services with CMS approval. Compares Medicare daily base rates for urban and rural skilled nursing facilities.
Date: 10/2026
Sponsoring organization: Medicare Payment Advisory Commission
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Overview of Medicare payments for skilled nursing and rehabilitation services. Describes what constitutes a skilled nursing facility and how small, rural hospitals and Critical Access Hospitals (CAHs) may be used to provide these services with CMS approval. Compares Medicare daily base rates for urban and rural skilled nursing facilities.
Date: 10/2026
Sponsoring organization: Medicare Payment Advisory Commission
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MedPAC Data Book: Health Care Spending and the Medicare Program, 2026
Provides an overview of Medicare spending and highlights data on Medicare beneficiary demographics, dual-eligible beneficiaries, quality of care provided through the Medicare program, and other payer liability. Examines settings of care, including rural-specific provider sites, as they relate to spending, access to care, and Medicare and operating margins. Compares rural and urban beneficiaries and providers throughout. Chart 6-2 addresses rural hospital closures and Rural Emergency Hospital conversions.
Date: 07/2026
Sponsoring organization: Medicare Payment Advisory Commission
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Provides an overview of Medicare spending and highlights data on Medicare beneficiary demographics, dual-eligible beneficiaries, quality of care provided through the Medicare program, and other payer liability. Examines settings of care, including rural-specific provider sites, as they relate to spending, access to care, and Medicare and operating margins. Compares rural and urban beneficiaries and providers throughout. Chart 6-2 addresses rural hospital closures and Rural Emergency Hospital conversions.
Date: 07/2026
Sponsoring organization: Medicare Payment Advisory Commission
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MedPAC Report to the Congress: Medicare and the Health Care Delivery System, June 2026
Evaluates Medicare payment issues and provides recommendations to the U.S. Congress. Covers payment incentives in Medicare, the complexity of Medicare enrollment decisions for beneficiaries, Medicare payment operations and their role in identifying improper payments, the estimated association between Medicare Advantage (MA) enrollment and hospitals' and post-acute care providers' finances, and access to hospice and certain complex palliative services for beneficiaries with end-stage renal disease or cancer. Includes a mandated report regarding the Medicare Ground Ambulance Data Collection System. Includes rural references throughout.
Additional links: Executive Summary
Date: 06/2026
Sponsoring organization: Medicare Payment Advisory Commission
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Evaluates Medicare payment issues and provides recommendations to the U.S. Congress. Covers payment incentives in Medicare, the complexity of Medicare enrollment decisions for beneficiaries, Medicare payment operations and their role in identifying improper payments, the estimated association between Medicare Advantage (MA) enrollment and hospitals' and post-acute care providers' finances, and access to hospice and certain complex palliative services for beneficiaries with end-stage renal disease or cancer. Includes a mandated report regarding the Medicare Ground Ambulance Data Collection System. Includes rural references throughout.
Additional links: Executive Summary
Date: 06/2026
Sponsoring organization: Medicare Payment Advisory Commission
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Rural-Urban Disparity in Postacute Care and 1-Year Outcomes After Ischemic Stroke
Examines how postacute stroke care varies among rural and urban-dwelling ischemic stroke patients, and how mortality, readmission, and home time varied at 1 year. Uses 2017-2022 Medicare beneficiary data.
Author(s): Shumei Man, Jie-Lena Sun, Brooke Alhanti, et al.
Citation: Stroke, 57(7), 2138-2149
Date: 05/2026
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Examines how postacute stroke care varies among rural and urban-dwelling ischemic stroke patients, and how mortality, readmission, and home time varied at 1 year. Uses 2017-2022 Medicare beneficiary data.
Author(s): Shumei Man, Jie-Lena Sun, Brooke Alhanti, et al.
Citation: Stroke, 57(7), 2138-2149
Date: 05/2026
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MedPAC Comment on CMS's Proposed Rule on Inpatient Rehabilitation Facility for FY 2027
Comments on an April 6, 2026, Federal Register proposed rule addressing updates to the prospective payment system for inpatient rehabilitation facilities (IRFs) for fiscal year 2026. Includes comments on the potential creation of an IRF-specific wage index and refinements to the IRF payment system, such as changes to IRF patient clinical classification. Includes rural considerations throughout.
Date: 04/2026
Sponsoring organization: Medicare Payment Advisory Commission
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Comments on an April 6, 2026, Federal Register proposed rule addressing updates to the prospective payment system for inpatient rehabilitation facilities (IRFs) for fiscal year 2026. Includes comments on the potential creation of an IRF-specific wage index and refinements to the IRF payment system, such as changes to IRF patient clinical classification. Includes rural considerations throughout.
Date: 04/2026
Sponsoring organization: Medicare Payment Advisory Commission
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2025 National CAH Quality Inventory & Assessment National Report
Presents a high-level summary of key data points from the September-November 2025 National Critical Access Hospital (CAH) Quality Inventory and Assessment. Includes data on CAH system affiliation; median average daily census and emergency department volume; median swing bed admissions and swing bed length of stay; hospital inpatient, behavioral health and specialty care, and outpatient and other service lines; CAH quality payment model participation; and CAH quality improvement topic priorities.
Author(s): Madeleine Pick, Robert Barclay
Date: 04/2026
Sponsoring organization: Flex Monitoring Team
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Presents a high-level summary of key data points from the September-November 2025 National Critical Access Hospital (CAH) Quality Inventory and Assessment. Includes data on CAH system affiliation; median average daily census and emergency department volume; median swing bed admissions and swing bed length of stay; hospital inpatient, behavioral health and specialty care, and outpatient and other service lines; CAH quality payment model participation; and CAH quality improvement topic priorities.
Author(s): Madeleine Pick, Robert Barclay
Date: 04/2026
Sponsoring organization: Flex Monitoring Team
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MedPAC Report to the Congress: Medicare Payment Policy: Skilled Nursing Facility Services: Chapter 7
Discusses payment adequacy for skilled nursing facility (SNF) services. Features statistics on SNF care provided by rural hospitals and Critical Access Hospitals (CAHs) via swing beds and Medicare margins for urban, rural, and frontier freestanding SNFs in 2024.
Date: 03/2026
Sponsoring organization: Medicare Payment Advisory Commission
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Discusses payment adequacy for skilled nursing facility (SNF) services. Features statistics on SNF care provided by rural hospitals and Critical Access Hospitals (CAHs) via swing beds and Medicare margins for urban, rural, and frontier freestanding SNFs in 2024.
Date: 03/2026
Sponsoring organization: Medicare Payment Advisory Commission
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MedPAC Report to the Congress: Medicare Payment Policy, 2026
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 Medicare fee-for-service payment systems, Medicare Advantage (MA), and Medicare Part D. Includes mandated reports on the impact of regulatory changes to the home health prospective payment system and dual-eligible special needs plans.
Date: 03/2026
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 Medicare fee-for-service payment systems, Medicare Advantage (MA), and Medicare Part D. Includes mandated reports on the impact of regulatory changes to the home health prospective payment system and dual-eligible special needs plans.
Date: 03/2026
Sponsoring organization: Medicare Payment Advisory Commission
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