MedPAC Report to the Congress: Medicare and the Health Care Delivery System, June 2017
Includes chapters on implementing a unified payment system for post-acute care, Part B drug payment policies, the redesign of the Merit-Based Incentive Payment System (MIPS) and other alternative payment models, drug and device manufacturer payments to physicians and teaching hospitals, stand-alone emergency departments, and skilled nursing facility use. Rural hospitals and rural patient populations are discussed throughout the report.
Date: 06/2017
Type: Document
Sponsoring organization: Medicare Payment Advisory Commission
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MedPAC Report to the Congress: Medicare Payment Policy, 2017
Provides an annual review of Medicare payment policies, with recommendations to Congress. Includes discussions on Medicare payment policies that directly affect rural providers and beneficiaries. Analyses payment adequacy for home health, skilled nursing, long-term care hospitals, hospice, ambulatory surgical centers, and rehabilitation facilities.
Date: 03/2017
Type: Document
Sponsoring organization: Medicare Payment Advisory Commission
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Rural Promising Practice Issue Brief: VA Coordinated Transitional Care (C-TraC) Program
Highlights a promising practice in providing coordinated transitional care for rural veterans. Details the Coordinated Transitional Care (C-TraC) Program and discusses implementation and results from the pilot program at a VA medical center in Madison, WI.
Additional links: Overview
Date: 02/2017
Type: Document
Sponsoring organization: Veterans Health Administration's Office of Rural Health
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An All-Payer View of Hospital Discharge to Postacute Care, 2013
Presents data on hospital discharges to different post-acute care settings: inpatient rehabilitation facilities, long-term care hospitals, skilled nursing facilities, and home health agency care. Includes information by hospital type for rural and urban hospitals, as well as by hospital size and region.
Author(s): Wen Tian
Date: 05/2016
Type: Document
Sponsoring organization: Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality
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Impact of Swing Beds
Policy brief describes the value of swing beds as a critical healthcare service that provides quality care and can help reduce readmission rates. Discusses how swing beds can create additional revenue for small rural hospitals at risk of experiencing financial challenges.
Author(s): Jim Parrish, Ann Turner, Margaret Woeppel
Date: 02/2016
Type: Document
Sponsoring organization: National Rural Health Association
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Post-discharge Rehabilitation Care Delivery for Rural Medicare Beneficiaries with Stroke
Discusses the factors associated with post-discharge rehabilitation care (PDRC) that influence the recovery and quality of life for rural stroke survivors receiving Medicare. Factors highlighted include distance to healthcare, type of rehabilitation, initial hospital admission, and patient race/ethnicity.
Additional links: Fact Sheet
Author(s): Jessica D. Bellinger, Zhimin Chen, Saundra Glover, et al.
Date: 09/2015
Type: Document
Sponsoring organization: Rural and Minority Health Research Center (formerly the South Carolina Rural Health Research Center)
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A Critique of the Office of the Inspector General's Report on Swing Beds in Critical Access Hospitals
Evaluates the methods and data of a March 2015 report from the Office of the Inspector General (OIG), U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, commenting on Medicare reimbursement policy for swing bed services in Critical Access Hospitals (CAHs).
Author(s): Kristin L. Reiter, G. Mark Holmes
Date: 03/2015
Type: Document
Sponsoring organization: North Carolina Rural Health Research Program
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Medicare Could Have Saved Billions at Critical Access Hospitals If Swing-Bed Services Were Reimbursed Using the Skilled Nursing Facility Prospective Payment System Rates
Reports the Inspector General's findings from a study of swing bed services and reimbursement at Critical Access Hospitals (CAHs). Addresses changes in swing bed usage over time and examines the potential impact to Medicare of reimbursing swing bed services at skilled nursing facility (SNF) prospective payment system (PPS) rates.
Date: 03/2015
Type: Document
Sponsoring organization: Office of Inspector General (HHS)
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Review Strategies to Recruit and Retain Rural Patient Participating Self-Management Behavioral Trials
Discusses effective methods to encourage rural patients with cardiovascular disease to participate in self-management behavioral intervention trials designed to improve health outcomes and reduce healthcare costs.
Author(s): Lufei Young, Susan Barnason, Van Do
Citation: Online Journal of Rural Research & Policy, 10(2)
Date: 2015
Type: Document
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Quality of Life and Loneliness in Stroke Survivors Living in Appalachia
Reports on a study of loneliness and its effect on the quality of life (QoL) among rural stroke survivors in Appalachian West Virginia. Looks at post-stroke factors in determining QoL, such as continued smoking, recovery in a nursing home versus the patient's home, and comorbidity.
Author(s): Laurie Theeke, Patricia Horstman, Jennifer Mallow, et al.
Citation: Journal of Neuroscience Nursing, 46(6), E3-15
Date: 12/2014
Type: Document
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