Skip to main content
Rural Health Information Hub

Rural Health
Resources by Topic: Specialty care

Anesthesia Services: Differences between Private and Medicare Payments Likely Due to Providers' Strong Negotiating Position
Examines trends in differences between Medicare and private payments for anesthesia services, as well as the the supply of anesthesia providers for Medicare beneficiaries. Includes a discussion on the availability of anesthesia providers in rural areas.
Additional links: Full Report
Date: 10/2020
Type: Document
Sponsoring organization: Government Accountability Office
view details
A Comparison of Rural and Urban Specialty Hospitals
Results of a study examining differences in long-term acute care hospitals, inpatient psychiatric hospitals, and inpatient rehabilitation facilities in urban and rural areas. Features statistics on ownership type, location, number of beds, percent of inpatient days for rural residents, percent of inpatient days for Medicare beneficiaries, operating expenses, percent of Medicaid days, and profitability.
Author(s): George H. Pink, Andrew Osgood, Pranathi Sana
Date: 09/2020
Type: Document
Sponsoring organization: North Carolina Rural Health Research Program
view details
Obstetric Emergencies in Rural Hospitals: Challenges and Opportunities
Describes challenges faced by rural hospitals in offering emergency obstetric care and highlights resources that help rural hospitals respond to obstetric emergencies effectively. Includes a summary of concerns, based on responses to a survey of rural hospitals that do not routinely provide obstetric care.
Author(s): Mariana Story Tuttle, Mary Gilbertson, Julia D. Interrante, Katy Kozhimannil
Date: 09/2020
Type: Document
Sponsoring organization: University of Minnesota Rural Health Research Center
view details
MedPAC Comment on CMS's Proposed Rule on the ESRD PPS for CY 2021
Comments on a July 13, 2020, Federal Register proposed rule related to Medicare payment policies for end-stage renal disease (ESRD). Includes comments addressing the ESRD Quality Incentive Program and changes to geographic area delineations.
Date: 09/2020
Type: Document
Sponsoring organization: Medicare Payment Advisory Commission
view details
ECHO Diabetes in the Time of COVID-19
A series of 16 free Continuing Medical Education (CME) accredited webinars offering specialty support for primary care providers when addressing the needs of patients with type 1 and type 2 diabetes during and after the COVID-19 pandemic.
Date: 09/2020
Type: Tutorial/Training
Sponsoring organization: Stanford University School of Medicine
view details
State Innovation Model (SIM) Summative Evaluation Report: Activities and Goal Evaluation Award Year 2-4 (AY2-4)
Summarizes the process and implementation activities of the State Innovation Model (SIM) test grant program in Iowa during award years 2 through 4, which spanned November 2016 through April 2019. SIM test awards are administered by the Centers of Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) Innovation Center and allow states to implement and test strategies for health system transformation that meet the specific needs of residents of each state. Describes the process evaluation of SIM implementation activities and results of the 2016 and 2018 statewide evaluation surveys. Presents data on outcome measures regarding access and cost of care, diabetes, obesity, and tobacco use.
Author(s): Tessa Heeren, Rochelle Schultz Spinarski, Elizabeth Momany, et al.
Date: 08/2020
Type: Document
Sponsoring organization: University of Iowa Public Policy Center
view details
Experiences of Community Health Centers in Expanding Telemedicine
Presents an overview of the experiences of nine health centers in California that received funding to increase their telemedicine services. Describes barriers to implementing and sustaining expanded services, including reimbursement policies and other regulatory restrictions. Includes recommendations for health centers and policymakers to promote the use of telehealth services.
Author(s): Lori Uscher-Pines, Jessica Sousa, Alina I. Palimaru, et al.
Date: 07/2020
Type: Document
Sponsoring organization: RAND Corporation
view details
Evidence Briefing: Tackling the Digital Divide & Telehealth Access for Low-Income Californians
Recording of a July 28, 2020 briefing that features a panel of health care providers discussing strategies to improve access to broadband internet and telehealth services in California. Offers perspectives from a Federally Qualified Health Center and a VA health system that serve rural California residents. Transcript available by clicking the dots above the Subscribe tab, then selecting Open Transcript.
Date: 07/2020
Type: Video/Multimedia
Sponsoring organization: California Initiative for Health Equity and Action
view details
Expect Delays: Poor Connections Between Rural and Urban Health Systems Challenge Multidisciplinary Care for Rural Americans with Diabetic Foot Ulcers
Investigates communication barriers between rural and urban health systems to identify factors that may be contributing to higher risk of major amputation among rural patients with diabetic foot ulcers (DFUs) compared to urban patients with DFUs. Barriers for rural providers include time-consuming referrals; poor interactions with urban providers; and data sharing issues due to multiple, disconnected electronic health records.
Author(s): Bryn L. Sutherland, Kristen Pecanac, Christie M. Bartels, Meghan B. Brennan
Citation: Journal of Foot and Ankle Research, 13(1), 32
Date: 06/2020
Type: Document
view details
MedPAC Report to the Congress: Medicare and the Health Care Delivery System, June 2020
Evaluates Medicare payment issues and offers recommendations to the U.S. Congress. Includes chapters on value-based payment in Medicare, Accountable Care Organizations (ACOs), the Medicare Advantage quality bonus program, the impact of changes in the 21st Century Cures Act to risk adjustment for Medicare Advantage enrollees, Medicare Part D, separately payable drugs in the hospital outpatient prospective payment system, and the Medicare end-stage renal disease prospective payment system. Examines the current payment policy for low-volume and rural dialysis facilities and proposes changes.
Additional links: Executive Summary
Date: 06/2020
Type: Document
Sponsoring organization: Medicare Payment Advisory Commission
view details