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Rural Health
Resources by Topic: Reimbursement and payment models

How & What Will Medicare Pay for RHC Telehealth Visits
Recording of an April 20, 2020 webinar providing information about the Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security Act (CARES Act) authorizing Rural Health Clinics (RHCs) to provide telehealth services to Medicare beneficiaries during the COVID-19 public health emergency. Discusses payment procedures for telehealth visits, commonly used telehealth coding, and appropriate cost reporting. Part of the Rural Health Clinic Technical Assistance Series.
Additional links: Presentation Slides, Transcript
Date: 04/2020
Type: Video/Multimedia
Sponsoring organization: National Association of Rural Health Clinics
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Medicaid: State Views on Program Administration Challenges
Describes four federal Medicaid policies that pose barriers to effective program administration. Highlights the requirement for states to pay Federally Qualified Health Centers (FQHCs) and Rural Health Clinics (RHCs) under the prospective payment system as a challenge for states. Identifies three issues for federal policymakers to consider when addressing these administrative challenges.
Additional links: Full Report
Date: 04/2020
Type: Document
Sponsoring organization: Government Accountability Office
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Selected Health Provisions in Title III of the CARES Act (P.L. 116-136)
Provides an overview of the healthcare-related provisions of the Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security (CARES) Act, passed in response to the COVID-19 pandemic. Focuses on sections of the law addressing medical supply shortages, testing and preventative services, and support for the healthcare workforce. Discusses provisions related to telehealth services and rural healthcare systems.
Date: 04/2020
Type: Document
Sponsoring organization: Congressional Research Service
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Confronting Rural America's Health Care Crisis
Offers policy recommendations to stabilize the rural healthcare infrastructure and ensuring local access to care. Discusses strategies to provide financial relief to rural providers, preserve obstetric services, expand telehealth services, and address workforce shortages. Includes brief references to policy actions taken in response to the COVID-19 pandemic.
Additional links: Rural Hospital Transformation Models, Summary, The Case for Expanding Telehealth Services, July 2020
Date: 04/2020
Type: Document
Sponsoring organization: Bipartisan Policy Center Rural Health Task Force
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Health Care Provisions in the Families First Coronavirus Response Act, P.L. 116-127
Provides an overview of the healthcare-related provisions of the Families First Coronavirus Response Act, passed in response to the COVID-19 pandemic. Focuses on coverage of COVID-19 testing and related items for individuals covered by Medicare, Medicare Advantage, Medicaid, CHIP, TRICARE, Veterans healthcare, the IHS, and most private plans. Includes a discussion of changes to Medicare coverage of telehealth services.
Date: 04/2020
Type: Document
Sponsoring organization: Congressional Research Service
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Community Health Centers in a Time of Change: Results from an Annual Survey
Summarizes results from the Kaiser Family Foundation/Geiger Gibson 2019 Community Health Center Survey. Explores trends in patient health coverage, healthcare affordability, and health center revenue; social determinants of health; potential implications of Medicaid work requirements; participation in the Title X program; and other challenges facing health centers. Includes rural references throughout. Presents survey response data by urban and rural status in Appendix A.
Author(s): Jessica Sharac, Anne Markus, Jennifer Tolbert, Sara Rosenbaum
Date: 04/2020
Type: Document
Sponsoring organization: KFF
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Rural Hospital Participation in Medicare Accountable Care Organizations
Report explores the rates of rural hospital participation in Medicare Shared Savings Program (SSP) Accountable Care Organizations (ACOs). Details some of the factors that correspond to participation and compares rates by region and by rural status.
Date: 04/2020
Type: Document
Sponsoring organization: RUPRI Center for Rural Health Policy Analysis
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Medicaid and CHIP in the Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands
Summarizes key requirements and design features of Medicaid and the State Children's Health Insurance Program (CHIP) in the Northern Mariana Islands. Features statistics on program costs from fiscal years 2011-2019, with breakdowns by federal spending and Northern Mariana Islands spending.
Date: 04/2020
Type: Document
Sponsoring organization: Medicaid and CHIP Payment and Access Commission
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MedPAC Comment on CMS's Proposed Rule on Contract Year 2021 and 2022 Policy and Technical Changes to Medicare Advantage and Part D
Responds to a proposed rule to revise regulations for Medicare Advantage (MA) and the Medicare Prescription Drug Benefit program (Part D). Provides comments on CMS proposals regarding out-of-network telehealth benefits, updates to the quality rating models for MA and Part D plans, and changes to MA network adequacy standards. Discusses how changes to network adequacy standards would impact access to dialysis facilities for beneficiaries in micropolitan counties, rural counties, and counties with extreme access considerations (CEAC).
Date: 04/2020
Type: Document
Sponsoring organization: Medicare Payment Advisory Commission
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CARES Act: Provisions to Help Rural Hospitals
Provides an overview of aspects of the Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security (CARES) Act designed to support rural hospitals. Highlights provisions related to access to capital, Medicare payments, and telehealth, among others.
Date: 04/2020
Type: Document
Sponsoring organization: American Hospital Association
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