Rural Health
Resources by Type: Document
Mandated Analysis of Home Health Service Utilization From January 2016 Through March 2022
Report evaluates the distribution of rural add-on payments for home health claims. Examines the results of the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services's new rural add-on methodology aimed at providing higher add-on percentages for "low population density" categories and explores the effect this methodology has had on "high utilization" categories. Makes comments and recommendations as to how this methodology can be adjusted.
Additional links: Report in Brief
Date: 12/2022
Sponsoring organization: Office of Inspector General (HHS)
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Report evaluates the distribution of rural add-on payments for home health claims. Examines the results of the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services's new rural add-on methodology aimed at providing higher add-on percentages for "low population density" categories and explores the effect this methodology has had on "high utilization" categories. Makes comments and recommendations as to how this methodology can be adjusted.
Additional links: Report in Brief
Date: 12/2022
Sponsoring organization: Office of Inspector General (HHS)
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Medicare: CMS Needs to Address Risks Posed by Provider Enrollment Waivers and Flexibilities
Report discusses the waivers and flexibilities in Medicare requirements that were implemented during the COVID-19 pandemic. Highlights how these waivers, such as fingerprint-based criminal background checks and revalidating provider eligibility, put Medicare at a high risk for fraud, waste, and abuse. Details how these waivers affect rural providers, as well.
Additional links: Full Report
Date: 12/2022
Sponsoring organization: Government Accountability Office
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Report discusses the waivers and flexibilities in Medicare requirements that were implemented during the COVID-19 pandemic. Highlights how these waivers, such as fingerprint-based criminal background checks and revalidating provider eligibility, put Medicare at a high risk for fraud, waste, and abuse. Details how these waivers affect rural providers, as well.
Additional links: Full Report
Date: 12/2022
Sponsoring organization: Government Accountability Office
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Cancer Clinical Trials: Federal Actions and Selected Non-Federal Practices to Facilitate Diversity of Patients
Examines actions taken by federal agencies to increase diverse population enrollment in cancer clinical trials as well as practices by non-federal cancer centers to facilitate diverse enrollment. Discusses strategies such as collaboration, reducing barriers, data standardization, training, utilization of community ambassadors, and more. Focuses on inclusion of underrepresented groups such as racial/ethnic minorities, young adults, older adults, those with low incomes, women, American Indian and Alaska Native (AI/AN) persons, and people living in rural communities.
Additional links: Full Report
Date: 12/2022
Sponsoring organization: Government Accountability Office
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Examines actions taken by federal agencies to increase diverse population enrollment in cancer clinical trials as well as practices by non-federal cancer centers to facilitate diverse enrollment. Discusses strategies such as collaboration, reducing barriers, data standardization, training, utilization of community ambassadors, and more. Focuses on inclusion of underrepresented groups such as racial/ethnic minorities, young adults, older adults, those with low incomes, women, American Indian and Alaska Native (AI/AN) persons, and people living in rural communities.
Additional links: Full Report
Date: 12/2022
Sponsoring organization: Government Accountability Office
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Characteristics of Rural Hospitals Eligible for Conversion to Rural Emergency Hospitals and Three Rural Hospitals Considering Conversion
Findings brief presenting updated data for Rural Emergency Hospital (REH)-eligible hospitals. Compares financial and operational measures of 3 rural hospitals that have expressed interest in REH conversion with those of all 1,787 REH-eligible hospitals. Also discusses what factors may determine the number of rural hospitals that convert to REH, including risk of permanent closure.
Author(s): George Pink, Susie Gurzenda, Kristie Thompson, Ann Howard
Date: 12/2022
Sponsoring organization: North Carolina Rural Health Research Program
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Findings brief presenting updated data for Rural Emergency Hospital (REH)-eligible hospitals. Compares financial and operational measures of 3 rural hospitals that have expressed interest in REH conversion with those of all 1,787 REH-eligible hospitals. Also discusses what factors may determine the number of rural hospitals that convert to REH, including risk of permanent closure.
Author(s): George Pink, Susie Gurzenda, Kristie Thompson, Ann Howard
Date: 12/2022
Sponsoring organization: North Carolina Rural Health Research Program
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Florence County Alcohol & Other Drug Abuse and Mental Health Coalition - Increasing Community Capacity and Resources Through Partnership
Details a community effort to address substance use and mental health issues in rural Florence County, WI. Highlights the coalition's efforts to address the behavioral health of the county's youth and families through school-based efforts and discusses how collective action can address behavioral health issues in rural communities.
Date: 12/2022
Sponsoring organizations: Bright Research Group, County Health Rankings & Roadmaps
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Details a community effort to address substance use and mental health issues in rural Florence County, WI. Highlights the coalition's efforts to address the behavioral health of the county's youth and families through school-based efforts and discusses how collective action can address behavioral health issues in rural communities.
Date: 12/2022
Sponsoring organizations: Bright Research Group, County Health Rankings & Roadmaps
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Effect of Health System on the Association of Rurality and Level of Disadvantage with Receipt of Diabetic Eye Screening
Examines the role of disadvantage related to rural versus urban disparities of eye screenings in Wisconsin. Analyzes 118,707 adults with diabetes who had billed claims recorded in a 2012-2013 all-payer database. Includes demographic information including age, sex, insurance payer, clinic rurality, clinic disadvantage, and hierarchical condition category (HCC) risk score. Discusses the need for health system-level change to address social determinants of health.
Author(s): Loren J. Lock, Roomasa Channa, Meghan B. Brennan, Ying Cao, Yao Liu
Citation: BMJ Open Diabetes Research & Care, 10(6), e003174
Date: 12/2022
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Examines the role of disadvantage related to rural versus urban disparities of eye screenings in Wisconsin. Analyzes 118,707 adults with diabetes who had billed claims recorded in a 2012-2013 all-payer database. Includes demographic information including age, sex, insurance payer, clinic rurality, clinic disadvantage, and hierarchical condition category (HCC) risk score. Discusses the need for health system-level change to address social determinants of health.
Author(s): Loren J. Lock, Roomasa Channa, Meghan B. Brennan, Ying Cao, Yao Liu
Citation: BMJ Open Diabetes Research & Care, 10(6), e003174
Date: 12/2022
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COVID-19 Relief Funds: Lessons Learned Could Improve Future Distribution of Federal Emergency Relief to Tribal Recipients
Examines approaches selected federal agencies used to administer programs that provided COVID-19 funds to tribal recipients. Identifies lessons learned that could improve future federal relief to these recipients.
Additional links: Full Report
Date: 12/2022
Sponsoring organization: Government Accountability Office
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Examines approaches selected federal agencies used to administer programs that provided COVID-19 funds to tribal recipients. Identifies lessons learned that could improve future federal relief to these recipients.
Additional links: Full Report
Date: 12/2022
Sponsoring organization: Government Accountability Office
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COVID-19 in Nursing Homes: Outbreak Duration Averaged 4 Weeks and Was Strongly Associated with Community Spread
Examines how COVID-19 outbreaks affected nursing homes. Explores factors that were associated with the duration of COVID-19 outbreaks, including community-level transmission, staffing levels, nursing home size, and type of nursing home ownership. Includes rural references throughout.
Additional links: Full Report
Date: 12/2022
Sponsoring organization: Government Accountability Office
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Examines how COVID-19 outbreaks affected nursing homes. Explores factors that were associated with the duration of COVID-19 outbreaks, including community-level transmission, staffing levels, nursing home size, and type of nursing home ownership. Includes rural references throughout.
Additional links: Full Report
Date: 12/2022
Sponsoring organization: Government Accountability Office
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Ownership of Skilled Nursing Facilities: An Analysis of Newly-Released Federal Data
Analyzes the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) dataset on the ownership of all U.S. skilled nursing facilities (SNFs) enrolled in Medicare in September 2022. Examines 15,151 nursing homes by for-profit, nonprofit, or government controlled; organizational structure; affiliated entity by SNF size, Medicare and Medicaid certified versus Medicare-only certified, and rural versus urban location. Includes data on the 10 largest SNF chains and their distribution of SNFs across the U.S.
Author(s): W. Pete Welch, Iara Oliveira, Martin Blanco, Benjamin D. Sommers
Date: 12/2022
Sponsoring organization: HHS Office of the Assistant Secretary for Planning and Evaluation
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Analyzes the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) dataset on the ownership of all U.S. skilled nursing facilities (SNFs) enrolled in Medicare in September 2022. Examines 15,151 nursing homes by for-profit, nonprofit, or government controlled; organizational structure; affiliated entity by SNF size, Medicare and Medicaid certified versus Medicare-only certified, and rural versus urban location. Includes data on the 10 largest SNF chains and their distribution of SNFs across the U.S.
Author(s): W. Pete Welch, Iara Oliveira, Martin Blanco, Benjamin D. Sommers
Date: 12/2022
Sponsoring organization: HHS Office of the Assistant Secretary for Planning and Evaluation
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Rates of Limited English Proficiency in Counties with Critical Access Hospitals
Describes the rates of residents with limited English proficiency (LEP) in counties with at least one Critical Access Hospital. Summarizes research on the relationship between the availability of language interpreting services and better healthcare outcomes.
Author(s): Robert Barclay, Nathan Bean, Madeleine Pick, Megan Lahr
Date: 12/2022
Sponsoring organization: Flex Monitoring Team
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Describes the rates of residents with limited English proficiency (LEP) in counties with at least one Critical Access Hospital. Summarizes research on the relationship between the availability of language interpreting services and better healthcare outcomes.
Author(s): Robert Barclay, Nathan Bean, Madeleine Pick, Megan Lahr
Date: 12/2022
Sponsoring organization: Flex Monitoring Team
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