MedPAC Report to the Congress: Medicare Payment Policy, 2023
Annual review of Medicare payment policies, with recommendations to Congress. Includes discussion on Medicare payment policies directly affecting rural providers and beneficiaries. Addresses payment adequacy for healthcare facilities and services; Medicare Advantage (MA), including a mandated report comparing per enrollee spending in the MA program with that of traditional fee-for-service (FFS) Medicare; and Medicare Part D.
Date: 03/2023
Type: Document
Sponsoring organization: Medicare Payment Advisory Commission
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Report to Congress on Medicaid and CHIP, March 2023
Reports on four aspects of Medicaid: 1) collecting and reporting Medicaid race and ethnicity data, 2) increasing the transparency and improving the collection of nursing facility payment data, 3) strengthening evidence under Medicaid drug coverage, and 4) reviewing hospital payment policy for the nation's safety-net hospitals. Chapter 4 examines the relationship between disproportionate share hospital (DSH) allotments to states and the number of uninsured individuals, the amounts and sources of hospitals' uncompensated care costs, and the amounts and sources of hospitals' uncompensated care costs. Table 4-1 details DSH spending for urban and rural hospitals and for Critical Access Hospitals.
Date: 03/2023
Type: Document
Sponsoring organization: Medicaid and CHIP Payment and Access Commission
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2023 Rural Advocacy Agenda
Outlines the American Hospital Association's federal policy priorities for rural hospitals in 2023. Offers recommendations in the areas of payment and reimbursement, workforce, telehealth coverage, and the 340B program.
Date: 02/2023
Type: Document
Sponsoring organization: American Hospital Association
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Fact Sheet: COVID-19 Public Health Emergency Transition Roadmap
Summarizes changes to HHS COVID-19 policies as the public health emergency comes to an end on May 11, 2023. Also identifies aspects of vaccination, treatment, and telehealth flexibilities that will not be affected.
Date: 02/2023
Type: Document
Sponsoring organization: U.S. Department of Health and Human Services
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Rural Emergency Hospitals
Provides an overview of the Rural Emergency Hospital (REH) program and the statutory requirements for facilities seeking REH designation. Outlines state laws that established REH licensure.
Date: 02/2023
Type: Document
Sponsoring organization: National Conference of State Legislatures
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Who Lives in Rural America? How Data Shapes (and Misshapes) Conceptions of Diversity in Rural America (Part I)
Shares maps and other visualizations that illustrate rural diversity and shows how this diversity varies by region and over time. Part I discusses the importance of understanding the diversity of rural populations and identifies policy and resource allocation inequities that may result when the racial and ethnic diversity of rural communities is not apparent. Part II includes detailed sections with data focused on the rural Black, Hispanic and Latino, Native, Asian, and White populations.
Additional links: Who Lives in Rural America? The Geography of Rural Race and Ethnicity (Part II)
Date: 01/2023
Type: Website
Sponsoring organization: Center on Rural Innovation
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What Happens When COVID-19 Emergency Declarations End? Implications for Coverage, Costs, and Access
Identifies federal health-related COVID-19 public health emergency (PHE) declarations, the flexibilities each provides, and implications for ending them. Topics covered include COVID-19 testing, treatment, and vaccination; telehealth; Medicaid coverage and federal match rates; Medicaid, Medicare, and private insurance flexibilities; and more.
Date: 01/2023
Type: Document
Sponsoring organization: Kaiser Family Foundation
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The Health Equity & Access for Rural Dually Eligible Individuals (HEARD) Toolkit: Raising Rural Voices from New Mexico, North Dakota, and Tennessee to Create Action
Provides an overview on the access barriers and health disparities of Medicaid and Medicare dually eligible individuals residing in rural areas. Presents research and stakeholder feedback from New Mexico, North Dakota, and Tennessee to provide information to policymakers. Discusses topics such as community planning related to equity and infrastructure, workforce capacity and community health workers (CHWs), and social determinants of health.
Author(s): Ellen Breslin, Samantha Di Paola, Susan McGeehan, Rebecca Kellenberg, Andrea Maresca
Date: 01/2023
Type: Document
Sponsoring organization: Health Management Associates
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2023 Physician Fee Schedule Update
Webinar recording discusses the CMS Calendar Year (CY) 2023 Physician Fee Schedule and highlights how the policy changes around behavioral health and telehealth services may affect rural communities. Features presentations from representatives of the Health Resources and Services Administration and the CMS Center for Medicare, Hospital and Ambulatory Policy Group, Division of Ambulatory Services .
Additional links: Audio Recording, Webinar Slides, Webinar Transcript
Date: 12/2022
Type: Video/Multimedia
Sponsoring organization: Rural Health Information Hub
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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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