Rural Health
Resources by Topic: Reimbursement and payment models
MedPAC Comment on CMS's Proposed Rule on the Home Health Prospective Payment System for CY 2027
Comments on a July 6, 2026, Federal Register proposed rule related to Medicare payment policies for home health agencies. Includes comments regarding permanent and temporary budget-neutrality adjustments and durable medical equipment and provider enrollment provisions, as well as comments in response to a request for information on the construction of a home health-specific wage index.
Date: 08/2026
Sponsoring organization: Medicare Payment Advisory Commission
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Comments on a July 6, 2026, Federal Register proposed rule related to Medicare payment policies for home health agencies. Includes comments regarding permanent and temporary budget-neutrality adjustments and durable medical equipment and provider enrollment provisions, as well as comments in response to a request for information on the construction of a home health-specific wage index.
Date: 08/2026
Sponsoring organization: Medicare Payment Advisory Commission
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MedPAC Comment on CMS's Proposed Rule on the Payment Systems for Hospital Outpatient Departments and Ambulatory Surgical Centers for CY 2027
Comment on the July 7, 2026, Federal Register proposed rule revising the Medicare Hospital Outpatient Prospective Payment System (OPPS) and Medicare Ambulatory Surgical Center (ASC) payment system for calendar year 2027. Includes considerations for expansion of site-neutral payments for imaging without contrast services under the OPPS, the continued use of the hospital market basket to update ASC payment rates, the reduction of OPPS payment rates for 340B-acquired drugs, and more.
Date: 08/2026
Sponsoring organization: Medicare Payment Advisory Commission
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Comment on the July 7, 2026, Federal Register proposed rule revising the Medicare Hospital Outpatient Prospective Payment System (OPPS) and Medicare Ambulatory Surgical Center (ASC) payment system for calendar year 2027. Includes considerations for expansion of site-neutral payments for imaging without contrast services under the OPPS, the continued use of the hospital market basket to update ASC payment rates, the reduction of OPPS payment rates for 340B-acquired drugs, and more.
Date: 08/2026
Sponsoring organization: Medicare Payment Advisory Commission
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Mandatory Value-Based Payment Programs and Hospital Administrative Costs
Explores the association between hospital participation in mandatory value-based payment programs and hospital administrative costs. Analyzes Medicare cost report data from 2006 to 2020 to examine hospital administrative costs before and during implementation of four mandatory programs: the Hospital Value-Based Purchasing (HVBP) program, the Hospital Readmissions Reduction Program (HRRP), the Hospital-Acquired Condition Reduction Program (HACRP), and the Comprehensive Care for Joint Replacement (CJR) model. Compares data from participating hospitals to data from nonparticipating hospitals, including general acute care hospitals in Maryland that were paid under Maryland's all-payer model, Critical Access Hospitals, and long-term care hospitals.
Author(s): Zehui Zhou, Jason D. Buxbaum, Andrew M. Ryan
Citation: JAMA Health Forum, 7(8), e262503
Date: 08/2026
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Explores the association between hospital participation in mandatory value-based payment programs and hospital administrative costs. Analyzes Medicare cost report data from 2006 to 2020 to examine hospital administrative costs before and during implementation of four mandatory programs: the Hospital Value-Based Purchasing (HVBP) program, the Hospital Readmissions Reduction Program (HRRP), the Hospital-Acquired Condition Reduction Program (HACRP), and the Comprehensive Care for Joint Replacement (CJR) model. Compares data from participating hospitals to data from nonparticipating hospitals, including general acute care hospitals in Maryland that were paid under Maryland's all-payer model, Critical Access Hospitals, and long-term care hospitals.
Author(s): Zehui Zhou, Jason D. Buxbaum, Andrew M. Ryan
Citation: JAMA Health Forum, 7(8), e262503
Date: 08/2026
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MedPAC Comment on CMS's Proposed Rule on the Payment System for End-Stage Renal Disease for CY 2027
Comments on a June 26, 2026, Federal Register proposed rule related to Medicare payment policies for end-stage renal disease (ESRD). Includes comments addressing updates to the ESRD bundled market basket and the low-volume payment adjustment (LVPA), approaches to increase home dialysis use, and more.
Date: 08/2026
Sponsoring organization: Medicare Payment Advisory Commission
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Comments on a June 26, 2026, Federal Register proposed rule related to Medicare payment policies for end-stage renal disease (ESRD). Includes comments addressing updates to the ESRD bundled market basket and the low-volume payment adjustment (LVPA), approaches to increase home dialysis use, and more.
Date: 08/2026
Sponsoring organization: Medicare Payment Advisory Commission
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Rural Hospitals in Pennsylvania in the Context of Healthcare Market Consolidations
Provides an assessment of rural hospitals in Pennsylvania, comparing them to urban hospitals. Examines factors potentially associated with mergers, acquisitions, and health system affiliations, based on interviews and virtual site visits with selected hospitals from 2016-2023. Includes county-level data on available services, utilization, number of beds and more.
Author(s): Yunfeng Shi, Amy Yeung, Tess Wilson, Lisa Davis
Date: 08/2026
Sponsoring organization: Center for Rural Pennsylvania
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Provides an assessment of rural hospitals in Pennsylvania, comparing them to urban hospitals. Examines factors potentially associated with mergers, acquisitions, and health system affiliations, based on interviews and virtual site visits with selected hospitals from 2016-2023. Includes county-level data on available services, utilization, number of beds and more.
Author(s): Yunfeng Shi, Amy Yeung, Tess Wilson, Lisa Davis
Date: 08/2026
Sponsoring organization: Center for Rural Pennsylvania
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MVP Transition Toolkit for Small Practices
Zip file download, provides resources for small practices that participate in the Merit-based Incentive Payment System (MIPS) to support the transition from traditional MIPS reporting to MIPS Value Pathways (MVP) reporting. Includes an MVP Transition Guide for Small Practices and a Measure Mapping Tool.
Date: 08/2026
Sponsoring organization: Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services
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Zip file download, provides resources for small practices that participate in the Merit-based Incentive Payment System (MIPS) to support the transition from traditional MIPS reporting to MIPS Value Pathways (MVP) reporting. Includes an MVP Transition Guide for Small Practices and a Measure Mapping Tool.
Date: 08/2026
Sponsoring organization: Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services
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Merit-based Incentive Payment System (MIPS): Small Practice Countdown to 2026 Performance Year (PY) Data Submission
Checklist outlining the steps small practices must follow to submit Merit-based Incentive Payment System (MIPS) 2026 performance year data. Highlights key dates and links to key resources for small practices.
Date: 08/2026
Sponsoring organization: Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services
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Checklist outlining the steps small practices must follow to submit Merit-based Incentive Payment System (MIPS) 2026 performance year data. Highlights key dates and links to key resources for small practices.
Date: 08/2026
Sponsoring organization: Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services
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Report to the Secretary of Health and Human Services: Improving Multi-Payer Alignment in Value-Based Care
Summarizes findings from the Physician-Focused Payment Model Technical Advisory Committee's (PTAC) review of information on improving multi-payer alignment in value-based care. Describes key issues and characteristics related to improving multi-payer alignment in value-based care from proposals that have previously been submitted to PTAC. Includes rural references and considerations throughout.
Date: 07/2026
Sponsoring organization: HHS Office of the Assistant Secretary for Planning and Evaluation
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Summarizes findings from the Physician-Focused Payment Model Technical Advisory Committee's (PTAC) review of information on improving multi-payer alignment in value-based care. Describes key issues and characteristics related to improving multi-payer alignment in value-based care from proposals that have previously been submitted to PTAC. Includes rural references and considerations throughout.
Date: 07/2026
Sponsoring organization: HHS Office of the Assistant Secretary for Planning and Evaluation
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FY 2027 Hospital Inpatient Prospective Payment System and Long-Term Care Hospital Prospective Payment System Final Rule (CMS-1849-F)
Fact sheet providing an overview of the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) fiscal year 2027 hospital inpatient prospective payment system (IPPS) and long-term care hospital prospective payment system (LTCH PPS) final rule. Includes information about the Medicare Promoting Interoperability Program, the Hospital Inpatient Quality Reporting Program, the Long-Term Care Hospital Quality Reporting Program, and more.
Date: 07/2026
Sponsoring organization: Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services
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Fact sheet providing an overview of the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) fiscal year 2027 hospital inpatient prospective payment system (IPPS) and long-term care hospital prospective payment system (LTCH PPS) final rule. Includes information about the Medicare Promoting Interoperability Program, the Hospital Inpatient Quality Reporting Program, the Long-Term Care Hospital Quality Reporting Program, and more.
Date: 07/2026
Sponsoring organization: Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services
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Association Between the Declining Conversion Factor and Access to Care for Medicare Beneficiaries
Examines the impact of the inflation-adjusted conversion factor and reduced reimbursement on Medicare beneficiaries' access to care. Utilizes 2005-2023 Medicare fee-for-service data from 4,662,729 unique beneficiaries and provides data breakdowns on conversion factor values and care utilization according to community income, area deprivation index, and urbanicity.
Author(s): Eric W. Christensen, Alexandra R. Drake, Gregory N. Nicola, et al.
Citation: INQUIRY: The Journal of Health Care Organization, Provision, and Financing, 63
Date: 07/2026
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Examines the impact of the inflation-adjusted conversion factor and reduced reimbursement on Medicare beneficiaries' access to care. Utilizes 2005-2023 Medicare fee-for-service data from 4,662,729 unique beneficiaries and provides data breakdowns on conversion factor values and care utilization according to community income, area deprivation index, and urbanicity.
Author(s): Eric W. Christensen, Alexandra R. Drake, Gregory N. Nicola, et al.
Citation: INQUIRY: The Journal of Health Care Organization, Provision, and Financing, 63
Date: 07/2026
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