The RUPRI Center for Rural Health Policy Analysis releases this report on Pharmacy Vaccination Service Availability in Nonmetropolitan Counties. In February 2021 the White House announced the launch of the first phase of the Federal Retail Pharmacy Program for COVID-19 Vaccination. The “public-private partnership with 21 national pharmacy partners and networks of independent pharmacies” is …
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The presence of COVID-19 cases impacts rural and metropolitan areas differently – a small number of cases creates stress for low capacity systems just as a large volume of cases creates stress for larger capacity systems. This RUPRI data brief shows the current nonmetropolitan and metropolitan spread of the disease, and the associated map shows …
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A new policy brief from the RUPRI Center for Rural Health Policy & Analysis shows that access to health insurance coverage has changed significantly following changes in public and private insurance due to the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act (PPACA). From 2013-2016, the PPACA led to an overall increase in coverage rates of nearly 13 and …
Ongoing research on rural pharmacy closures by the RUPRI Center for Rural Health Policy Analysis was featured in a US News & World Report article, Rural Pharmacies and Closing: Where Does That Leave Patients. “IN RURAL AND SMALL-TOWN America, independent pharmacies play a vital role for the customers who rely on them. However, U.S. rural pharmacies are dwindling. Since …
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The United States Government Accountability Office was asked by Members of Congress to examine Rural Hospital Closures and the Number and Characteristics of Affected Hospitals and Contributing Factors. Research and policy considerations from the RUPRI Health Panel, the RUPRI Center for Rural Health Policy Analysis and Rural Health Value, in partnership with Stratis Health, were included in the report. GAO’s analysis …
Accountable care organization (ACO) models are the most widely adopted value-based payment initiatives from the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services. The Shared Savings Program, started in 2011, is the most commonly adopted Medicare ACO model. This policy brief updates findings from previous RUPRI Center reports. It shows that there is continued growth in the …
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Research released last month on rural independent pharmacy closures by the RUPRI Center for Rural Health Policy Analysis was highlighted in The Health 202, a morning health care policy newsletter published by the Washington Post. As the newsletter states, “The impact on rural pharmacies’ profits is tangible. The RUPRI report found that 630 rural communities saw their only pharmacy close …
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Presented by Keith J. Mueller, PhD (Director, RUPRI Center for Rural Health Policy Analysis) to Pennsylvania Rural Health Model Summit in Harrisburg, PA on April 11, 2018. View Presentation
The RUPRI Center for Rural Health Policy Analysis has analyzed Medicaid enrollment in a new brief, Changing Rural and Urban Enrollment in State Medicaid Programs and found that growth was happened in most states, but was largest in expansion states and metropolitan areas generally had higher growth than micropolitan and rural areas. County-level data on Medicaid enrollment …
The RUPRI Center for Rural Health Policy Analysis has released a brief, 2016 Rural Enrollment in Health Insurance Marketplaces, by State. The data shows that about half of all states had higher enrollment growth in non-metropolitan areas than metropolitan areas. In this brief, cumulative county-level enrollment in Health Insurance Marketplaces (HIMs) through March 2016 is presented …
August 9, 2016 @ 12:00 pm – 1:00 pm Geographic Variation in Health Insurance Marketplaces: Rural and Urban Trends in Enrollment, Firm Participation, Premiums, and Cost Sharing in 2016 Timothy McBride, PhD, Professor, Health Policy and Management at Washington University in Saint Louis, along with Abigail Barker, PhD at the RUPRI Center for Rural Health Policy Analysis …
In this policy brief, we assess variation in Medicare’s star quality ratings of Medicare Advantage (MA) plans that are available to rural beneficiaries. Evidence from the recent Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) quality demonstration suggests that market dynamics, i.e., firms entering and exiting the MA marketplace, play a role in quality improvement. Therefore, …
Health Insurance Marketplaces: Premium Trends in Rural Areas Since 2014, when the Health Insurance Marketplaces (HIMs) authorized by the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act (ACA) were implemented, considerable premium changes have been observed in the marketplaces. This policy brief from the RUPRI Center for Rural Health Policy Analysis assesses the changes in average HIM …
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Medicare Accountable Care Organizations: Beneficiary Assignment Update This brief updates Brief No. 2014-3 and explains changes in the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) Accountable Care Organization (ACO) regulations issued in June 2015 pertaining to beneficiary assignment for Medicare Shared Savings Program ACOs. Overall, the regulatory changes are intended to (1) encourage ACOs to …
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Payment to Medicare Advantage (MA) plans was fundamentally altered by the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act of 2010 (ACA). This brief finds that while plans operating in both rural and urban areas have experienced a reduction in MA payment, the reduction in rural payment overall has been less significant. In addition, MA plans have …
This presentation discusses RUPRI Center’s Work on Marketplaces and Insurance coverage as well as variations in premium and cost. Presentation by Timothy D. McBride, Abigail Barker, Leah Kemper and Keith Mueller at the 75th Meeting of the National Advisory Committee on Rural Health and Human Services University of Nebraska Medical Center. The meeting was in …
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This presentation touches on rural health context as well as transfer of financial risk. It will also discuss redefine, redesign and a toolbox for value. Presented by A. Clinton MacKinney (Deputy Director and Assistant Professor, RUPRI Center for Rural Health Policy Analysis) at the ASHNHA Conference in Anchorage, Alaska on April 22, 2014. View Presentation
This project examines the implications of changes in Medicare Advantage (MA) payment implemented in the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act of 2010 (ACA) and in the current Centers for Medicare and Medicaid (CMS) demonstration of quality-based bonus payments. This research also focuses on key issues including: how the changes to MA payment, including bonus …
Continue reading “The Impact of Payment Reform on Rural Medicare Advantage Enrollment and Quality”
This presentation explores the utility of Accountable Care Organizations in a rural context. Presented by Keith Mueller (Director, RUPRI Center for Rural Health Policy Analysis) to the Colorado Rural Hospital Conference in Colorado Springs, CO on May 8, 2013. View Presentation
This presentation explores the Rural Emergency Department as a flagship healthcare service provider for rural hospitals, hospital systems, and communities. Presented by A. Clinton MacKinney (Deputy Director and Assistant Professor, RUPRI Center for Rural Health Policy Analysis) on April 26, 2013. View Presentation
This presentation provides analysis of current changes to health care and health care systems that provide services in rural areas. Mueller offers tips for transitioning toward an optimal system that fits within this evolving context. Presented by Keith Mueller (Director, RUPRI Center for Rural Health Policy Analysis) to the Rural Health Leadership Conference in Phoenix, …
This presentation discusses to increase health care value for rural communities by exploring how to transfer risk from payers to hospitals and physicians. Presented by A. Clinton MacKinney (Deputy Director and Assistant Professor, RUPRI Center for Rural Health Policy Analysis) to the Rural Health Leadership Conference February 10-13, 2013. View Presentation
This presentation explores the utility of Accountable Care Organizations in a rural context. Presented by Keith Mueller (Director, RUPRI Center for Rural Health Policy Analysis) to the CAH Administer Meeting in Helena, MT, January 23-24, 2013. View Presentation
Rural Policy Research Institute
The University of Iowa
College of Public Health
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