Rural Hospitals Must Keep up with Innovation to Remain Viable
Describes changes to the healthcare market environment, including technology, telehealth, services offered by retailers and large corporations, and declining patient volume. Outlines priorities for Critical Access Hospitals to remain viable, including the transition to population-based payment. Details a transition framework to guide hospitals as they move to a population-based payment system and navigate a changing environment.
Date: 01/2023
Type: Document
Sponsoring organization: Stroudwater Associates
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Evaluation of the Rural Community Hospital Demonstration: Interim Report Two (Covering 2016-2018)
Provides an overview of the Rural Community Hospital Demonstration (RCHD). Describes the characteristics of RCHD participants as of fiscal year 2018, the Medicare payments received under the program, and the impact of the RCHD on hospital financial measures. Examines whether hospitals that continued to participate in the RCHD under the 21st Century Cures Act (CCA) extension experienced additional changes to their financial condition, as well as the impact of the program on hospitals that joined the demonstration for the first time under the CCA extension.
Additional links: Findings at a Glance
Date: 12/2022
Type: Document
Sponsoring organizations: American Institutes for Research, Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services
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December 2022 MedPAC Meeting Transcript
Transcript from the Medicare Payment Advisory Commission's (MedPAC) December 2020 meeting. Covers payment adequacy and updates for hospital inpatient and outpatient services and supporting Medicare safety-net hospitals, ambulatory surgical center services, outpatient dialysis services, physician and other health professional services, hospice services, skilled nursing facilities, home health services, and inpatient rehabilitation facility services. Includes rural references throughout.
Date: 12/2022
Type: Document
Sponsoring organization: Medicare Payment Advisory Commission
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The Evolution of Hospital Designations and Payment in the U.S.: Implications for Rural Hospitals
Provides a history and overview of Medicare hospital payment polices as well as alternative payment models and their impact on rural facilities. Discusses the context in which rural hospitals serve patients, rural hospital payment provisions and designations, and current federal payment models that impact rural hospitals.
Author(s): Onyinye Oyeka, Clinton MacKinney, Keith J. Mueller
Date: 12/2022
Type: Document
Sponsoring organization: Rural Policy Research Institute Rural Health Panel
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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
Type: Document
Sponsoring organization: Office of Inspector General (HHS)
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CMS Innovation Center: 2022 Report to Congress
Reports to Congress on payment and service delivery models and initiatives tested or announced by the Center for Medicare and Medicaid Innovation between October 2020 and September 2022. Includes summaries and updates on multiple rural-relevant models and initiatives, including Community Health Access and Rural Transformation (CHART) Model, the Pennsylvania Rural Health Model (PARHM), the Vermont All-Payer Accountable Care Organization Model, and more.
Date: 12/2022
Type: Document
Sponsoring organization: Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services
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Evaluation of the Vermont All-Payer Accountable Care Organization Model: Second Evaluation Report
Evaluates the first three performance years of the Vermont All-Payer Accountable Care Organization Model (VTAPM), which aims to assess whether scaling an Accountable Care Organization (ACO) across all payers in the state can reduce program expenditures while preserving or improving care quality. Discusses the implementation of the model, provider engagement, efforts to address population health goals; characteristics of participating hospitals, practitioners, and beneficiaries; and the model's impacts on Medicare spending, utilization, and quality of care. Describes changes to the model's design in response to the COVID-19 public health emergency and how COVID-19 and a cyberattack impacted healthcare utilization. Includes information on hospital and provider participation in rural areas and limited participation by Critical Access Hospitals.
Additional links: Findings at a Glance, Technical Appendices
Date: 12/2022
Type: Document
Sponsoring organizations: Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services, NORC at the University of Chicago
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Merit-Based Incentive Payment System (MIPS): Traditional MIPS Scoring Guide for the 2022 Performance Year
Provides details on how scores are calculated for the Merit-Based Incentive Payment System (MIPS), one of two payment options under the Medicare Quality Payment Program. Explains the four performance categories that affect Medicare Physician Fee Schedule payments: quality, cost, improvement activities, and promoting interoperability. Includes information for small and rural practices.
Date: 12/2022
Type: Document
Sponsoring organization: Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services
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Medicaid Population-Based Payment: The Current Landscape, Early Insights, and Considerations for Policymakers
Provides an overview of population-based payment (PBP) models and the Medicaid PBP landscape. Identifies promising strategies for designing and implementing PBPs in Medicaid and considerations for state and federal policymakers who want to support these programs. Highlights state PBP approaches, including the Pennsylvania Rural Health Model.
Author(s): Rob Houston, Anne Smithey, Kelsey Brykman
Date: 11/2022
Type: Document
Sponsoring organization: Center for Health Care Strategies
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Medicare Shared Savings Program: Rule Changes and Implications for Rural Health Care Organizations
Summarizes changes to the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) Medicare Shared Savings Program (SSP) that take effect in January 2023 for current participants, and in January 2024 for organizations applying for a January 1, 2024 start. Discusses the potential impact of these changes on rural health and participation considerations.
Date: 11/2022
Type: Document
Sponsoring organization: Rural Health Value
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